The Local Magazine from Village SOS - Issue 2

8/3/2019 The Local Magazine from Village SOS - Issue 2

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THE LOCAL

Issue 02

CELEBRATING ENTERPRISING COMMUNITIES

PLUSVillage SOS on tour p8A new generation volunteers p16Donkeys work for Chalfordp20

Champions challenge p22 Q&A with the Advice Line p25 The experts perspective p26

CELEBRITyvOLUNTEE

R

Exclusiveinterview

with

actressGeraldine

James

PAGE3

GETONTHEMAPOurinspirationalVillageSOSmembersPAGE4

HOwdIdHOwEydOIT?

WhythisWelshvillage

turnedtolocalfood PAGE6

ASSEENONSCREENFindfameandfortuneforyourcommunitybusiness

PLAN

AHEAdLearnhowto build abrilliantbusinessplan thatwillwowbanks andfunders PAGE10

PAGE18


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In this issue were getting down to the business ofplanning. Though crucial, building a business plan canbe daunting, so to make it seem less formidable, wevecreated an easy-to-use guide (page 10) and asked theexperts for their top tips (pages 26-27).

My advice is to involve your community as much asyou can at this early stage. Research shows that morethan one third of UK citizens want to get more involvedin their communities (page 24) and the case studies inthis issue demonstrate just how much talent resides inour rural areas.

It might take longer to involve the community inbusiness planning, but it will save many hours later asyoure getting crucial buy-in right at the start. Manycommunities will have a marketing expert, and if yourelucky enough to have an accountant, ask them todesign your nancial plan itll help you make sure itst for both bank and grant bids. And they are different,as youll read on page 13.

Seek out opportunities to get as many of yourcommunitys ideas and views included as possible asthe inspirational Tiernach Mahon from the ARC HealthyLiving Centre says on page 15: We are the servants ofour community. Thats a great mindset.

For those who entered the Village SOS Competitionto get funding for their enterprising idea, turn to page22 to read what my fellow village champions woulddo with the money. Do you agree?

Finally, its worth remembering that businessplanning doesnt end with the plan. Its about setting upthe principles and systems that youll need to run yourbusiness. For example, how and when youll monitoryour targets; how youll feed back progress to thecommunity and funders; how often accounts will berun and by whom etc. The original plan might get youthe money but its the ongoing business planning thatallows you to manage effectively and that can oftenbe the difference between success and failure.

julia thistleton-smith village champion and guest editor

FRom the eDitoR

Village SOS began in 2010 when 10 enterprising rural villages were awarded agrant from the Big Lottery Fund to breathe new life into their areas throughcommunity business ventures. Six of these villages were featured in a BBC Oneprimetime documentary series, Village SOS, which aired in summer 2011.

Today, Village SOS aims to build on the experience of these projects and inspire thenation to start up their own community enterprises. The Local magazine is one part ofthat campaign, which also includes a website and online community (www.villagesos.org.uk), an expert Advice Line (0845 434 9123), an event roadshow, and a fundingcompetition to help people get their community-led enterprises off the ground.

The Big Lottery Fund is the largest distributor of good-cause funding from theNational Lottery. For more information visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

KatRina munRoKatrina Munro hasgalvanised our vibrantcommunity throughforming the BamptonBusiness Group, whichpromotes Bampton villagein Devon and encouragesuse of local businesses.

Now with 50 businessmembers thanks to herinnovative idea, Katrinaco-ordinates the groupand its twitter accounts@TOUCAN_KATRINA and@Bamptonbizgroup.

She has also organisednumerous communityevents and is currentlyapplying for funding for amuch needed heritage andtourism centre.Nominated by local

businessman Norman Russell.

Do you know someonewho deservesrecognition for thework theyre doing in

your community? Sendyour nomination [email protected]

aBout VillaGe sos anD the BiG lotteRY FunD

loCal

heRo

this issues

YouR netWoRK

THE LOCAL ISSUE 2 3

Shes a famous actresswith a string of lm and

TV credits to her name butin her spare time, GeraldineJamesplays anothergreat role.

The star of SherlockHolmes and The Girl WithThe Dragon Tattoo is avolunteer at LodsworthLarder in Petworth,

West Sussex. This tinynot-for-prot villageshop has won a host ofawards for its eco-friendlyethos. It generates itsown electricity and usesrecycled tills and coolers.

Selling local produce,it functions as a postofce, coffee shop and drycleaning and prescriptionspick-up, all funded bycommunity shares. It alsoprovides internet access.

When she is not working,Ms James, 61, who shotto fame in the acclaimedTV drama The Jewel in theCrown, regularly gives hertime to the shop, workingbehind the till and tidyingthe shelves.

My life is very busy butwhen Im not working andIm down at the cottage,

Ill go to the shop and doan afternoon about fourhours a week.

I was hugely supportiveof the idea of this shopand I think it s completelyfantastic.

During her shift,Geraldine is certainly notafraid to get stuck in. I usean extremely complicatedtill, which is great as thatsoutside my normal scope.Its a very clean shop so I

also sweep, hoover and tidythe shelves.

But being a volunteeris not just about givingsomething back to thecommunity. I get a hugeamount of enjoymentfrom it, explainsGeraldine.

Im talking to people;Im there being part of

village life, not sat on theoutskirts in my cottage.Its very friendly and wehave a good gossip.

Acting can be a lonelyprofession. A lot of timeis spent studying, learningand worrying. This isa completely differentway of life.www.lodsworthlarder.co.ukTurn to page 16 to readabout other inspiringvolunteers.

Cover image: Chalford Donkey Project

What Do BillionaiRe BusinessmansiR RiChaRD BRanson anDosCaR-WinneR emma thompson

haVe in Common?Both aRe suppoRtinG the neW Citizens mutual YouR squaRe mile.

Find out why and how it can help you on page 24.

thejeWelinloDsWoRth

laRDeRsCRoWn

The ARC Healthy Living Centre in Irvinestown,Northern Ireland got a visit from Prime MinisterDavid Cameronin October 2011.

Project co-ordinator Tiernach Mahon said:He was pretty impressed with our socialenterprise model. Read all about ARC on page 15.

postCaRD FRom the pRime ministeR

Who am i?Im the village championfor Newstead, theNottinghamshire villagethat created a country

park from the site ofits former mining pittips. Before Village SOS,I co-founded ShineCommunications, whichwe grew to 65 peoplein 10 years. Shineswon many awards forbusiness planning andmanagement, and I gotinvolved in Village SOSbecause I wanted to usemy business experience tohelp small communities.

If youd like any supporton business planning orany other aspects ofyour project, the villagechampions may be ableto help. Contact me atwww.villagesos.org.uk/users/julia-thistleton-smith or turn to page 22for more information.

The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Big Lottery Fund. The Local is written anddesigned by TeamPublishing. Managing editor: Vanessa Bradley (www.villagesos.org.uk/users/vanessa-bradley)


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south EAst ENGLANDFor the past year, the communityin Little Caneldhas been verybusy reviving an old allotmentssite and holding a series ofmonthly fundraising events.

Having seen how itsbrought the community

together and howpopular the events have

been a group of foodies have decided to setup a social enterprise to establish a permanent community cafeand hub, based in a barn in the Essex village.

The cafe will produce food cooked from local produce (as wellas sell fresh fruit and veg) and also be a multi-functional space

for local craftspeople to showcase their work. Andthats just for starters.

They also plan to use the barn for village meals, as a library andplace to hold computer training for older residents, and maybeeven a cinema.

With the will, the premises and the ideas, they are now workingon raising the funding. See how they are getting on at

www.villagesos.org.uk/village/little-caneld

sCotLANDThederelictArthurMemorialUFChurchsits upon CastleHillinNewCumnock, southwestScotland. Thechurch,whichwillcelebrateitscentenaryin2012, is onthe siteofthepre-14th-centuryCumnock Castle,andwas thelast commission ofWelsharchitect,Sir WilliamBeddoes Rees.Locals believethat the churchisthe perfectbuildingtoconvertintoasouthwestScotlandminingandagricultural heritagecentre: New

Cumnock being an ex-deep-shaftcoal miningcentre, andnowahubforsurfacemining, windfarmsandlivestock farming.Checkitout atwww.villagesos.org.uk/village/new-cumnock

uR NEtWoRK

THE LOCAL ISSUE 2 5

INsPIRED BY...

NoRthDEvoNThanksto adedicatedgroupofvolunteers,thevillagesofInstow andAppledorearenowbackwithinan

easy commutecourtesyofa relaunchedlocalferryservice.Afterafour-yearabsence, thecommunity-basednot-for-protservicerestarted asapilotscheme usingarentedboatin June2011.Bytheend ofOctober,theferry hadtransportedmorethan8,000adultsandchildren, plus300bikesanddogsacrosstheRiverTorridge.Theferryfacilityis bothatouristattractionandapleasantandsustainable means oftransportforvisitorsandlocalsalike. The servicehasprovenitsneedandthatitsnanciallyviable,so theteam arenowworkingonsecuring thefuture oftheservice bypurchasing aboatandotheressential equipment. Seewhattheyareuptoatwww.villagesos.org.uk/village/instow

Put YouRvILLAGE oN

thE MAP!The Communitiesarea of the VillageSOS website(www.villagesos.org.uk/communities)is the place to share

your ideas, networkwith and learn fromother like-mindedpeople and promote

your community

project.

With dedicatedsections forprojects,discussions andevents, as well asblogs, stories andphotos its aone-stop-shop fornding out whatsgoing on where

you are.

If youd like any helppopulating yourpage, contact [email protected]

NoRthERN IRELANDThe Northern Ireland Tourist Board call it one ofthe worlds great road journeys or the CausewayCoastal Route. Glenariffpeople prefer itstraditional title: the Antrim Coast Road.

This road is an acknowledged feat ofengineering from the 19th century, which wassupervised in its later stages by the county

surveyor, Sir Charles Lanyon, who went on to design the mainbuilding of Queens College (now Queens University Belfast).

But Sir Charles would hardly approve of the toilet block thathas lain derelict for years on the Antrim Coast Road betweenWaterfoot and the Bay.

Good news then that the Glenariff ImprovementGroup is taking action, with plans to acquire thebuilding from the council, give it a new purpose as

a tea room, and reopen the toilets as a visitor facility all ofwhich will create an asset from this current liability and provide anattractive addition to the important visitor route.Follow their journey at www.villagesos.org.uk/village/glenariff


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THE LOCAL ISSUE 1 7

HoweyHereshowtheg

reen-ngered

residentsofasmallvillagein

Powystookawastelandand

turneditinintosustainableinco

me

streamsfortheircommunity.

Whentheopportunitycameuptobuyanabandoned

7.5-acrenurserysiteontheedgeofHoweyvillage,a

groupofpassionatelocalsthoughtitwasworthseeing

ifasociallyinclusivecommunityenterprisebasedaround

growingfoodforlocalconsumptionwouldwork.

TodothistheyformedAsheldCommunityEnterprise

(ACE)andwonthevillagessupportthroughpublic

meetings,communitysurveysandopendaysonthesite.

THE LOCAL ISSUE 2 7

SecuringtHeSiteandSupport

He Journey

Havinglaunchedethica

lsharestosetupa

CommunityLandTrust

,alongcametheBig

LotteryFunds

VillageSOSprogramm

ein

early2010.Itwastoogoodanopportu

nity

tomissandmeantthe

wholeproject

acommunity-owned

nurserywith

polytunnels,greenhou

ses,outbuildingsand

twoatscouldcom

etofruitionin

aroundoneyear!

FindingtHeFunding

FourSeaSonSoFHardwork

Renovationstartedinspring2010tocleartheland,

polytunnelsandgreenhousesandgetreadyforgrowing.

Inlateautumn,workbeganonconvertingthehouse

intotwoatsandduringthewinter,volunteersworked

tirelesslyontreesurgeryandhedges.Byspring2011,

theatswerereadyfordecoratingandtheripped

polytunnelshadbeenre-skinned.

2011hasbeenACEsrstfullgrowing

seasonanditscustomershavegiven

the

enterprisegreatandvitalfeedbackab

out

whattheywantandwhen.ACEsfutu

re

plansnowincludebuildingakitchent

o

makechutneys,jamsandfruitjuices,

whichwill addmorevaluetoitsprod

uce.

LiSten,Learna

ndgrow

ACEs top ve tips for

a successful enterprise

1. Haveasharedvision,

passionandbuildoncommunityassets

2.CollecttheevidenceandhaveaPlanB

3.Seesetbacksas

opportunities

4.Diversifyandexplorearangeofincomestreams

5.Reviewandbeupfront

withfunders.

To fnd out more about

the project visitwww.villagesos.org.uk/

village/howey

Turn to page 16 to see

how ACE is rebuilding lives.

Tosurvive, ACE needs a diverse range of

income streams. These currently include:

selling produce at a weekly market stall and in

retail outlets; selling plants and herbs; renting

growing spaces to groups and individuals,

including organisations such as MIND,

Kaleidoscope and Barnardos; rentingthe ats

and training suite; using themobile catering

unit and making money fromrunningtraining.

SurviveandtHrive

Onsitec

ommunitylu

nch

FundraisingwiththeRotaryClubofBuilthWells

Openmeeting

The six-bedroomhouse that became two fats

Birds-eyeviewofACE

Theworkshops

Apolytunnel

chokingwithweeds

Thelightattheendofclearingthepolytunnel

Herecomethesunfowe

rs

Sowing the

seeds

Aproduce-lledpolytunnel

Foodontheg

o

Glenysat themarketstall

Acopperworkingclass


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The village sos Tour

MeeT MaxHello. Im your Village SOScommunity manager. Whatdoes that mean? Well, Im hereto help you make the most ofthe tools and resources VillageSOS has to offer. I can also helpyou create an online prole foryour village, which you can useto promote your communityand your ideas.

I want to hear about your

experiences, your challengesand how your fantasticprojects are progressing sokeep the stories coming! Youcan contact me through thewebsite, on twitter via@VillageSOS, or send me anemail at [email protected]

llage sos roadshow

The Village SOS Roadshow got off to a fantastic

start in October 2011, with free events heldacross the UK.

Here, Village SOS community manager MaxKlatt reports from the tour, sharing his diary,top tweets and introduces some of VillageSOSs most inspirational and passionate members.

doncasTer

Off and running to Doncaster Racecourse wherethere was a real buzz of excitement as peoplefrom all over Yorkshire turned out for the day.

Pete Hawkins from Village SOS project TasteTideswell gave delegates a lively overview of the

journey he and his project group have been on.Before deciding on the idea of Taste Tideswell, weconsulted with the whole community to identify theirideas and needs. We wanted to encourage the retailcommunity to work together and recognise wheretheir competition was.

I also had the privilege of meeting Susan Wyatt andJo Kent from the Hayeld Heritage Project, who wereplanning on setting up a heritage and informationcentre in their village. They said: We were soenthused by the Village SOS TV show and by what wesaw on the website that we came to the Roadshowto learn from other peoples experiences; see how

projects work; recognise any pitfalls and learn howto overcome them.Its denitely got me thinking about my village not what we want the village to have, but what thevillage needs in order to maintain its heart for thenext generationsof people who livethere.Will Foord@VillageSOS:237,800 peopleare employed inco-operativesacross the UK#vsosDoncaster

derry/londonderry

Northern Ireland certainly didnt disappoint whenit came to showing its community spirit throughentertaining case studies and workshops.

Niall McFerran from Ballygally spoke of how thecommunity built its own shop with a post ofce, alarge community hall with its own meeting room,kitchen and internet access, and a place for localartists to showcase their work. With a strongfoundation you can create anything, he said.

Speaker Michael Hughes from the Rural CommunityNetwork said: Community buy-in is just as importantat the planning stage as it is at the implementationstage, and for sustainability.

This was a most thought-provoking and relevantconference. The speakers were energised andrelevant while the general tone of proceedings wasone of co-operation and genuine desire to help. Oneof the best days I have spent at a conference ever!Noelle Walker Lack, Rural Womens Group

@VillageSOS: When asking peopleto volunteer, be very clear onroles and responsibilities theyre more likely to agree ifthey know in advance #vsosNI

BrisTol

For my rst Village SOS Roadshowexperience,I joined around 80 other people in BristolsWatershed for an enlightening day spent sharing anddeveloping ideas on setting up a community business.

We heard about Honeystreets Village SOS project,the Barge Inn, from project leader Terry Kemp andVillage Champion Sandra Bhatia, alongside otherinspirational case studies, including Hinton St GeorgeCommunity Shop from vice-chair Emma Way. She said:Through offering community shares, we managed toraise over 160,000 in one year to take our local shopinto community ownership. Naturally, everyone waskeen to nd out how (you can on page 14).

It was great to network with others and to offerand receive advice. The talks were engaging and tohave experts and funders all under one roof gavea unique opportunity to nd the right direction inwhich to take our plans for a cafe to the next level.Veronica Seedhouse, Rowde Village Shop

@VillageSOS: Volunteersare unpaid not becausetheyre unworthy,but because theyrepriceless #vsosBristol

@Kat_Plunkett:We reckon havinga village shop hasadded 15,000 to thevalue of every house.#VSOSBristol

caernarfon

Itraveled to Galeri Caernarfon on the north-western coast of Wales to hear an energetic talkfrom Plunkett Foundations chief executive PeterCouchman. He said: The most humbling thing I nd incommunities is seeing them think and work together.

They start with one idea and through believing in thecommunity, they expand and adapt it to their needs.

Some residents from Y Fron, a village just south ofCaernarfon came to the Roadshow to see how theycould revive their community, and they left knowingthey were not alone in their struggles, and with plentyof ideas to take back and discuss.A lot of other communities have been through thesame thing, and just being here and hearing that isreally encouraging.Dai Lloyd-Jones, Y Fron

@VillageSOS: Adelegate just saidhe only came to#vsosCymru for theegg sandwiches. Hesnow inspired to start acommunity enterprisein his village

Dai Lloyd-Jones

JoKent andSusan Wyatt

Dai Lloyd-Jones

TheAdviceLine

table

13 free evenTs1,000 aTTendees

1,500 TweeTsso far!

Networking

Ballygallys presentation

inverness

The Roadshowat Eden Court Theatre in Invernessdrew around 70 people from the Highlands andIslands of Scotland some travelling more than threehours from as far as Fife and Glasgow.

Joan Munro from Muir of Ordtold me: Ive discovered fromall the speakers and facilitatorstoday how to breathe life backinto our community a villagethat has no central facilities tobring everyone together.I sincerely hope to follow up linksI made through networking andto be able to share ideas with themovers and shakers in my owncommunity.

A fantastic and inspiring storycame from Duncan MacInnes,

chairman of Sleat Community Trust on the Isle ofSkye. Starting with buying the local petrol station,they have now expanded their business to includeeverything from a subsidised community taxi toownership of the local forest for tourism and heritagepurposes. He said: If an opportunity arises, dont donothing. Look at it in depth you never know whatmay come of it.

The Roadshow has given me some ideas of how tomove our project further, take it to the next level,and provided business insight that we may not haveconsidered before. Id denitely recommend it toanyone who lives in a rural community.Clara Hickey, Strathpeffer Community Association

@VillageSOS: Communities in Scotland aretaking the lead and initiating change theywant community ownership and leadershipJohn Watt of @HIE_Scotland #vsosScotland

ClaraHickey

village sos naTional conferenceIf you only attend one event for yourcommunity in 2012 make it the

Village SOS National Conference.

On Monday 27 February 2012, the BurlingtonHotel in Birmingham will host the whos who ofcommunity enterprise experts, including PeterAinsworth, chair of the Big Lottery Fund and PeterCouchman, chief executive of Plunkett Foundation.

Whether your enterprise has been booming fordecades or its just an idea, there will be a range ofsessions and workshops designed to suit your stageof the enterprise journey and help you get to thenext level.

Find out more about funding opportunities, getthe latest legal and expert advice for free and hearamazing ideas that just might work in your villagetoo. And theres also the opportunity to networkover a free lunch!

Register your interest at www.villagesos.org.ukfrom 16 December.


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THE LOCAL ISSUE 2 13

1.At the beginning, its the timespentplanning,rather thantheplan, thatisimportant2. Bestructuredand comprehensiveinyourpreparation

3.Dontstart with adocument template: it mayconstrainyour thinking andtheway you tellthe story

4.Write it withyour readers in mind: knowtheirinterests and keep it focused and concise5.Letyour organisations personality shinethrough

6.Dont stretch the plan tosuit differentreaders:if necessary,use supplementarydocuments7.Remember that itisforyourst and foremost8. Use it as a ag that everyone can marchbehind

9.Dont bury it: keep it at hand and front ofmind10.Butrememberto beexible as things

develop.FromRichard Snow, project manager, PlunkettFoundations MakingLocal FoodWork programmewww.makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk

TENTIPSFORYOURPLANthey want to do or where theyare going.

Community enterprises are aboutsocial and nancial returns. Thosethat can link the two and tell thestory well are the most successful.

Sometimes we get business plansthat dont quite make sense. Theyvebeen running training courses andnow they want to buy a boat youneed to make it clear how it ts into

your business strategy.

BANK ON ITIf you are applying for a loan orfunding, you need to make yourbusiness plan as appealing aspossible. Mike Williams of the Wales

Co-operative Centre, explains: Agood business plan is as important toa social enterprise as a commercialoutlet. Its your working map.

Common pitfalls include alack of attention to detail andforethought like its not beenthought through thoroughly.

Clarity of objective is veryimportant: the plan needs toow. Dont forget that a grantpanel will be assessing a numberof funding applications in a shortperiod you need an original andinnovative idea to make yoursstand out.

Mike helped both Harlech andArdudwy Leisure and PengwernCymunedol (see pages 13 and 15)put together their business plans.Both were very detailed planswhich had a lot of thought put

into the wording and the nancialinformation to back that up.

Youve got to stick to thefacts and gures and provide

evidence, urges Peter Hughes,Charity Banks regional manager forthe Midlands and East of England.He says: A good plan is well-researched and the assumptionsmade in performance and growthare valid and tested.

It should be well laid out andnot too long. It should cover all thebases and the person writing it mustunderstand the audience he or sheis writing for. Writing for a sociallender is slightly different fromwriting for a grant panel.

A bank is still interested in socialoutcomes but is also looking at long-term sustainability. Grant fundersare sometimes more interestedin the project. Social lenders stayinvolved for a lot longer and thedocument is the foundation of that

partnership.Turn to page 21 for top tips on

making your grant applicationsstand out from the pack.

PRESENTATION MATTERSIts not just the content you have toconsider its also how it looks. Yourbusiness plan is how you present

your enterprise to the outsideworld and should be a good-looking document free of spellingor grammatical errors. Spellingmistakes and grammatical errorssuggest a lack of care and diligence,says Mike.

Emma from Hinton St GeorgeShop, says: People judge a book byits cover. However good the contentmay be, the physical presentationmatters its about condenceand conveying that youre a seriousorganisation. (See page 14).

After weeks of working on yourbusiness plan, its a good i dea toconsider an independent reviewfor a fresh perspective. Asksomeone who is not directlyinvolved in the detail of thescheme to offer constructivecriticism. You can also ask theVillage SOS Advice Line expertsfor their help. Its free and theyhave years of experience puttingtogether plans for all kinds ofcommunity enterprises.

USINESS PLAN

Uist Wool on the tiny island ofNorth Uist in Scotlands WesternIsles is planning to revive its wooland processing traditions.

The co-operative, whichreceived start-up support fromCo-operative DevelopmentScotland (CDS), has been set upby a 113-strong group of crofters,sheep breeders and weavers tosupport the local economy bymanufacturing yarn andwoollen products fromlocally-produced eece.

It is planning to establish aspinning mill, training centre, ofceand shop on a croft in Grimsay,North Uist. It will buy, produceand sell woollen products for

markets withinthe OuterHebrides and

internationally.Wool was a very important

part of the local economy forhundreds of years but is now nearlyworthless, explains Uist WoolsMary Norton.

CDS helped to register theenterprise as a community benetsociety and offered advice on

drawing up a business plan. The grouphas received grants from groupsincluding the Big Lottery Fund.

CDS chief executive SarahDeas explains: A good businessplan is about setting a strategicdirection which is clear to all. It givesthe business a focus. In remotecommunities, this co-operativemodel and the business planwhich shapes it can be extremelysuccessful.

In remote communities, thisco-operative model and thebusiness plan which shapes it can be incredibly successful.Sarah Deas

CASE STUDY 2:UIST WOOL

A group of determinedvillagers resurrectedtheir local pub and nowrun it as a communityco-operative. Thecampaign was foundedtwo years ago afterthe centuries-old innbecame the last pubin the village to close.It reopened in June2011 the completionof the rst stage in anambitious project to seeaccommodation and arestaurant restored toPengwern Cymunedol,near Gwynedd,North Wales.

Director SelwynWilliams explains:We were extremelyfortunate as wehad a committeemember who was veryexperienced in socialenterprise and writingbusiness plans.

Weve been opensince the end ofMay 2011. Lookingat our predictedcash ow and thereality for the rst

three months, theyresurprisingly close, whichis very reassuring. Infact, its a bit morethan we expected butour estimates wereconservative.

The project has beendivided up into sevenstages and we will do anew business plan foreach stage. Our aimis to have a pub, hoteland restaurant up andrunning. So far, we have

completed the rststage to have a barand function roomopen. We have twomajor grant applicationsin at the moment, andwe would be able tocomplete the next fewstages if we receivedthe money. The pubdoes generate someincome but there willnever be enough capitalto complete the work its about 750,000.

CASE STUDY 3:PENGWERN CYMUNEDOL

The project has been divided up intoseven stages and we will do a new businessplan for each stage.Selwyn Williams

For more details on how to write your business plan, visitwww.villagesos.org.uk/get-involved/business-essentials/write-business-plan or give the Village SOS Advice Line acall on 0845 434 9123.

Building on local tradition: a far from woolly idea

Anartistsimpressio

nof theenterprise

Call to Pengwern Arms: save the local pub


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CASE STUDY 6:ARC HEALTHY LIvING CENTRE

When the council-owned swimmingpool in Harlech, near Gwynedd, NorthWales, was shut down to cut costs,the local community mounted amassive campaign to save it.

After three years of waiting,residents persuaded the council tohand it over to them and set aboutraising funds to renovate and manageit. Refurbishment is now completeand its in its rst year of business.

The project, which has receivedaround 1.1 million from the BigLottery Fund, the Welsh Assemblyand numerous smaller grants, alsohas its own climbingwall and cafe.

Chairman TrevorGennard, whoheaded the driveto save the pool,says: It wastricky but wewere extremelyfortunate tohave volunteerswho wereexperienced inputting togetherand presenting business plans. Thatsaved us a lot of money as we didnthave to hire a professional.

It is crucial to get it right toreceive funding you must havea solid business plan. Research isfundamental if that is sound thenthe rest of the plan comes together.

Swimming pools operate at a lossso we put in a cafe and climbing wallto boost our income. Of course, wehad to make sure people would usethem so we went to Outward Boundcentres and climbing groups, askedpeople what price theyd pay andmade sure we were competitive.

You have to ensure that if l endersstart picking at your business plan,it doesnt fall apart. We had to writetwo business plans: one to convincethe council to give us the facility andanother one when we applied forgrants. It changed dramatically.

Youhavetoensurethatiflendersstartpickingatyourbusinessplan,itdoesntfallapart.TrevorGennard

When Sallyswoods major clothingand construction industriesclosed down, the small estate inIrvinestown, Northern Ireland,faced 90 per cent unemployment.

But a group of socially-mindedentrepreneurs have resurrectedthis once struggling community and transformed it.

They created the ARC HealthyLiving Centre, a state-of-the-artfacility which offers a range ofinnovative services to improve thehealth and lives of local residents,including the elderly in isolated ruralareas, unemployed and low incomefamilies, and those with drug,alcohol or mental health problems.

Built from four derelict houses,it has its own addiction unit, runsemployment skills and trainingprogrammes and offers arts andhealth services. It also has its owncommunity centre and cafe.

In November 2011 it launchedits rst Child Contact Centre, aneutral place for supervised familymeetings with children who are thesubject of a court order.

This pioneering social enterprisehas been designed to achieve up toa 30 per cent improvement in thehealth of the community and itsenjoying fantastic results.

Project co-ordinator TiernachMahon explains: Sallyswood usedto be synonymous with all that waswrong with society but now its apretty nice place to live.

Many years ago, there wasa culture of drinking on streetcorners but that has gone now.

The ARC Healthy Living Centrecelebrated its tenth anniversary in2011 and Prime Minister

David Cameron toured theenterprise during a visit toNorthern Ireland in Octoberof that year.

Tiernach says: He was prettyimpressed with our socialenterprise model.

The success of the project which is run in partnership with27 local groups and charities isa community effort. Withoutthe support of the community,we would be knocking our headagainst a stone wall, says Tiernach.

I think our success is, in part,down to good planning. We do anawful lot of it. In fact, weve justheld a strategic planning day to

look at the next ve years of ourproject. We also try to be creativeand are open to all ideas.

He adds: You have to berealistic you cant expect changeovernight.

The project relies heavily on thehelp of its 500-strong army ofvolunteers, drawn from across theARC Healthy Living Centre and theregions charities and groups.

And the vitally importantwork they do is honoured everyNovember at the annual black-tie Margaret Wilson Awards, avolunteers Oscar ceremony whichhas become the towns biggestsocial event of the year.

Our volunteers dont expectto be paid but they do appreciatea wee clap on the back, explainsTiernach. This is our way of sayingthank you for all the hard work theydo. Groups nominate a deservingindividual and there is genuineexcitement about this ceremony.

The project hasprovided servicesto more than50,000 residentsin the surroundingFermanagh area andhas become known asa service delivery hub.

I suppose youcould say we arepioneers, saysTiernach, but moreimportantly, we arethe servants of ourcommunity.

Amountaintoclimb:the1.1millionHarlechproject

CASE STUDY 7:HARLECH

AND ARDUDWY LEISURE

CASE STUDY 4:THE AvALON GROUP

Charity The Avalon Group, based across the north of England, provides awide range of services for its clients from its vintage shop House of Avalonto its gardening business Gardening Gang and painting and decoratingrm Michaelangelos Mates. It provides job opportunities for those withdisabilities, supported holidays and housing.

The group is currently in the process of putting together a new businessplan. CEO Angelena Fixter says: A good business plan is massivelyimportant for us. We are a unique and innovative charity with a diversiedportfolio, including various social care services, a travel company and fourdifferent social enterprises. Bringing all of these activities together underthe umbrella of our business plan is always a challenging process.

However, working to the same corporate objectives means thateveryone is in harmony with a single vision that drives the work of ourteam. This year we are presenting our new business plan in a more visualformat, which we hope will make it more accessible to everyone.It will be available online from 2012 at www.avalongroup.org.uk.

BUSINESS PLAN

Faced with a six-mile roundtrip down single track roadsto the nearest supermarket,the villagers in chocolate-box Somerset villageHinton St George had justone year to raise a massive

550,000 to save their villageshop and post ofce from closure.And after the Rural DevelopmentProgramme for England (RDPE)was suspended and a grant of300,000 fell through, a solidbusiness plan became all themore important.

Vice-chair of the shop

committee, Emma Way, explains:We did what all of us do whenwe are short of money wewent to see the bank, theupshot of which is that basedon our business plan we wereoffered mortgage loans fromtwo different lenders of up to200,000, but which we hope tokeep down to 150,000 to keepthe nancing costs down.

Our share offer in March2011 has brought in a massive160,000 from the communityto date. This is made up of around80,000 in memberships andshares, 64,000 in donationsincluding gift aid and the restin unsecured loans. Our grantincome is around 55,000, butwere still working on that.

And we slashed the budget by100,000, helped substantiall yby a major drop in the formalvaluation of the vendorsproperty, as well as economiesand compromises in ourambition.

The shop is a fantastic exampleof how using a business planas a working document meansyoure better prepared for theunexpected. Its a three-yearplan that we refer back to. Its notset in stone, you have to workwith the situation you have ratherthan the one you imagined,says Emma.

The shop opened on 30 July2011 and so far trading and th eshops future are looking up.www.hintonstgeorge.org.uk

CASE STUDY 5:HINTON ST

GEORGE SHOP

Peoplepower:HintonStGeorge

Andthe winneris...theIrvinest

owncommunity

Working to thesame corporateobjectivesmeans thateveryone is inharmony with a

single vision thatdrives the workof our team.Angelena Fixter

Houseof Avalon:fashionablethinking


9/15


OLUNTEERING

GIVE a LITTLE,

GET a LOTThese days, volunteering is much more than lling up some free time. Youngeror excluded members of communities are also using it to improve their skills,condence and employment prospects. The fact theyre also helping out theirneighbourhood is an added bonus!

Here, The Local talks to two volunteers who break the stereotypical mould.

a NEw kINd Of schOOL

Ay Day b hookedon shing since he caught atiny rudd at the tender age offour. So at 13, he jumped atthe chance to join CAST, a

youth shing project run byRural Community ActionNottinghamshire in Newstead,an area that has suffered sincethe closure of its last mining pitin 1987.

By the time he was oldenough, Ashley beganvolunteering as a coach. WhenI was 16, CAST put me througha coaching qualication offeredby the National Federation ofAnglers. Ashleys dedicationwas quickly noticed and he wasoffered a job as a projectassistant a role hes held forthe past ve years.

I became a volunteer togive something back and helpunderprivileged young people and I could do that through

my angling skills. As I wasroughly the same age as the

young people CAST wasworking with, it was easy forthem to talk to me as I couldrelate to any issues they mightbe having. Thats still a reallyrewarding part of my job.

A typical day involvesworking with a group of around10 young people who havelearning difculties orbehavioural problems and arenot attending school or onlyattend on a part-time basis. Ahalf-day classroom-basedtheory session is followed by afull days practical session ofangling or working in the

Newstead and AnnesleyCountry Park, a VillageSOS-funded project.

Taking them away from atraditional classroomenvironment means you canreally engage with them on aone-to-one basis. All the workis based around thequalications we offer throughthe National Open CollegeNetwork (OCN), such as healthand safety awareness orintroduction to carpentry.Weve got a pack ofqualications we can deliverand we tailor them to theindividuals in the group.

These young people probablywont sit an exam in school, sothey are the only qualicationsthey are likely to get.

As seen on TVDuring the construction of theCountry P ark in 2010-2011,

which was lmed for BBCOnes Village SOS TVseries, Ashley joinedhundreds of localvolunteers, planting morethan 10,000 hedgerowsand laying four milesof fencing.

Volunteers also builtthe worlds longest tyrewall, which formed thestructure of theeco-friendly visitorscentre. Not only didthese volunteers ndnew condence andskills, but many earnedOCN qualications as aresult of their work.

People wantedto get involved in the tyre buildbecause theyve never heard ofanything like that before andthey wanted to see what wasgoing on, says Ashley. Whenthey rst started talking aboutcreating a building out of tyres,people thought they were madbut it worked and it wasfascinating to watch ittake shape.

The park also hosts theannual Headstock festival,which raises much neededfunds by drawing thousands ofvisitors to the weekend event.As a festival volunteer, Ashleyhelps with planning andorganisation a role madeeasier thanks to his BIIAB

music promoters qualication,

which was alsoarranged by CAST. I had ageneral idea of what was instore but its unbelievable howmuch work goes into making afestival possible, he says.

Still, Ashleys keen to sign upfor next year and withvolunteering opportunitiesranging from stage crew tomarketeers, technicalassistants to festival plannersand stewards to litter pickers,he urges others to join him.Its a really good feeling givingsomething back for localpeople to enjoy.

And with Ashley setting theexample, volunteers could alsoget new skills, condence oreven qualications out of it too.Fd t mr abtnwtad at www.va.

r.k/va/wtad

PERsONaL GROwTh

Vtr pd tobring Joey Morgan backfrom the brink. The38-year-olds alcoholaddiction caused his life tospin out of control, butthanks to Kaleidoscope andthe Asheld CommunityEnterprise (ACE), hes turnedhis fortunes around.

Joey is just one of thepeople growing stronger atACE in Howey, Powys (seepage 6). He was referred tothe Village SOS projectthrough Kaleidoscope, anational organisation whichprovides a range of support,volunteering and educationalopportunities to people withdrug and alcohol problems.

Kaleidoscope is just one ofthe organisations that leasesallotment plots from ACE forthe benet of their serviceusers. Its 30m2 patch of land

provides a golden opportunityfor recovering alcoholics likeJoey and other victims ofsubstance misuse to ploughtheir energy into somethingpositive and forget abouttheir problems.

I had a pretty good lifebefore the drink ruined it all,reects Joey. Originally fromMerseyside, he worked as apre-school English teacher inJapan, where he lived formore than nine years with hiswife and children. But afterbeing deported in 2009, hearrived in Llandrindod Wellsin very difcult

circumstances.The alcohol

addiction just gotworse and it startedimpacting on myhealth. Beingunemployed didnthelp either and it wasalso a furthertrigger as I had somuch time on myhands. I hurt all ofthose closest tome and I foundmyself in really badsituations. I got into troublewith the law, it broughtabout my divorce and I alsolost my kids as a result. Theworse things imaginablehappened to me as a resultof my addictionto alcohol.

Ploughing onAfter hitting rock bottom,

Joey couldnt see any light atthe end of the tunnel unlesshe made changes himself. Soabout two years ago, hewalked into his localKaleidoscope branch to seekhelp. He has now been soberfor more than one year and islooking forward to the futurewith a great deal of optimism.

I get a lot of supportfrom Kaleidoscope such ascounselling and theyve alsotuned me back intoeducation and some kind ofnormality, explains Joey.Ive done a digitalphotography and

image-editing course at alocal college and Ive alsocompleted two word-processing courses. I wouldlike to work in the mediaeventually.

Joeys message to otherpeople looking to volunteer atACE is simple: If you likegardening, volunteering,

meeting other people or havetime to ll then pop intoAsheld and give it a go.

Coming here helps tokeep you focused andclears your mind. Theresa great atmosphere here,everyones really friendlyand its such a peacefuland tranquil place tocome to. Reaping therewards after a harddays work is alsoreally nice bothphysically andmentally.

My life is quitepositive now.

The hard bits and mydaemons with alcohol areover. As long as I keep myselfoccupied with projects suchas Asheld, I shall remain anormal citizen and a betterperson.Fd t mr abt ACeat www.va.r.k/va/wy

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intothebargain.Ahugewelldonetoeach

andeveryoneofyou,andwelookforwardtovisitinginthefuture.Kirsty,KeithandFionaMiller

VolunteersonsitewithSarahBeeny,whopresentedVillageSOSonBBCOne

Forkintheroad:JoeyMorgan

AshleyDayat

hisofce


10/15


community issues. We use theinspiring stories that people send usfor our news programmes, includingthe new citizen journalism news

magazine show, UK 360, says Gavin.And now theres another fantastic

media outlet for communities to getinvolved in newsnet. This online

resource will be formally launched inJanuary 2012, and is aimed at inspiringand uniting would-be and establishedcitizen journalists. Whether its a

local parish newsletter, a communityradio station, village blog or website,newsnet is about nding andconnecting citizen journalism where italready exists and inspiring people tostart new outlets, explains Gavin.

The idea is to offer a widerange of support from guidance tovolunteers to help people improvetheir local communications,for example, turning their localparish newsletter into an amazingcommunity website. The best storieswill also be selected for the UK 360Community Channel programme and

Community Newswire service.The whole media industry is

better off by having access to a richdiversity of stories and voices from

around the country. When peoplemake their own news it has anauthenticity which is impossibleto replicate. www.mediatrust.org

What is citizenjournalism?

When non-mediaprofessionals gather andreport the news as theysee and experience it.

ExTRa, ExTRa!hOw TO GET PUbLIcITy fOR yOUR PROjEcT

OMMUNIcaTION

Got a good story to tell? Media Trust can help you and yourcommunity enterprise get your voice heard far and wide.

Whenpeoplemaketheirown

newsithasanauthenticitywhich

isimpossibletoreplicate.

GavinSheppard,MediaTrust

People love readingabout people,particularly someonethey can relate to. Takea donation story, forinstance. Its not the

chief executive of thecompany handing overthe cheques that peoplewant to read about, itsthe difference it willmake to local people.

Major newsorganisations and evenlocal newspapers aredesperate for visualcontent, so if youve

got great photos and/orvideo, your story will gostraight to the front ofthe queue. You can makea press-quality video ona phone or inexpensivecamera.

Make it personal. Themore local the story, thebetter. Stories that arenear to us will naturally

be more relevant.

Think about timing. If ithappened last month, isit still news?

Stick to the facts. Makesure you answer: Who?What? When? Why?Where? Dont forgetto include quotes fromreal people to bring yourstory to life.

GaVIN shEPPaRds TIPs ON whaT MakEs a GOOd sTORy

When it comes to raising

awareness for yourcommunity project not to mentionsupport and funds theres nosubstitute for publicity. But nding

your way on to the front pages, radioor TV screen can seem impossible.

It can often be a case of who youknow (or whos helping you) andthats where Media Trust comes in.This national charity is founded on thebelief that everyone should have avoice and the opportunity to be heard.

Marketing director Gavin Sheppardsays: We work with communitiesand charities to use the power of themedia to make good things happen.We provide communications skillsand resources, help access newaudiences and harness the power

of the media industry in terms of

time, money and pro bono resourcesto build a vibrant communicationsresource to support and inspireeveryone from the smallestcommunity groups right up to the biginternational charities.

These resources all live on MediaTrusts website (www.mediatrust.org), where you can sign up forcourses and training, and ndguides on everything from writinga press release to pitching a storyto a journalist to making a video ona shoestring budget. You can alsorequest free support from one of thethousands of media professionals,including web designers, social mediaexperts and journalists that havesigned up to be volunteers.

But perhaps the most excitingaspect is Media Trusts CommunityNewswire service, where communitiescan submit their stories, press releasesand photos, with the best written upby Press Association journalists anddistributed to thousands ofnewsrooms across the UK.

Gavin explains: Its a completely

free, really powerful way forcommunities to get their stories intothe mainstream media. For example,a tiny animal sanctuary in Surreysent us a story about a hedgehogthat the police had rescued from agroup of people who were playingfootball with the poor little thing in asupermarket carpark. The sanctuarynursed it back to health and releasedit back into the wild.

We put it on our CommunityNewswire service on a Fridaymorning. By Saturday lunchtime itwas the third most read story onthe BBCs national news websiteand on Monday evening it went outas a primetime news story on ITVMeridian News.

Media Trust also runs CommunityChannel, broadcast on Virgin 233,Sky 539, Freeview 87 and BT Vision,and the UKs only digital televisionstation dedicated to local and

PREss POwER TO ThE PEOPLEWhen John Coster startedCitizens Eye, a communitynews agency inLeicestershire in 2007, hecould only imagine that four

years later it would comprise20 news agencies, eachfocused on specic issuesfrom dance and photographyto ex-offenders, thehomeless and traveller

communities.

Citizens Eye stories mightcome from volunteers, butthey are regularly picked upby mainstream media,including BBC Leicester Radioand the Leicester Mercury. Infact, the project is sosuccessful its been selectedto be a founding beacon hubof Media Trusts newsnet.

John uses his backgroundas a social entrepreneur andhis skills and limitlessenthusiasm to give peoplethe tools and condence totell their own stories. Beinga citizen journalist meanslearning how to write shortarticles and using a camera,but were also teaching lifeskills at the same time. Manyvolunteer reporters havegone on to get part-time

jobs. The rst three editorsof our refugee and asylum

seekers news agency haveall got residency, and ourwork with ex-offenders hasgiven them the condenceto get out there and considerself-employment.

Funded by the part-timemedia training John offersother organisations, CitizensEye is entirely run byvolunteers, with reportersranging in age from ve tosenior citizens.

My goal is to train 2,012people to be communityreporters by 2012, saysJohn. He plans to do thisthrough biennial CommunityMedia Weeks, which includetraining sessions on key skillsincluding writing newsarticles, using social mediachannels and making a shortlm, as well as theCommunity News Cafe

sessions he hosts everyTuesday for between 10 and55 people at a local coffeespot. These events tellpeople about Citizens Eyeand the benets ofvolunteering.

John is adamant thatanyone with a story to tellcan become a citizen

journalist. All you need isenthusiasm. Even being ableto read and write isnt abarrier thats one of thereasons we set up thephotography news agency.www.ctzy.r

ExTRa, ExTRa!hOw TO GET PUbLIcITy fOR yOUR PROjEcT

OMMUNIcaTION

JohnCoster(centre)helpingpeopletelltheirownstories

CommunityNe

wsCafe


11/15

Thanks to her four and eight-year-olds, Chalfordlocal Anna Usbourne hasnt had a Saturday lie-infor a long time. But these youngsters arent what

you might think. Chester and Teddy are Annasdonkeys and together they run the ChalfordCommunity Stores weekly delivery service.

OMMUNICATION

The Chalford Donkey Project isa fantastic example of how all youneed is an idea to start a communityenterprise. When Anna returned toher home village in 2008, after many

years abroad, she moved into a housewith paddocks that needed regularmowing. I did it once and thought:This is crazy. We need an animal. Ithought sheep might be boring; it hadto be a donkey.

When I told people in the villageabout my plan, they said: Why dont

you reinstate the tradition of using adonkey to deliver things around thevillage? The Cotswolds village is asbeautiful as it is steep, so donkeyswere used until the 1930s to deliverbread, coal and other householditems to peoples doorsteps (see theB&W photo from 1935 above). Infact, many front doors can still onlybe accessed by a winding network ofdonkey paths.

Inspired, Anna teamed up with thecommunity store the only shopleft on the once thriving High Street and despite the fact she didntactually have a donkey, sent a pressrelease to the local paper.

They ran a small story on page10 and the next day I startedgetting phone calls from BBC RadioGloucestershire and regional media.The day after that I was getting callsfrom the Independentand the Todayprogramme and then it went global.

The story was picked up byinternational websites and I wasinterviewed on Australian radio. Itwas phenomenal. We had vans withsatellite dishes cruising through thevillage, taking photos and doinginterviews.

The avalanche of press interestled to the Daily Mail and ITV Westcompeting to be the rst to providethe project with a one-year-olddonkey, Chester, who was soon joinedby Teddy.

The donkeys are the only deliveryservice that the community-owned-and-run store offers. Theyre verymuch appreciated by the locals,particularly older residents who dontnd it easy to carry their shopping;

young children; and those keen toshow off their village to visitors whocome to stay.

Service that attractS SmileSDelivery day starts at 8am, withthe donkeys harnessed and given athorough grooming so they look theirbest. Anna then walks one donkey as together they might misbehave to the village shop for 9am wherethey load the pre-ordered shoppingand set out.

Usually, Anna will also collect acouple of local children along the waywho are keen to help. Together theydo around 15 deliveries, and she says:The impact of the project isnt just

the people who are directly involvedor those that receive deliveries; itsthe people who see us on the roadand the sense of community spirit itgenerates.

The project is run along the linesof a charity and Anna was hugelygrateful for the support she got froma small committee when settingup the enterprise. It continues tobe funded by donations and smallfundraisers, and, fortunately, thedonkeys are very low maintenance.Anna says they only cost about1,000 every year to keep happy andhealthy.

In 2010, we produced afundraising calendar with the greatpress photographs that have beentaken over the years. Weve alsodone one-off Christmas present orValentines deliveries, and have opendays with donkey rides we cangenerate a bit of money doing that.

And while Anna waits to hearwhether her donkeys have beenselected to carry the Olympic torchthrough Chalford, they may haveanother important duty in 2012. Withthe village shop needing to nd newpremises, Anna hopes her donkeyspublicity pulling power can raiseawareness and much needed fundsfor the co-operative store.

Visit foddonkypoj.bogspo.o to nd out more ordonate to the project.

DONkeys

rd gudn. Youdbe surprisedby how manyapplications theBig Lottery Fundreceives thatare ineligiblebecause theguidance hasntbeen read. Makesure you read andunderstand thecriteria beforeyou start writingyour application.If anything isunclear, just

ask. Mostorganisations aremore than happyto answer anyquestions.

W bspokbd s fundsquns.Dont be temptedto save time byusing genericinformation to llin an application.It might seemeasier, but it mayalso mean thatothers put in bidsthat better meetthe objectives ofthe fund. Withlimited moneyavailable, you

need to makesure youre thebest.

Equally, dony o squ pg no ound o.Try not to startdown a fundingroute that isnot suitable foryour project.While you mayhave to amendyour projectplan (particularlyaround timings)or present yourobjectives sothey meeta funders

criteria, dontalter from yourkey objectives.

tnksgy.Make sure theitems you wantto be funded canbe, as a lot offunding excludesparticular items,such as ongoingstaff costs orroutine repairs,or, as is thecase with theVillage SOSCompetition, youcannot committo an expensebefore you

receive the grant.If you havefunding frommore than onesource, thinkstrategicallyabout what youpropose to spendit on and how youcan complementthese fundingsources withunrestrictedfunding, suchas money youraise from yourcommunity.

mk suyou n spndsufn on ppon.Its sometimesan unexpectedrequest thathurts yourchances of asuccessful bid,such as beingasked to carryout some workthat you hadntthought of orwere planningon doing later.

Reading the formand guidance wellin advance of theclosing date willgive you time toachieve whatis needed.

If at rst youdont succeedKp n opnnd ndopn yswn ookngfo fundng.Dont be underany illusions:nding fundingfor almost allgood causes isvery difcult atthe moment.However, thereare many optionsopen to you,from community

shares orsponsorshipto grants andloans. Youcan nd moredetails at www.villagesos.org.uk/get-involved/business-essentials/nance

wOrkfOrChAlfOrD


fUNDING & GrANTs

The Village SOS Competition,which offered rural villages thechance to win up to 30,000 to setup or grow a community enterprisein their area, attracted hundreds ofimpressive entries.

In November 2011, the judgingcommittee contacted the villages that

made it through to stage two and with the help of the Village SOS AdviceLine team (0845 434 9123) thesevillages are spending the next fewmonths developing their ideas to wowthe judges and win seed money fortheir proposal.

But as with most grants, theres

usually not enough money for everyoneto be successful, plus some may notmeet the requirements, while othersmay simply need more money than aparticular funding stream can offer.

Fortunately, here are some simplesteps you can follow to increase anapplications chances of success.

Withlimitedfundingopportunitiesavailab

le,howcan

youmakeyourapplicationstandoutfrom

thepack?

wINITTOINIT

PhotoTomas

Millar

Findingfunding

foralmost

allgoodcauses

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However,there

aremany

optionsopento

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12/15

he experTs

WhaT Would you do WiTh 30,000?

Before you think about money,be clear about your vision. Workbackwards from the vision notfrom the budget. Know what it isyou want to achieve collectivelyand individually, and set milestonesfrom the end point to the startof the process. Log what assetsyou have and whats missing. Costthe essentials and the gaps ofexpertise you need to buy in, suchas a feasibility study, or design/plans for capital projects. If you needto nd further funding, ensure theseed funding is allocated to makingthe case and achieving maximum

leverage.

FormerMyddfai villagechampion,Jo Gideon,is a businessexpert withsignicant

experiencein entrepreneurship. She

develops commercial opportunitiesusing a social enterprise model andhas specialised in mentoring leaders,encouraging creativity, brandingand all aspects of strategic planningand troubleshooting, as well asoverseeing the governance offunded projects.

Connect with Jo atwww.villagesos.org.uk/users/

jo-gideon *

There are plenty of ways to createa building of around 300-400ft2 forless than 30,000, which could beused for a community centre, villageshop or sports pavilion.

A shipping container can be boughtfor 2,500 or a pre-fabricated timberstructure for around 10,000, leavingplenty of money for foundations,obtaining planning permission, gettingservices hooked up, customising andtting out.

Its a great way of creating abig impact and getting volunteersinvolved, which will also get you a lotmore mileage out of the money andbring the community together.

Anthony Thistleton-Smith isco-founder of Waugh ThistletonArchitects, an award-winningpractice that is trailblazing newsolutions to deliver truly sustainable

buildings. As well as mentoringthe Newstead Village SOS project,Anthony continues to lead the buildteam in the delivery of the pioneeringNewstead Earth Centre due to openin March 2012.

ConnectwithAnthonyat www.villagesos.org.uk/content/anthony-waugh-thisleton *

For many communities, having alocal shop and/or gathering placeis what everyone wants but it canstruggle to make enough money.

Local authorities are underincreasing pressure to cutservices like libraries and to enablecommunities to manage their ownbuildings, so I would get in touch withmy council and looking at a ve-

year period discuss which servicesare underthreat andwhat buildingsare available.

Id putthe serviceand shop/cafe underone rooffor a win-win socialenterpriseand use the money for

expert advice, equipment, stock andhiring staff for the rst few months.

Always seeking a new and differentchallenge has seen CharlotteHastings (consultant, CEO, trouble-shooter and project manager)move from law to fashion and mostrecently into social enterprise. Asvillage champion for Caistor, shewas responsible for delivering acommercially sustainable communityproject that broke even withinsix months.

Connect with Charlotte atwww.villagesos.org.uk/users/charlotte-hastings *

if you have a challenge youd like village sos To help solve, send iT To [email protected]

Nobody knows a village better than its locals, but when youre trying to start something new ordifferent, a fresh perspective and expert advice can be invaluable. Thats why the original Village SOSprojects received a helping hand in the form of a village champion an outside business expert whoabandoned their normal life for a good cause and moved into the area for a year.

In this issue, we ask six of them to share how theyd use a small grant to start or grow acommunity business.

For any project, you should rstresearch the needs and problems.Then, generate lots of ideas andcreative ways to satisfy those needs.For example, if the problem was thatvillage shops and pubs are closing,

you could: create an attraction for people to visit

something worth a brown sign start a barter scheme

start a local loyalty/voucherscheme

encourage new cottage industrieswith advice and services

install a free Wi-Fi zone offer work experience and

training to volunteer staff start a home delivery service

on bikes offer free/subsidised transport

to the village give premises a free makeover

with volunteer/unemployedlabour.

The next step is to screen andrene the ideas based on need,affordability, sustainability, bid terms,and deliverability.

Then all thats left is to organise,plan, bid, deliver, and nally, celebrate!

Tim Nicol was the village championfor Tideswell in the Peak District. Heis now a volunteer director of TasteTideswell and Tideswell School ofFood. His career includes 18 yearsin branded food marketing withMars, and 10 years running his owninnovation consultancy, MIH-MakeInnovation Happen.

Connect with Tim atwww.villagesos.org.uk/users/tim-nicol *

To start a project, here are a key fewsteps to follow:

create a (small) management team consult the residents survey and

analyse desires identify requirements determine what is realistic brainstorm for ideas and solutions stimulate involvement and recruit

volunteers identify whether any further

funding is required and how tosource it

write a business plan demonstratesustainability

identify where money can be spentto give the best rewards for themost people

seek professional advice whereneeded, eg architect, legal, nancial

talk to your local council advertise for help use

noticeboards, newspapers,local radio

engage local businesses identify employment potential research how others have solved

similar village problems (you cando this at www.villagesos.org.uk/communities).

Richard Long served as villagechampion for Ballygally, NorthernIreland, obtaining funding to build ashop and community hall. Workingfor multi-million pound companiesin business consultancy, retail,engineering and distribution including more than 20 years ofvoluntary work his expertiseincludes project management, legal,nancial, acquisitions, mergersand arbitration.

Connect with Richard atwww.villagesos.org.uk/users/richard-long *

Events and festivals are ideal forgenerating attention and publicityfor a community business. If youreclever with your money, you canmaximise the impact of a30,000 budget.

Pre-event Press and PR: this will connect

you to local press, radio and even

television. Social networking: very effectiveand very free!

Street team: your people on theground to get the word out locally(volunteers are ideal).

Event Production: depending on whats

required, see if you can strike a dealwith a local rm to reduce costs.

Venue hire: this may also be asignigant part of your budget.

Refreshments: theres nothing like

a freebie to entice people toan event.

As village champion for HoneystreetsBarge Inn project, Sandra Bhatiaused her considerable marketing, PRand promotional skills to bring theproject to life and launch the musicfestival Honeyfest. She has workedin the music industry for around15 years with a number spent atPRS for Music and following thatin promotion, artist management,music award shows and club nights.

Connect with Sandra atwww.villagesos.org.uk/users/sandra-bhatia *

*You need to be signed in to the Village SOS websi te to send other members a private message

championschalleng

e

Jogideon charloTTehasTings

richardlong sandraBhaTia

anThony

ThisTleTon-smiTh

Timnicol

http://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/jo-gideonhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/jo-gideonhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/jo-gideonhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/content/anthony-waugh-thisletonhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/content/anthony-waugh-thisletonhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/content/anthony-waugh-thisletonhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/content/anthony-waugh-thisletonhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/content/anthony-waugh-thisletonhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/content/anthony-waugh-thisletonhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/content/anthony-waugh-thisletonhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/content/anthony-waugh-thisletonhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/content/anthony-waugh-thisletonhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/content/anthony-waugh-thisletonhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/content/anthony-waugh-thisletonhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/charlotte-hastingshttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/charlotte-hastingshttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/charlotte-hastingshttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/charlotte-hastingshttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/tim-nicolhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/tim-nicolhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/tim-nicolhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/tim-nicolhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/richard-longhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/richard-longhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/richard-longhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/sandra-bhatiahttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/sandra-bhatiahttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/sandra-bhatiahttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/sandra-bhatiahttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/richard-longhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/sandra-bhatiahttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/richard-longhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/tim-nicolhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/charlotte-hastingshttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/content/anthony-waugh-thisletonhttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/users/jo-gideon


13/15

Q&AAlissa Pemberton andher Advice Line teamare here to supportyou and answerall your questionsabout starting,running or growing acommunity business.

For advice tailored around what your community needs,give the Village SOS Advice Line a call on 0845 434 9123*or send an email to [email protected]

*Calls to the Advice Line from landlines will becharged at local rates (3.4p per minute peaktimes, 1.7p per minute in evenings and 0.6p perminute at weekends). Calls from mobiles willvary and may be considerably more.

Its great that you have somuch community support forthe project and have formed a

committee. The next step is to thinkabout your legal structure.

Legal structures are a necessary partof the framework for all organisationsand choosing the right one goes a longway to making your organisation runmore effectively.

A legal form is the sort oforganisation it is considered to be in theeyes of the law, for example, whetherit is a company limited by guarantee orby shares, an industrial and providentsociety or an association. The routeto deciding which is most appropriatefor your organisation can seem a littledaunting at rst but Village SOS hasspecialist advisers on hand to help youchoose whats right for you. Give us acall and our legal experts will help youmake the right choice.

A business plan is a writtendocument that outlines

your aims, strategies, current marketconditions, operational position andnancial forecasts. It should detail how

you plan to develop your businessand how you will manage its nances.Clarity on this point is vital if yourelooking for investment or funding.It should also include informationon marketing your venture, yourcompetitors, your premises andfacilities and the skills of yourmanagement team and volunteers.A well-written business plan willhelp you spot potential pitfalls andovercome them. It should act as anhonest measure of your success andhelp keep your business on track. Itis a living document which should beupdated regularly as your businessgrows. The Village SOS website has adownloadable template and factsheetthat you could consider using: www.villagesos.org.uk/get-involved/business-essentials/write-business-plan, and theres more advice andcase studies on pages 10-15.

Community shares are anoption for raising nancedirectly from your community.

By harnessing the collective investmentpowers of whole communities, largeamounts of capital can be raised in smallsums from individuals.

Community shares should be seenas a positive investment opportunitywith High Street interest rates as theyare at the moment. A share issue canbe structured in such a way as to bewithdrawable and produce a return a very attractive proposition overtraditional donations. However, theproposition needs to be strong andengaging. Investors need to feel theyare doing good with their money bydirectly contributing to local changeand having a say in how a service orasset is run. For instance, Hurst GreenCommunity Shop in East Sussexare hoping to raise funds through acommunity share issue to create avillage shop and community hub whichwill reduce social isolation, providevillage jobs and create a meeting placefor local people. For help with planning ashare issue, give the Advice Line a call orhave a look at www.communityshares.uk.coop

DearVillageSOS

Ourlocalpubisupforsale.

Weheldacommunitymeeting

andmorethan120people

areinfavourofbuyingitand

runningitforthecommunity.

Weveformedacommitteeand

alreadypeopleareaskinghow

theycanbuysharesinit.What

kindoflegalstructureisright

forusandhowdowegoabout

settingitup?Peterfrom Ken

t

Q1

A1

A2

A3

YOUR QUESTIONS

AlISSA SAYS

DearVillageSOSWhatarecommunitysharesandhowdotheywork?Alocal

buildinghascomeupforsaleanditwouldmakeabrillianthub

forlotsofcommunityactivitiesthatwealreadyhavegoingon.Wewerethinkingofaskingpeopletodonatemoneytoraisefundstobuyitbuthaveheardcommunitysharesmightbeanotheroption.

Namewithheld,Derbyshire

Q2

DearVillageSOSWereplan

ningtosetupamarket

gardenandopenaco

mmunity

shoptosellfreshprod

uceand

involveyoungpeoplei

ntraining

andworkplacements.

Weneed

towriteabusinesspla

ninorder

tosecuresomeinitial

funding

howwouldwegoabo

utthis?

YvonnefromEast

Lothian

Q3

Founder and CEO of YourSquare Mile, Paul Twivy, tellsthe Local why this nationalmutual couldnt have come

at a better time for those looking to help or just get to know their community.

OmmUNITY

YOURSQUARE

mIlE


We live in a perhapsnot-so-UnitedKingdom, in which therichest 10 per cent are

100 times as wealthy asthe poorest 10 per centand live an average of 14

years longer; in which 30per cent of households aresingle person and rising andgeneral levels of trust havehalved since the 1950s.

Research shows that1 in 20 Britons know noneighbours at all and 71per cent of people are notinvolved in any local socialactivities such as clubs,faith or community groups.Yet the same research alsoshows that one third of UKcitizens (rising to half of18-24-year-olds) want toget more involved in theirneighbourhoods.

More than 200,000UK charities and 700,000community groups manyof them very small andlocal tackle the toughestsocial problems on ourcollective doorsteps andbind our otherwise fragilecommunities together.All of these charitiesand community groupsare vital and many arenow under threat. Theyneed a unifying force; aninterchange of ideas; apowerful voice.

Thats why we havelaunched a citizensmovement called YourSquare Mile. We wantto help people to makechanges in their local and

self-dened communities.In rural areas this willusually be a small town,village or group of hamlets.

In urban areas its about thevillagisation of our cities.

Your Square Milelaunched as a mutual inOctober 2011 and hasattracted the supportof big names, includingSir Richard Branson. Hesays: If we could harnessthe power of the millionsof employees willing tovolunteer their time andskill for the good of theirneighbourhoods anduse our ofces and retailoutlets as community hubs,British businesses couldpride ourselves as muchon our social contributionas on our economiccontribution.

Actress EmmaThompson recognisesthe challenges ahead: Ihope that Your SquareMile contributes to ourtaking part in what weclearly need more thanever at the moment agenuinely democratic,people-led society whichactively encourages us toengage with each other,challenge each other and,crucially, support each other.

JOIN INMembership of Your SquareMile costs 10 per yearand is open to every UKcitizen over the age of 16.As a member (shareholder),

youll receive a range of

benets including 1million of public liability andaccident insurance for everykind of volunteering activity.

New benets are beingadded all the time and willsoon include communitygardening and clean-upkits; special discounts inlocal shops; faster andcheaper Criminal RecordBureau (CRB) checks;printing deals and streetparty insurance.

The mutual andits website www.yoursquaremile.co.uk offers a toolkit to helppeople both give more andreceive more from theirlocal community, includinga personal planner; an

interactive square-milemap that shows you howto be a savvy citizen andpull the levers of change

where you are; and a libraryof great ideas that youreencouraged to pinch.

Via pilot projects, YourSquare Mile is alreadybeginning to havesome impact in 16 ofthe poorest, toughestcommunities in the UK,including rural communitiessuch as Wigton in Cumbria,which had the rst everyouth curfew in Englandbut with Your Square Mileshelp, has just staged its rstever youth festival.So be the change you wantto see and join in at www.

yoursquaremile.co.uk

WhATS IN IT fOR YOU?For a tenner each year you get:

1.Community deals. As Britains rst citizens mutual,Your Square Mile has the clout to get benets andbargains for you and your community.

2.A huge safety net. Free comprehensive publicliability and personal accident insurance to cover

you when you volunteer.

3.The power to change. Together, we can lobby,petition and inuence at a local and national level,cut through red tape and get things changed.

Agardeningproject L-r:PaulTwivy,TessaJowellMP,NickHurdMP


14/15

The Local asks three community enterpriseexperts for their take on a topical issue.

THE LOCAL ISSUE 2

The key word here isenterprise. For me, itsthe enterprising natureof rural communityprojects that is mostexciting and determineswhether such projectsare ready and able toreceive the support of

business professionalsand mentors.

If you are planningto run a business, theexciting thing is that youare creating somethingthat will bring multiplebenets, including thevitally important ones for

rural communities: creatingemployment, communitywealth and communityglue or cohesion.

Businesses requireplanning, as does anyproject carried out byanyone. If you dont knowwhere you are goingwhen you start out on ajourney, you could end upanywhere, including up thecreek! Business planninghas standard componentsthat give you condencethat all bases havebeen covered.

For communityenterprises, planning isparticularly important andvaluable because manyparticipants can contributeto the vision, aims andobjectives, and theneveryone knows and is partof what the enterprise isreally about.

The business plan,as an expression of theplanning process, thenbecomes a great modeof communication and abanner to march behind.

A synopsis of theplanning process can alsobe used in marketing eitherthe enterprise itself oran aspect of it, such as acommunity share offer.

Lastly, its important thatbusiness planning is donefor the enterprise itself,rather than just to attractnance or funding. If youkeep it realistic and honest,then by carrying out thetasks of business planning,at the end of it youllhave given your businessplanned outcomes ratherthan a wishlist.

And thats the kind ofbusiness we would all liketo work for!

Investing in making our communities morefamily friendly can be as simple as getting

a landowner to say yes to children beinggiven access to a bit of woodland, it can bea capital project providing a communityasset for many years to come, or it can bedeveloping clubs that get children playingoutside all year round.

Tim Smits advice on business planningis always worth a listen (see www.socialenterpriseambassadors.org.uk/ambassador/tim-smit). Tims the brains behindthe Eden Project in Cornwall one of themore famous rural destinations where theyplan year-round play activities. As a touristattraction, social enterprise and charity, theEden Project has welcomed more than10 million visitors and contributed 1 billionto the Cornish economy.

At the other end of the scale, the friendsof Chudleigh Knighton playpark group usea Facebook site created by a local parentto keep in touch with developments ontheir playground and to consult on whatthey should do nex t (www.facebook.com/pages/Chudleigh-Knighton-Play-park/141177128177). You can also see whyplanning your developments is important inthe video of the build of the Hook Nortonplayground in Oxfordshire(www.savetheplayground.co.uk).

Here at Play England, weve been supportingcommunities in coming together aroundchildrens play for several years, and on ourwebsite you can nd guidance on everythingfrom setting up a friends of group tonegotiating the planning system to achievingthe Quality in Play kitemark.

If you are to be successful in securingsupport for or investment in your project, asound business plan is the best possible rststep you can make.

Visit www.playengland.org.uk/our-work/engaging-communities-in-play.aspx for moreinformation.

Just because you wantto run a communityenterprise doesnt mean

you should ignore basicprinciples of business.A social enterprise isstill a business; just onethat trades for a socialpurpose. Here are tenreasons why a businessplan (BP) is important to

your enterprise ignorethem at your peril.

1. Common vision.Everyone involved shouldbe able to recite the samemission and objectives forthe enterprise. If you dontknow what its all about,

you wont attract support.

2. Outline each area ofthe business. A BP willprovide an overview of allaspects of the business.It should detail the who,what, where, when andwhy of your day-to-dayoperations, costs andprojected protability.

3. Determine yournancial needs. Writing aBP will force you to analysethe nancial picture. Youneed to understand yourcash ow and its effectson the business. Manybusinesses have run outof cash even when theycontinue to make a prot!

4. Set up milestones.By forecasting where theenterprise will be in sixmonths, one year, or ve

years, you are not onlyletting potential investorsknow your plans, but alsosetting realistic milestones.

5. Attract investors.Before investors (eg

local residents,grant-making or

funding bodies) can decidewhether or not to backthe venture, theyll need toknow as much as possibleabout how the businessoperates, and how theirinvestment will be spent.

6. Learn about themarket the businessoperates in. Researching,analysing and writing about

the market provides anoverview for the BP andwill give an understandingof where the business tsin, what makes it uniqueand its potential customers.

7. Support, additionalfunding or loans. TheBP can demonstrate that

you have met goals andillustrate the companysgrowth and funding needs.It builds credibility andconvinces stakeholdersthat you are in control ofthe business.

8. Attract and retainstaff. The BP allowsmanagement to measureprogress towards targets,which leads to a sharedsense of achievement andhelps with recruiting andretaining staff.

9. Have contingencyplans and manage risk.While BPs often includesome contingency plansby virtue of having thedocument available, youcan identify where thepotential risks may be andplan for any eventuality.

10. Monitor yourbusiness. A BP shouldserve as an ongoingbusiness tool that you useto monitor progress andevaluate your enterprise.

RichardSnowis a project manager for MakingLocal Food Work and is also chief executive atOxford Wood Recycling. After escaping thecorporate business world, he has been partofthesocial enterprise and co-operatives sectorfor thepast sevenyears.

Richard has co-written anew guide forco-operativesand community enterprises

called Simply StartUp, to be published byCo-operatives UK. He also recommendsasimpleguideto business planningcalledBusinessPlanningUnwrapped, whichisavailable atwww.makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk

CatherinePriskisdirectorofPlayEngland,part oftheleadingchildrens charity,the NationalChildrensBureau.Catherineispassionateaboutchampioningchildrenand youngpeoplestimeandspace toplay,withgovernmentofcialsatall levels, businessandvoluntary-sectororganisations, schools andchildrensservices, plannersanddevelopersand,veryimportantly, withfamiliesand thecommunitiestheylivein.

HayleyElston is aspecialistinBritis

h,

regional andlocalfoodadvisorywo

rk,

includingmarketingand promotion f

or

SMEsacrossall sectors intheregion

al

foodsupplychain.

Hayleyadvisescommunityand

co-operative foodventuresfor

MakingLocal FoodWork, andwrites

forfoodpublicationsandnetworks,

including asthefoodieacionado

blogger forwww.myisleofwight.com

ERSPECTIVES

A business plan is your map for the journey ahead

Why IS buSInESS PlannIng ImPoRTanT

foR RuRal CommunITy EnTERPRISES?


15/15

Visitwww.villagesos.org.uk/fun-and-games-termsfor the prize draw terms and

conditions.

SUDOKU!WIN a 50 gourmet hamperof treats from Country Markets!

When you have fnished the puzzle, add up thenumbers in the yellow squares. For a chance towin a gourmet hamper from CountryMarkets up to the value of 50,email the total [email protected],along with your name,contact phone numberand address by31 January 2012.

7 8 1 9

3 1 8

9 1 5 7 3 8

3 7 6 8

4 1 9

1 5 6 4

9 2 6

5 3 4 2

2 5 7

Theres just one simple rule in Sudoku.Each row and each column must containthe numbers 1 to 9, and so must each 3 x 3box. This is a logic puzzle, so you shouldntneed to guess the answers!

Ingredients:

1/4lbmargarine

3/4lbcastorsugar

2eggs1lbself-raisingour

8ozchoppeddates

1tspbicarbonateofsoda

1pintboilingwater

Sauce:1/2lbbutter

1lbbrownsugar

1pintdoublecream

NicolaCorrigallsstickytoffeepudding

Placethedates,waterandbicarbonateo

fsodainabowl

andleaveuntilmostofthewaterhasbeen

absorbed.

Inalargebowl,creamthemargarineands

ugaruntilpale

anduffy.Beatintheeggsgra

duallythenfoldintheour.

Addthedatestothecreamedmixtureand

bakeinahot

ovenforapproximately40minutes.

Boilthebutter,sugarandcreamtogethe

rtocreate

thetoffeesauce.

Poursomeofthesauceoverthepudding

andbrown

underthegrillbeforeservingwiththerem

ainingsauce,

aswellasice-creamand/orcream).

ThisissuesrecipecomesfromtheJohnshavenC

ommunityCafeGroupsfundraisingcookbook.

TheresidentsofthisAberdeenshirevillagearew

orkingtowardsopeningacommunitycafeinth

eir

oldlifeboathouse.Followtheirprogressatwww.

villagesos.org.uk/village/johnshaven

The Local Magazine from Village SOS - Issue 2

Documents

Transcript of The Local Magazine from Village SOS - Issue 2