Brightspace

Successful Transfer of Leisure Services to a Suffolk Social Enterprise
As it celebrates being the first organisation in Suffolk to be awarded the prestigious National Social Enterprise Mark, a social enterprise in Bury St Edmunds, has announced a quadrupling of its members and turnover rising to over £3 million in five years; despite the recession and a significant reduction in the reliance of Council funding.

Abbeycroft Leisure, a registered charity, leases two sites from the borough council in Haverhill and Bury St Edmunds, with pools, fitness studios, and athletics tracks, plus facilities for tennis, hockey and football. Working with partners, Abbeycroft has also initiated the Community Sports Network, increasing participation in sport and physical activity across the Borough, with an infrastructure that allows sporting opportunities to be both developed and delivered in a positive environment.

Providing over 800,000 sessions of activity for the local community last year, the social enterprise is renowned for high customer satisfaction and providing quality services that are affordable.
“Transfer of the management of leisure facilities to the social enterprise was about making services fit for purpose, creating a suitable management structure and involving the local community.” said Warren Smyth CEO.  
“We have a strong board, which in addition to a council member, consists of local people with a wide range of interests who are committed and prepared to change things.”

Recently chosen to host the official training camp for the Rwandan Olympic Team in 2012, Abbeycroft’s senior management team commit time to meeting community groups and other service providers.
“Partnership working is a high priority for us; it’s hard work” said Warren, “but it enables us to form new relationships and initiatives and to grow our business.”
St Edmundsbury Borough Council support the trust via an annual management fee, however there is and has always been a commitment to reduce funding from the council and the level of support has reduced to less than 20% of total turnover.
“Both sites have seen significant capital investment by both Abbeycroft Leisure and St Edmundsbury Borough Council, which have given us the tools to perform” said Warren who believes the support and help from the Council have been one of the main reasons for Abbeycroft’s success. Abbeycroft has been enabled to play a bigger part in the community and increase the volume of physical activity, benefiting thousands of residents.
“The leisure centres are not only a place to go to keep fit now. They are very much a part of people’s lives. For many they are a social place to meet friends and try out new activities.”

Alex Wilson, Corporate Director St Edmundsbury Borough Council. said
 “St Edmundsbury is delighted at the progress made by Abbeycroft in its first five years, during which time the Trust has delivered exactly what was hoped for when it was established: an ambitious, locally focused partner able to concentrate on not only improving sport and other leisure opportunities for our community, but also value for money for the local taxpayer.”    
With national campaigns such as Change for Life continuing to encourage us all to take more exercise Abbeycroft is a social enterprise that is fit and ready to serve the local community.
 “By continually improving our range of activities and services, Abbeycroft is having a lasting effect on people’s lives and it is my belief that in the next twenty years we will see an even fitter and healthier Suffolk.”

Celebrating the First Ever Dividend
The Ipswich and Suffolk Credit Union, who work with a range of partners to find trailblazing solutions to tackle local financial problems, has announced that it will be giving members its first dividend on deposits this year.
“We provide services from savings accounts, debit card and loans to people that banks can’t be bothered with” said Director Sally.Chicken. "We are delighted to be giving a 0.5 % dividend for the first time."
To find out more about benefiting from being part of the ISCU visit their website at www.iscu.org.uk

Green Enterprise and Effective Partnerships
A Care Farmers Network from Rogaland in SW Norway delivered a series of inspiring presentations on their enterprising activity at this months “Green Care Through Farming” event, held on the Norfolk / Suffolk border.
The refurbishment of a barn for wedding party hire, growing and selling begonias, riding courses, fodder production, a farm kindergarten and foster home are just a few of the many farm initiatives that support their work.
See www.innpaatunet.no
The event, which provided an over view of care farming in both Norway and Suffolk described the effects on people of working outside as “magical”.
At Suffolk’s Sotterley care farming project 5 people have returned to employment and another 5 into education or voluntary work.
Speaking at the event Sari Kelsey from Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Trust explained
“the key to success has been an effective partnership, consisting of the person, the farm, the County Councils and the Community Health Trust, with people listening, as well as talking “
Suffolk County Council announced it was supporting a care farm study group, which will include providing relevant training for care farmers, enabling the best practice and knowledge gained from Sotterly to spread across the County.
Suffolk Care Farmers have also met Prince Charles at Highgrove.

Suffolk Social Enterprise Calls for Donations and Offers Free Delivery
A charity shop in Lowestoft is offering free delivery of bulky items to households on income based benefits within a five mile radius of the project for the next twelve months and is also appealing for local people to telephone them if they can make donations of beds, sofas and cookers to supply a growing need in the local area.
Ann Stockdale-Bond Project Manager of Lowestoft and Oulton Broad Aid and Assist Project said
“there is a real need for good quality household items, especially cookers and whilst we collect donations for free, up until now we have had to charge a delivery fee to cover our costs. The free delivery will make a big difference to local people many of whom are reliant on public transport.”
The charity began in 1983 and formed as a social enterprise about five years ago, to provide affordable property maintenance and second hand furniture to low income families.  It continues to keep prices low and offer a discount to customers in receipt of income based benefits. They also offer an electrical safety testing service, allowing them to sell cookers with confidence.
Behind the shop which is staffed by six dedicated members of staff and three volunteers, is a furniture restoration workshop which provides adults with learning difficulties, training in life skills as an aid to employment. In the wider community the charity offers a property maintenance service to the elderly and disabled, from painting and decorating to gardening.
Ann who has managed the project for the passed six years said
“I came here first as the secretary on the management committee before I took on the role of the manager. I get enormous reward from seeing people being helped and making progress”
If you live within the Lowestoft area and wish to donate unwanted furniture or electrical goods please telephone the shop on 01502 586925 to see if they are suitable.  All donations need to comply with the current regulations and any soft furnishings must have a fire safety tag still attached. Aid and Assist also welcomes donations of clothing.

Can you copy this?    By Jenny Crampton
Pete looked uninspired and resigned and helpless in his wheelchair. This man who once ran his own business, who had made decisions of significant import was now considered incapable of anything beyond copying text onto a computer. Simply filling time was just another of his sufferings.

By the time I became involved with the third sector, coming from a decision making world of project management, the customs and practices of well meant but stifling palliative care were commonplace – and they appeared as fundamentally demeaning to me as they were to Pete.

My retirement volunteering evolved into paid work, and with it confirmation that people’s current condition belied their history and their ability. Yet abandonment of ambition was commonplace. As my experience grew I found myself able to instigate new practices designed to broaden people’s horizons, skills and participation in shaping their own lives. A new goal ‘Enhancing people’s lives’ was framed.

An early challenge was certificate culture – ‘What do you want from this course’ I asked. ‘A certificate’ they replied. So I printed a handful of certificates on the spot, before the course had started. As I handed them out I enquired if there was anyone in the room who actually wanted to learn how to use a word processor. The response was rather more confused than affirmative, but in time horizons moved. An understanding that certificates reflected achievement and knowledge elevated them above ornamental value. One of those early students has recently been accepted for degree level history studies at West Suffolk College. A rather more valuable certificate than my home made one will doubtless ensue.

Staffs too, were frequently hampered by the methods of their apprenticeships a generation earlier. Designs were outdated and pricing based on material costs rather than market forces. It took time to convince people that originality and contemporary design had a greater potential for profitable sales than copying bargain basement goods from the Far East.

The wider challenges of introducing reusable skills and working practices started with enthusing staff to greater outcomes than supported work on hobby level projects. Structured training in the use of frighteningly noisy woodwork machines produced a body of men and women, disabled and frequently unstable, who found to their surprise that they were significantly more capable than they had previously believed. Extensive development of jigs and standard dimensions moved staff from continuous helping, to instructing students, from dabbling to creating saleable items. The growth in people’s self belief and pride at seeing their own creations in prestigious public outlets made the two years which it took to achieve the metamorphosis worth every minute.

Our horticulture students had a rather longer history of educational programs, but similarly limited ambitions. Sustained efforts to ensure consistent good practice slowly overtook a culture of pottering. Embarrassing lessons on the importance of sensitive care when planting were learned from; failed hanging baskets, overstocking and a wilderness of un-maintainable plants, planning from missed crops. Once again the evolution took two years, and once again, the rewards of success were tangible, through visibly regular sales of plants to the public.

Teamwork across work areas, from IT through woodwork, into craft and horticulture has been at the core of all of our plans and aspirations. With logos applied to bags, instruction leaflets, plant holders and more being produced as co-operative ventures, mutually supporting adjacent teams. Delivery deadlines generate a buzz hitherto un-experienced and that sense of a job well done when deliveries are made on time and to our new and far more saleable standards. Self help in terms of ground and buildings maintenance involves our clients and volunteers, cutting costs. How does a man in a wheelchair paint a high wall? By taping the brush to a broom handle I’ve observed.

We’ve added another line to our list of aims, ‘Realising people’s potential’. Pete is no longer hampered by the limitations of copy typing; he turns wooden items on a lathe, and creates documents with the aid of movement tracking software. No one can fix his crippling MS, nor restore dexterity to his clawed hands but his self esteem and pride could be restored, and they are.

Jenny Crampton is the manager of Street Forge Workshops, a charity for adults with disabilities, based in rural Suffolk
www.streetforge.org

Green Future for Social Enterprise in Suffolk?
“A total of fifteen budding social entrepreneurs have attended start up training at Brightspace in the last month with many looking to develop enterprises with a significant green agenda” said Barry Henson, Community Support Manager at Suffolk ACRE. Provided as free courses with funding from the National Lottery, two more courses are available with bursaries to cover the cost
I day Social Enterprise Legal Structures Date 10th June Cost: £85 per person
3 day Business Plans (OCN Accredited) Dates 1st, 8th, 15th July Cost: £195 per person
Please contact Suffolk ACRE on 01473 345300 or email info@suffolkacre.org.uk  for bursary information or to book
http://www.brightspace.org/index.php/whatson/78

Suffolk Social Entrepreneur to speak at National Conference
Alex Cosgrove, CEO of GROW ; a national award winning umbrella organisation for several “& Grow” social enterprises in Suffolk is to speak at the Social Firms UK & Social Firms Europe CEFEC Annual Conference on overcoming poverty and social exclusion through Social Firms – sharing personal stories and experiences from around Europe
This conference is relevant for social enterprises, for people working in the Social Firm sector (or interested in partnering with or starting a Social Firm) and also for service providers and people and organisations that seek to make a difference to those furthest away from the labour market.
Thursday 1st July 2010 - Friday 2nd July 2010 Cambridge
http://socialfirmsuk.co.uk/events/social-firms-uk-social-firms-europe-cefec-annual-conference

Seamless Support in Suffolk
Suffolk Acre is working with other partners, including SAVO to see if the Seamless Support model in Norfolk could be useful in Suffolk. The Seamless Support programme has been running in Norfolk for four years as a partnership between four organisations to provide support to voluntary and community groups and new social enterprises.
By working in partnership, delivery organisations would be able to use a collective data system to help avoid duplication and ensure that start up social enterprises receive appropriate and timely advice through a single SFEDI accredited social enterprise business advisor.

St Edmundsbury Council and Keystone Trust Involved in World Research of Sustainable Communities  
The Norfolk Charitable Trust, as part of its annual fellowship programme, is sending three individuals on a six week tour around the world to investigate ‘community, economy and the environment in new places’.
One of the three fellows is Patsy Dell, Head of Planning and Economic Development at St Edmundsbury Council and another is Neil Stott CEO of the Keystone Development Trust which operates a range of social enterprise activity on the  Suffolk / Norfolk border. Fellows will witness, and learn from, exemplars of the public, private and not-for-profit sectors operating in carefully chosen locations throughout Europe, America and Asia in a bid to bring back some of the key lessons learnt and apply them to planning, regeneration and economic development in a UK context.
Laura Foster, Chief Executive of the Norfolk Charitable Trust commented, “The fellows have been given an opportunity to devise a bespoke research programme looking at how sustainable communities around the world have developed and what lessons the UK can learn. However, the fellowship is also about the challenge of getting three leading people from different fields and backgrounds working together and exploring the issues that will benefit local governance and their policies back in the UK.”
The team began their tour on the 26th April and will study for two week periods in their selected locations. Findings will be presented in December.

Suffolk Social Enterprise Opportunities
Waste management company SITA UK was named preferred bidder for Suffolk County Council's 25-year waste management contract last week, David Palmer-Jones, chief executive officer at SITA UK, said:
"We are keen to develop partnerships with community and social enterprise organisations and we will also develop new education initiatives to encourage Suffolk's residents to manage their waste more sustainably". Read the full article at http://www.letsrecycle.com/do/ecco.py/view_item?listid=37&listcatid=217&listitemid=55283

Redundant Shop Fittingsavailable for Suffolk Community Shops.
Fixtures and fittings from several Essex stores will be available over the coming 6-8 weeks (estimated):
For more information please call Keith on 07530 927815 email keithmr@chelmsfordstar.coop

Listen to Suffolk Social Enterprises at the Launch of Brightspace

Eighteen Suffolk social enterprises exhibited at the launch of Brightspace in March. Over three quaters of them conluded they had made valuable contacts with opportunities for future partnership working, trading opportunities and felt the day had been excellent PR. Click on the link below to hear direct from some great social enterprises in Suffolk, recorded at the start of the exhibition.

http://goo.gl/FiCY. .

New Social Enterprise at Brightspace Newsletter Launched

A new monthly newsletter for anyone with an interest in social enterprise has launched at Brightspace. Aimed at sharing knowledge and information with everyone  that has an interest in social enterprise, the newsletter contains all the latest news from Suffolks hundred plus social enterprises, plus funding news, trading opportunities, jobs and relevant training.

The newsletter is FREE; simply email socialenterprise@brightspace.org to be put on the mailing list or use the same email address to submit copy for the next edition. 

To view Social Enterprise News April edition please click here

New Group Formed in Suffolk Caring for Land and People

A charity set up fourteen years ago to give people with learning disabilities opportunities to experience work and vocational training on local farms, is one of twelve organisations who have become founding members of the East Anglia Care Farming group, which at a meeting in Newmarket last month blossomed into a formal association.

The Suffolk based Millennium Farm Trust are part of a team of people and organisations, who are developing the Care Farming movement in the East of England, which combines the care of the land with the care of people.
"Lack of opportunities in farming post college provision was the catalyst for the development of the Trust"; said Bernadette Shrubshall, chairwoman of the charity. "The initiative for the Trust was generated largely by an enthusiastic group of people with learning disabilities who wanted to use their existing skills and learn new ones in real farming environments, but with appropriate support";
The Trust now provides a range of opportunities on farms near Bury St Edmunds and at East Bergholt; from looking after Red Poll cattle to feeding chickens and in a rented field is cultivating a social enterprise by growing leeks, raspberries, sweet corn and other produce for sale in local shops. In addition, in a modern building on site, workshop manager Mike Jesky helps trainees produce owl boxes for sale at local events and construct netted plant frames for use on the field.

Providing work experience and training in rural skills, conservation and farming, Care Farming builds confidence and self esteem. Across the County at the Sotterly Care Farm project, which supports local people with mental health difficulties, five out of twelve students have moved on to employment.

The formalisation of the EACF group in Suffolk this month, showed that its roots are already reaching out across the region, providing new opportunities for rural communities to look after the countryside and at the same time, improve the lives of disadvantaged local people.
www.m-f-t.org.uk Millennium Farm Trust
www.ncfi.org.uk/eastengland East Anglia Care Farmers Group

Empowering Communities to Combat Crime

As domestic abuse continues to represent over 25% of all recorded crime in England a social enterprise in Suffolk has developed a new initiative to reduce repeat incidents, raise awareness and create support networks.

Empowering-Communities, a not for profit organisation based in Lowestoft launched the ground breaking Domestic and Sexual Abuse Reduction Partnership at the end of last year. Through the delivery of two free pilot programmes, survivors, families and friends, plus people from the statutory and voluntary sectors have opportunities to engage with each other and form support networks. The programme, which is self sustaining, looks at shared experiences and includes how to recognise the early stages of abuse and how to safely leave abusive relationships.

Gary Pettengell, founder of Empowering-Communities said
"This programme is not just a training course, it's a way to get local people participating and engaging to solve a community problem. The sooner a person takes positive action the more options they have to avoid the risk of harm. We already have supportive networks forming as a result of the first pilot";

The programme is expected to identify the extent of domestic abuse plus tactics used and how children are affected. It will also give opportunities to explore issues that have enabled survivors to break the cycle of abuse and therefore reduce repeat victimisation for them and future generations.

This is the second pioneering approach to crime reduction from Empowering- Communities, which Gary formed in 2007 following a career in Policing. The first scheme, Count Me Out, tackles gambling or alcohol addiction through a clever self exclusion scheme. The gambling programme was so successful it now operates nationally and the alcohol scheme, launched last year in Great Yarmouth.

Empowering-Communities was set up to help and empower victims, local communities, vulnerable people and their families. To date they are self sustaining and as an organisation have no boundaries in relation to the communities, people and organisations they can work with to tackle crime and disorder.
www.empowering-communities.org

Social Firms Might Come to Suffolk

A community meeting is being held in Kessingland this month to gauge local interest in the social enterprise Cibo opening a restaurant in the community as a social firm.

Director of Cibo, Helen Meneghello has worked in supporting adults for a number of years, but it was coming second in an East of England Cook Off cookery competition that led to plans to set up restaurants as social firms, to provide employment opportunities for adults disadvantaged in the labour market.

"I'd been looking for something that I could use as a social firm and once I realised my cooking was so good, I thought I could really use food as a vehicle for developing the idea."; said Helen

After the cookery competition success Helen formed Cibo Community Interest Company, doing outside catering for market research and ran a coffee shop for six months to get some experience; this included giving supported work training to two vulnerable adults.

Helen has developed a business plan and is hoping that premises will become available soon. In the mean time the Shaw Trust, a charity which works to help people with disabilities find employment, have arranged a meeting for Helen with Jamie Oliver's renowned Fifteen team.

Jenny Crampton to speak at launch

The manager of Street Forge Workshops a social enterprise in north Suffolk will be speaking about the benefits social enterprise brings to communities at the official launch of Brightspace on 10th March.

Street Forge Workshops provides support, training, rehabilitation and workplace experience for adults with learning, physical, mental health and/or sensory disability opportunities. Their social enterprise has experienced sales well above target and this success is not only down to the products, but the people behind them

Almost hidden by trees on the edge of the Thornham estate in north Suffolk, the social enterprise is producing high quality garden accessories, which are taking an increasing share of the local market. Made partly from local logs and off cuts from a flooring manufacturer, a well thought out product range is developing, with an attention to design and finish which is opening new markets,

Jenny Crampton, who in her previous career managed people and multi £million budgets in the IT industry, has transferred her skills into a new industry. "I came here first as a volunteer eight years ago and found my experience of project management was very relevant"; said Jenny. "We have become a fantastic team";

Team work is at the heart of everything at Street Forge Workshops. Their product range has been designed to involve at least three people in the manufacture of any item. Jigs and templates have been made to enable the entire process to be performed by trainees. Bird feeders, plant holders, ladybird houses and bespoke items for local businesses add to the product range, with printed Street Forge Workshop bags, labels and instructions being made in-house to reinforce the brand.

The SFW Times, a regular magazine of news from the project, helps keep everyone informed and like everything at Street Forge Workshops is a quality production produced by trainees. Contributions from trainees, volunteers and staff are put together in-house with an up to date IT suite providing bespoke software and adjustable equipment to suit the individual needs of disabled users.

Beyond the rural setting of the workshops, in the busy market town of Stowmarket, the team have transformed the grounds of the County Council's Resource Centre, which had become overgrown and unusable, into a blossoming horticultural facility. Restored greenhouses, vegetable plots and new flower beds provide ample opportunities for everyone to grow and also to supply an expanding local market.

Sound business practice and careful marketing combined with a good mix of skills make this a team that is caring, committed and effective at understanding the needs and aspirations of people with disability. It also understands the needs of the market and is developing a brand of 'different' products which is destined for high growth. www.streetforge.org .

Working Co-operatively in Suffolk

To most people the co-op just means a local food store, but the co-operative movement is the oldest social enterprise in the UK and in Suffolk has been responsible for a large number of initiatives making huge social, environmental and economic differences to peoples lives.

Pam Walker Education Development Officer for the East of England Co-operative Society based in Ipswich, which has supported many community activities across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex said
"Twelve hundred people a week are benefiting from working co-operatively with art groups, choirs and groups like the Co-op Juniors who now perform to thousands of people a year,";

The Society has also supported the development of 1st Question; an Ipswich based workers co-operative providing innovative training for both businesses and schools. 1st Question co-ordinator Jon Halls will be bringing the co-op stand alive at the launch of Brightspace inviting groups of guests to participate in body drumming. Social worker Helen Underwood will be talking about the Foster Care Co-operative which operates in England and Wales and if you want support with your co-operative or want help in starting one, Co-operatives East who are launching The Co-operative Enterprise Hub at the end of March, will be pleased to help

More information at
www.eastofengland.coop
www.1stquestion.coop
www.fostercarecooperative.co.uk

A Chance to Reconnect with Rural Skills

In the heart of beautiful rural Suffolk a social enterprise which is passionate about traditional skills and re connecting communities to the spirit of the land are working to restore a 17th century barn, an ancient orchard, plus ponds and water courses.

OBee Community Interest Company which was formed in 2007 provides a range of training opportunities for people to come together and learn traditional skills; from building with Cob (made with clay, hogging and straw) to working with local green oak using traditional methods and hand tools. This spring, trainees will have the opportunity to rebuild an authentic 17th century roof, from local timber, by hand!

Regular volunteer weekends throughout the year, encourage and support the community in relearning how to how to work, rest and play together, co-operatively with nature, for the great good. Recent work has included weatherboarding the barn and laying cobbles in the yard, and in 2010 there are opportunities to learn how to make shingles and fit them on a roof, repair flint walls, split hazel and much more.

If you want to get involved and reconnect with the traditional skills that have built so much of Suffolk's rich heritage and its community, please visit Orchard Barn Environmental Education CIC at www.orchardbarn.org.uk for more information.

The Bridge Project Exhibits at Brightspace Launch Party

The Bridge Project Sudbury is one of fifteen organisations exhibiting at our launch party; it was set up as a registered charity in 1995 to assist disadvantaged and disabled adults within East Anglia. Vocational training, continuing education and employment opportunities are provided in a safe, supportive, and welcoming environment. All facilities are fully accessible.

Their training focuses on listening and responding to the needs of vulnerable adults who want to go to work, but find mainstream training difficult or uncomfortable to access. Many of the learners have low levels of literacy and low self esteem and will often require some support to participate. The Bridge Project recognises the importance of supporting each individual's needs and building personal confidence. In an inclusive organisation, personal confidence soon spreads to others and out into the wider community. Any business surplus is reinvested into the project itself as a thriving part of the region's social enterprise provision.

The Bridge Project has an excellent track record engaging with vulnerable people including those with hidden disabilities and hard to reach groups. It has made a real difference to the lives of many vulnerable individuals in the community. They work collaboratively with organisations from the voluntary, community and statutory sectors towards their vision of 'a community within a community', an inclusive place where everybody is treated fairly, with dignity and respect.

Ipswich Airwaves

Providing opportunities for people to grow in confidence, train in new skills and speak out to the community in an atmosphere which is supportive, enabling and encouraging, is Ipswich Community Radio's unique selling point. Overseen by a Board of trustees, a local management team ensure the organisations ethos, of providing radio which is not mainstream, serves the needs of the multicultural area in which it's based.

Since its birth twenty years ago, when broadcasting took place in a caravan in Christchurch Park, the station has promoted social inclusion. Today, with studios in the heart of the town, it provides a wealth of opportunities and life enriching experiences; helping those who might not otherwise have a voice.

Nick Greenland who came to ICR twenty ago as a volunteer and is now Station Coordinator said
"On average, eight people a week walk into the studios and want to be involved";

Forty two year old Chris Chisnall, one of over 150 volunteers who work at the station, has just co presented his 20th sports programme.
"Having done the training course, my first sessions were a bit robotic and nerve racking, but now it's just like sitting in your front room and speaking to friends"; he said.
"The people at ICR are fantastic, I've been unemployed for a long time, but doing the programme research each week gives me a real buzz. Now we've been doing the show for a while, we get lots of news and views coming in from listeners, which adds plenty of unusual sports";

With a policy of broadcasting material which is not heard elsewhere, opportunities for local and emerging bands to perform live on air contribute to the active Ipswich music scene. Money matters, life experiences, non-league football, policing, housework and health issues are just some of the varied topics which form the ICR output,

Whilst innovative and varied programming contributes to ever increasing listener numbers, it is the community of people which give this organisation its real value. Like most successful organisations it found a gap in the market and has filled it.

Ipswich Community Radio 105.7 FM
www.icrfm.co.uk

New Accounts for Social Enterprises in Suffolk?

A new deposit account could soon be available to social enterprises, housing associations, charities and voluntary groups in Suffolk from the Ipswich and Suffolk credit union (ISCU), which until now has only been able to offer membership to individuals.
"We are still doing our research, but new rules which are about to come into force, could open up some exciting possibilities to grow and help more local people"; said Director Sally Chicken, who founded the credit union in 2001

Combating loan sharks, particularly at times of economic downturn and enabling local people to help each other, has seen deposits at ISCU reach ¾ million pounds this year. Regulated by the financial services authority, credit unions offer a safe and secure way to save and borrow money. As a financial co-operative, owned and managed by its members, it specialises in providing loans for unexpected expenditure, and currently has 1,100 loans from £50 to £7000
"We provide loans to people that banks can't be bothered with"; said sally.
";Many of our customers are on low incomes, but the longer people save with us the better rate we offer when they want to borrow";

Five paid staff, a host of volunteers and governed by a board of mainly retired local voluntary people, the credit union works with a range of partners to find trailblazing solutions to tackle local financial problems. This has included rent deposit loans with a local council, interest free loans for making homes more energy efficient and working with Trading Standards using "proceeds of crime"; from a loan shark to provide an incentivised savings scheme to decrease the use of loan sharks in the future.

With no banking experience, but a commitment and interest in helping the local community, this is the fifth credit union Sally has set up, who helps run a family business, and is a Director of the East of England Co-operative Society and Rainbow Saver Anglia Credit Union in Lowestoft. Having formed the Cardiff Credit union fifteen years ago, which reached £1 million in deposits before she left in 2001; it is perhaps fortunate for the people of Suffolk that Sally moved this way.

To find out more about the ISCU visit their website at
www.iscu.org.uk

River Stour Boating CIC re-opens for trips in April

Four years ago a group of local people came together with a mission to share their love of the unspoilt and magnificent waters of the Stour; they now provide river trips for hundreds of people a year, with profits helping to keep the river navigable for all to enjoy and re-open for the 2010 in April.

Geoff Davies, who along with a handful of other retired people formed River Stour Boating as one of the first Community Interest Companies in the UK, manages the social enterprise based in Bures. With the help of over fifty volunteers, they sell one and two day guided canoe trips from
Sudbury in Suffolk to Cattawade near Manningtree on the Essex coast.
"Much of the river has no tow path and flows through private land; a canoe trip is the only way people can enjoy some of the most beautiful and famous Suffolk scenery in Constable Country."; explained Geoff.

Whilst the many visitors to this part of Suffolk flock to the popular villages around the Stour, river goers experience a delightful, tranquil journey, meandering through a timeless English landscape of outstanding natural beauty.

Geoff Said "No matter how many times our volunteer guides do a trip, they still come off the boats at the end of the day and say it's magic";

Once the costs of boats, insurance and other essentials are taken out of the river trip income, any surplus is used to make The Stour safer and easier for canoes and rowing boats to navigate. Recent improvements have included creating a new jetty at Stratford St Mary; giving better access on and off the river and discussions with the environment agency, which led to the raising of an old low bridge (which had blocked the passage of small boats) allowing small craft to easily navigate underneath.

In addition to providing trips for the general public, the CIC works with Suffolk MIND and other community groups and already bookings for the 2010 season are well advanced.

Geoff's passion has encouraged an increasing number of local people to get involved and as a growing social enterprise, he hopes more retired people will join in and experience the enchantment of The Stour, protecting the navigable river as a local amenity for generations to come.

River trips are available April to October
www.riverstourboating.org.uk

Social Enterprise Solutions to Fuel Poverty

With rising energy prices and one of the coldest winters on record, there are now around seven million households in 'fuel poverty', defined as spending 10% or more of household income on heating. Many of these households include children and elderly, people with disabilities, and others struggling on low incomes.

Bright Green a social enterprise based in Lowestoft, which provides research and consultancy to business and communities is currently running a series of workshops to help local people cut their energy bills.They also lend out monitors so people can see where they are using most energy, help people find the cheapest supplier and are providing support for private sector tenants in discussions with landlords about energy saving home improvements.

In Waveney, Bright Green is helping people to have the confidence to grow their own food at home, supplying home growing kits and master composters to help recycle kitchen and garden waste

Maxine Narburgh, managing director of Bright Green, founded the social enterprise four years ago.
"When I was at the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia doing research, I thought it was time to actually do something; so I started Bright Green"; said Maxine
A passionate environmentalist Maxine is also founder of Zero Waste Europe; established to implement alternatives to incineration and landfill and recently held a Zero Waste event in Norwich with inspirational talks, discussions & workshops. Exploring the concept philosophy and reality of Zero Waste, local people explored what they could do within their own communities.

Raising awareness of environmental issues not only in Suffolk, but across Europe, Bright Green is working to enable us all to have a greener future.
www.brightgreen.org.uk
www.zwia.org