THE LOCAL

Issue 02

CELEBRATING ENTERPRISING COMMUNITIES

U ER R v iew NTE CELEBiveITy rvOL with inte

Exclus es raldine Jam GE 3 actress Ge PA Our inspira tio Village SOS nal members

GET ON THE MA P

PAGE 4

HOw ge ? HOw dIdWelsh Ey dO IT villa

Why this food PAGE 6 turned to local

Learn how to build a brilliant business plan that will wow banks and funders PAGE 10

AHEAd
Find fame a your com nd fortune for munity bu siness
PAGE 18

PLAN

AS SEEN ON S CREEN

PLUS

Village SOS on tour p8 A new generation volunteers p16 Donkeys work for Chalford p20 Champions challenge p22 Q&A with the Advice Line p25 The experts perspective p26

YouR netWoRK

FRom the eDitoR

In this issue were getting down to the business of planning. Though crucial, building a business plan can be daunting, so to make it seem less formidable, weve created an easy-to-use guide (page 10) and asked the experts for their top tips (pages 26-27). My advice is to involve your community as much as you can at this early stage. Research shows that more than one third of UK citizens want to get more involved in their communities (page 24) and the case studies in this issue demonstrate just how much talent resides in our rural areas. It might take longer to involve the community in business planning, but it will save many hours later as youre getting crucial buy-in right at the start. Many communities will have a marketing expert, and if youre lucky enough to have an accountant, ask them to design your financial plan itll help you make sure its fit for both bank and grant bids. And they are different, as youll read on page 13. Seek out opportunities to get as many of your communitys ideas and views included as possible as the inspirational Tiernach Mahon from the ARC Healthy Living Centre says on page 15: We are the servants of our community. Thats a great mindset. For those who entered the Village SOS Competition to get funding for their enterprising idea, turn to page 22 to read what my fellow village champions would do with the money. Do you agree? Finally, its worth remembering that business planning doesnt end with the plan. Its about setting up the principles and systems that youll need to run your business. For example, how and when youll monitor your targets; how youll feed back progress to the community and funders; how often accounts will be run and by whom etc. The original plan might get you the money but its the ongoing business planning that allows you to manage effectively and that can often be the difference between success and failure. julia thistleton-smith village champion and guest editor

loCal

this issues

heRo
KatRina munRo Who am i?
Im the village champion for Newstead, the Nottinghamshire village that created a country park from the site of its former mining pit tips. Before Village SOS, I co-founded Shine Communications, which we grew to 65 people in 10 years. Shines won many awards for business planning and management, and I got involved in Village SOS because I wanted to use my business experience to help small communities. If youd like any support on business planning or any other aspects of your project, the village champions may be able to help. Contact me at www.villagesos.org.uk/ users/julia-thistletonsmith or turn to page 22 for more information. Katrina Munro has galvanised our vibrant community through forming the Bampton Business Group, which promotes Bampton village in Devon and encourages use of local businesses. Now with 50 business members thanks to her innovative idea, Katrina co-ordinates the group and its twitter accounts @TOUCAN_KATRINA and @Bamptonbizgroup. She has also organised numerous community events and is currently applying for funding for a much needed heritage and tourism centre.
Nominated by local businessman Norman Russell.

loDsWoRth he jeWel in RoWn t laRDeRs C

hes a famous actress with a string of film and TV credits to her name but in her spare time, Geraldine James plays another great role. The star of Sherlock Holmes and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a volunteer at Lodsworth Larder in Petworth, West Sussex. This tiny not-for-profit village shop has won a host of awards for its eco-friendly ethos. It generates its own electricity and uses recycled tills and coolers. Selling local produce, it functions as a post office, coffee shop and dry cleaning and prescriptions pick-up, all funded by community shares. It also provides internet access.

When she is not working, Ms James, 61, who shot to fame in the acclaimed TV drama The Jewel in the Crown, regularly gives her time to the shop, working behind the till and tidying the shelves. My life is very busy but when Im not working and Im down at the cottage, Ill go to the shop and do an afternoon about four hours a week. I was hugely supportive of the idea of this shop and I think its completely fantastic. During her shift, Geraldine is certainly not afraid to get stuck in. I use an extremely complicated till, which is great as thats outside my normal scope. Its a very clean shop so I

also sweep, hoover and tidy the shelves. But being a volunteer is not just about giving something back to the community. I get a huge amount of enjoyment from it, explains Geraldine. Im talking to people; Im there being part of village life, not sat on the outskirts in my cottage. Its very friendly and we have a good gossip. Acting can be a lonely profession. A lot of time is spent studying, learning and worrying. This is a completely different way of life. www.lodsworthlarder.co.uk Turn to page 16 to read about other inspiring volunteers.

Do you know someone who deserves recognition for the work theyre doing in your community? Send your nomination to max@villagesos.org.uk

aBout VillaGe sos anD the BiG lotteRY FunD V

illage SOS began in 2010 when 10 enterprising rural villages were awarded a grant from the Big Lottery Fund to breathe new life into their areas through community business ventures. Six of these villages were featured in a BBC One primetime documentary series, Village SOS, which aired in summer 2011. Today, Village SOS aims to build on the experience of these projects and inspire the nation to start up their own community enterprises. The Local magazine is one part of that 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 funding competition to help people get their community-led enterprises off the ground. The Big Lottery Fund is the largest distributor of good-cause funding from the National Lottery. For more information visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Big Lottery Fund. The Local is written and designed by TeamPublishing. Managing editor: Vanessa Bradley (www.villagesos.org.uk/users/vanessa-bradley) Cover image: Chalford Donkey Project

What Do BillionaiRe Businessman siR RiChaRD BRanson anD osCaR-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.

The ARC Healthy Living Centre in Irvinestown, Northern Ireland got a visit from Prime Minister David Cameron in October 2011. Project co-ordinator Tiernach Mahon said: He was pretty impressed with our social enterprise model. Read all about ARC on page 15.

postCaRD FRom the pRime ministeR

THE LOCAL ISSUE 2

YouR NEtWoRK

INsPIRED BY...
The Northern Ireland Tourist Board call it one of the worlds great road journeys or the Causeway Coastal Route. Glenariff people prefer its traditional title: the Antrim Coast Road. This road is an acknowledged feat of engineering from the 19th century, which was supervised in its later stages by the county surveyor, Sir Charles Lanyon, who went on to design the main building of Queens College (now Queens University Belfast). But Sir Charles would hardly approve of the toilet block that has lain derelict for years on the Antrim Coast Road between Waterfoot and the Bay. Good news then that the Glenariff Improvement Group is taking action, with plans to acquire the building from the council, give it a new purpose as a tea room, and reopen the toilets as a visitor facility all of which will create an asset from this current liability and provide an attractive addition to the important visitor route. Follow their journey at www.villagesos.org.uk/village/glenariff

NoRthERN IRELAND

The derelict Arthur Memorial UF Church sits upon Castle Hill in New Cumnock, south west Scotland. The church, which will celebrate its centenary in 2012, is on the site of the pre-14th-century Cumnock Castle, and was the last commission of Welsh arch itect, Sir William Beddoes Rees. Locals believe that the church is the perf ect building to convert into a south west Scotland mining and agricultural heritage cent re: New Cumnock being an ex-deep-shaft coal mining centre, and now a hub for surface mini ng, wind farms and livestock farming. Check it out at www.villagesos.org.uk / village/new-cumnock

sCotLAND

Put YouR vILLAGE oN thE MAP!

The Communities area of the Village SOS website (www.villagesos.org. uk/communities) is the place to share your ideas, network with and learn from other like-minded people and promote your community project. With dedicated sections for projects, discussions and events, as well as blogs, stories and photos its a one-stop-shop for finding out whats going on where you are.

south EAst ENGLAND

Thanks to a dedicated gro up of volunteers, the villages of Instow and Appledore are now back within an easy commute courtesy of a relaunched local ferry service. After a four-year absenc e, the community-based not-fo r-profit service restarted as a pilo t scheme using a rented boat in June 20 11. By the end of October, the ferry had transported more than 8,000 adults and children, plus 300 bik es and dogs across the River Tor ridge. The ferry facility is both a tourist attraction and a pleasant and sustainable means of transport for visi tors and locals alike. The servic e has proven its need and that its financially viable, so the team are now working on securing the future of the service by purchasing a boa and other essential equipm t ent. See what they are up to at www.villagesos.org.u k/village/instow

NoRth DEvoN

For the past year, the community in Little Canfield has been very busy reviving an old allotments site and holding a series of monthly fundraising events. Having seen how its brought the community together and how popular the events have If youd like any help been a group of foodies have decided to set populating your up a social enterprise to establish a permanent community cafe page, contact max@ and hub, based in a barn in the Essex village. villagesos.org.uk The cafe will produce food cooked from local produce (as well as sell fresh fruit and veg) and also be a multi-functional space for local craftspeople to showcase their work. And thats just for starters. They also plan to use the barn for village meals, as a library and place to hold computer training for older residents, and maybe even a cinema. With the will, the premises and the ideas, they are now working on raising the funding. See how they are getting on at www.villagesos.org.uk/village/little-canfield

THE LOCAL ISSUE 2

tHe Journey

Howey
e O pen m etin

Four SeaSonS oF Har d

een-fingered Heres how the gr l village in al residents of a sm land and te Powys took a was ainable income st turned it in into su mmunity. their co streams for
A polytunnel eds choking with we

work

The light at the end of clearing th e polytunn el

When the o p 7.5-acre nu portunity came up to bu rs group of pas ery site on the edge o y an abandoned fH sionate loca if a socially ls thought it owey village, a in growing fo clusive community en was worth seeing od te To do this th for local consumptio rprise based around n would wo ey formed rk. Ashfield Co (ACE) and wo m meetings, co n the villages support munity Enterprise th mmunity su rveys and o rough public pen days o n the site. g

com Onsite

munit

y lunc

Renovation st polytunnels arted in spring 2010 to an In late autu d greenhouses and g clear the land, mn, work b egan on co et ready for growing. into two flat nverting th s and durin e hou g th tirelessly on tree surgery e winter, volunteers se the flats we worked and hedges. re polytunnels ready for decorating By spring 2011, and the rip had been re ped -skinned.
Here come Sowing the seeds ers the sunflow

Support Securing tHe Site and

Fund Rotary Clu raising with the b of Builth Wells

nd grow , Learn a LiSten

first full growing 2011 has been ACEs rs have given the stome season and its cu out d vital feedback ab enterprise great an ture and when. ACEs fu what they want ilding a kitchen to plans now include bu d fruit juices, jams an make chutneys, . value to its produce which will add more
A producefilled polytunnel

The worksho

ps

Finding tHe Funding

Birds-ey e view of

ACE

set up a al shares to nched ethic along came the Big Having lau and Trust, L me in Community s Village SOS program rtunity nd ppo Lottery Fu good an o t c . It was too early 2010 eant the whole proje m h to miss and y-owned nursery wit s and communit nhouses, outbuilding a , gree polytunnels uld come to fruition in flats co two year! around one

Survive a nd tHrive
of To survive, ACE needs a diverse range de: income streams. These currently inclu and in selling produce at a weekly market stall renting retail outlets; selling plants and herbs; s, growing spaces to groups and individual including organisations such as MIND, flats Kaleidoscope and Barnardos; renting the ring and training suite; using the mobile cate training. unit and making money from running

ACEs top five tips for a successful enterprise 1.  aveasharedvision, H passionandbuildon communityassets 2. ollecttheevidence C andhaveaPlanB 3. eesetbacksas S opportunities 4. iversifyandexplorea D rangeofincomestreams 5. eviewandbeupfront R withfunders. To find out more about the project visit www.villagesos.org.uk/ village/howey Turn to page 16 to see how ACE is rebuilding lives.
7

Food o

n th e g

Glenys at the market stall

A cop
me two flats The six-bedroom house that beca

perwo

rking

class

THE LOCAL ISSUE 1 2

village sos roadshow

The village sos Tour

13 free evenTs 1,000 aTTendees 1,500 TweeTs so far!

doncasTer
ff and running to Doncaster Racecourse where there was a real buzz of excitement as people from all over Yorkshire turned out for the day. Pete Hawkins from Village SOS project Taste Tideswell gave delegates a lively overview of the journey he and his project group have been on. Before deciding on the idea of Taste Tideswell, we consulted with the whole community to identify their ideas and needs. We wanted to encourage the retail community to work together and recognise where their competition was. I also had the privilege of meeting Susan Wyatt and Jo Kent from the Hayfield Heritage Project, who were planning on setting up a heritage and information centre in their village. They said: We were so enthused by the Village SOS TV show and by what we saw on the website that we came to the Roadshow to learn from other peoples experiences; see how projects work; recognise any pitfalls and learn how to overcome them. Its definitely got me thinking about my village not what we want the village to have, but what the village needs in order to maintain its heart for the next generations of people who live Jo Kent and Susan Wyatt there. Will Foord @VillageSOS: 237,800 people are employed in co-operatives across the UK #vsosDoncaster

inverness

MeeT Max
Hello. Im your Village SOS community manager. What does that mean? Well, Im here to help you make the most of the tools and resources Village SOS has to offer. I can also help you create an online profile for your village, which you can use to promote your community and your ideas. I want to hear about your experiences, your challenges and how your fantastic projects are progressing so keep the stories coming! You can contact me through the website, on twitter via @VillageSOS, or send me an email at max@villagesos.org.uk

The Village SOS Roadshow got off to a fantastic start in October 2011, with free events held across the UK. Here, Village SOS community manager Max Klatt reports from the tour, sharing his diary, top tweets and introduces some of Village SOSs most inspirational and passionate members.

BrisTol
or my first Village SOS Roadshow experience, I joined around 80 other people in Bristols Watershed for an enlightening day spent sharing and developing ideas on setting up a community business. We heard about Honeystreets Village SOS project, the Barge Inn, from project leader Terry Kemp and Village Champion Sandra Bhatia, alongside other inspirational case studies, including Hinton St George Community Shop from vice-chair Emma Way. She said: Through offering community shares, we managed to raise over 160,000 in one year to take our local shop into community ownership. Naturally, everyone was keen to find out how (you can on page 14). It was great to network with others and to offer and receive advice. The talks were engaging and to have experts and funders all under one roof gave a unique opportunity to find the right direction in which to take our plans for a cafe to the next level. Veronica Seedhouse, Rowde Village Shop @VillageSOS: Volunteers are unpaid not because e table ice Lin theyre unworthy, The Adv but because theyre priceless #vsosBristol @Kat_Plunkett: We reckon having a village shop has added 15,000 to the value of every house. #VSOSBristol

derry/londonderry
orthern Ireland certainly didnt disappoint when it came to showing its community spirit through entertaining case studies and workshops. Niall McFerran from Ballygally spoke of how the community built its own shop with a post office, a large community hall with its own meeting room, kitchen and internet access, and a place for local artists to showcase their work. With a strong foundation you can create anything, he said. Speaker Michael Hughes from the Rural Community Network said: Community buy-in is just as important at the planning stage as it is at the implementation stage, and for sustainability. This was a most thought-provoking and relevant conference. The speakers were energised and relevant while the general tone of proceedings was one of co-operation and genuine desire to help. One of the best days I have spent at a conference ever! Noelle Walker Lack, Rural Womens Group @VillageSOS: When asking people to volunteer, be very clear on roles and responsibilities theyre more likely to agree if they know in advance #vsosNI

caernarfon

he Roadshow at Eden Court Theatre in Inverness drew around 70 people from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland some travelling more than three hours from as far as Fife and Glasgow. Joan Munro from Muir of Ord told me: Ive discovered from Clara Hickey all the speakers and facilitators today how to breathe life back into our community a village that has no central facilities to bring everyone together. I sincerely hope to follow up links I made through networking and to be able to share ideas with the movers and shakers in my own community. A fantastic and inspiring story came from Duncan MacInnes, chairman of Sleat Community Trust on the Isle of Skye. Starting with buying the local petrol station, they have now expanded their business to include everything from a subsidised community taxi to ownership of the local forest for tourism and heritage purposes. He said: If an opportunity arises, dont do nothing. Look at it in depth you never know what may come of it. The Roadshow has given me some ideas of how to move our project further, take it to the next level, and provided business insight that we may not have considered before. Id definitely recommend it to anyone who lives in a rural community. Clara Hickey, Strathpeffer Community Association @VillageSOS: Communities in Scotland are taking the lead and initiating change they want community ownership and leadership John Watt of @HIE_Scotland #vsosScotland

ing Network

traveled to Galeri Caernarfon on the northwestern coast of Wales to hear an energetic talk from Plunkett Foundations chief executive Peter Couchman. He said: The most humbling thing I find in communities is seeing them think and work together. They start with one idea and through believing in the community, they expand and adapt it to their needs. Some residents from Y Fron, a village just south of Caernarfon came to the Roadshow to see how they could revive their community, and they left knowing they were not alone in their struggles, and with plenty of ideas to take back and discuss. A lot of other communities have been through the same thing, and just being here and hearing that is really encouraging. Dai Lloyd-Jones, Y Fron @VillageSOS: A Dai Lloyd-Jones delegate just said Dai Lloyd-Jones he only came to #vsosCymru for the egg sandwiches. Hes now inspired to start a community enterprise in his village

village sos naTional conference

If you only attend one event for your community in 2012 make it the Village SOS National Conference. On Monday 27 February 2012, the Burlington Hotel in Birmingham will host the whos who of community enterprise experts, including Peter Ainsworth, chair of the Big Lottery Fund and Peter Couchman, chief executive of Plunkett Foundation. Whether your enterprise has been booming for decades or its just an idea, there will be a range of sessions and workshops designed to suit your stage of the enterprise journey and help you get to the next level. Find out more about funding opportunities, get the latest legal and expert advice for free and hear amazing ideas that just might work in your village too. And theres also the opportunity to network over a free lunch! Register your interest at www.villagesos.org.uk from 16 December.

Ballygallys presentation

BUSINESS PLAN

PLAN TO SUCCEED
S
imply put, a business plan is a document which outlines your community enterprises objectives, strategies, current market conditions, operational position and financial forecasts. It should detail exactly how you plan to develop your business, how you will manage its finances, the skills of your management team, your premises or workplace, your competitors and how you will market your venture. But its actually a lot more exciting than that might sound. Its also your opportunity to communicate the story of your enterprising idea and convey the passion and commitment of your community to the people with the power to help you make it happen. WHY DO YOU NEED ONE? A well-written business plan serves a variety of functions. Its essential if youre looking for investment or funding, as David Lamb, relationship manager at social lender Triodos Bank, says: We are looking for the key objectives of the venture. How will it impact on the local community? From job creation to improvements in local heritage, quality of life to health benefits, the protection of wildlife habitats to skill enhancements. We need to see a clear financial summary and how these figures have been reached, evidence of market research, the competition, your team and their skills and experience. A business plan also helps to keep you on track and acts as a measure of your success. Selwyn Williams, who helped rescue Welsh community pub Pengwern Cymunedol (see page 13), says: Weve been open since the end of May 2011. Looking at our
THE LOCAL ISSUE 2

No matter how big or small your community enterprise, it will benefit from having a business plan. Consider it your roadmap and let it take you from where you are now to where you want to be.

Maracuja

: taste su

ccess

CASE STUDY 1: MARACUJA LIMITED

Penny Mulong o

A business pla n is like building a house. If yo u dont have a g o foundation, it od will fall down.

predicted cash flow and the reality for the first three months, theyre surprisingly close, which is very reassuring. John Coster, who runs Citizens Eye, a community news agency in Leicestershire (see page 19), cites the personal benefit of having a business plan. When youre having a bad day it keeps you focused on why you started; when youre having a good day its wonderful to look at it and think: I had that idea and its come off. Business plans are often referred to as living documents and should be updated regularly as your business grows and develops. Caroline Forster, director of social lender Adventure Capital Fund, says: Its a planning tool. Its there to use, so go back to check it. It also helps you spot potential problems even within your steering group or management committee and will help keep everyone on the same page. Maracujas Penny Mulongo says: Ours was a community enterprise with lots of different voices it can be a challenge to turn that into a common cause or vision. (See case study left.) HOW DO YOU PUT A GOOD BUSINESS PLAN TOGETHER? The planning is just as important as the plan itself and youll be rewarded if you invest time in research. Emma Way, vice-chair of Hinton St George Shop, says: The banks we approached understood our business because we had a very clear, robust and thorough business plan. Its an essential tool and we havent regretted one moment of the weeks of effort that went into producing it. A good business plan shows your business is realistic and feasible. You should apply the SWOT test Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats to help you plan for the future, identify risks and make the most of your successes. Triodos Banks David Lamb asks: Do you have a Plan B if, for example, only 60 per cent of projected sales/income is achieved? Caroline from Adventure Capital Fund adds: We want a business plan to be clear, convincing and complete. We want clarity about what you want to do and why you want to do it. Sometimes when you read them youre none the wiser about what

BUSINESS PLANS FOR BEGINNERS

Y ments IvE SUMMAR AN ExECUTs together the key ele its h
This bring ness plan. Althoug uld o si of your bu the beginning, it sh plan is cluded at ce the rest of the and in try n on be writte eep it concise and your t .K complete ow factor. You wan w include a n to stand out. pla business

Your business plan should contain an overview of your organisation and its aims. It should also include details of your organisations legal structure (eg a charity or an industrial and provident society); how and why it was formed; the nature of your business; your clients/customers; your mission statement and vision; and what you are hoping to achieve over the period the business plan covers.

OBJECTIvES

SE vities/ YOUR ENTERPRI ould detail all the actifers n sh

This sectio ucts your business of rod services/p her. aged, ey fit toget and how th e project will be man plan w th you Explain ho and how evaluated, funding staffed and uding details of any nd it, incl or options to fu ived ready rece why you have al lored. Explain clearly exp you have . t is required investmen

This is a critical section of the business plan and should include details of budget and cash flow make sure your organisation understands the differences between both. A budget provides a picture of your predicted income and outgoings over one year. Cash flow aims to ensure you will have enough money in the bank to pay for everything you may need in the same period of time. Many business go bankrupt because although they have lots of orders they dont have enough cash to pay their bills. Explain what will happen to any profits. Will they be reinvested in the business? You will normally be expected to provide figures for a three to five-year period and will probably need to write more than one business plan to suit different lenders/funders requirements.

FINANCES

Maracuja (meaning passion fruit) is a community co-operative specialising in authentic African food, art exhibitions, entertainment, cultural events, training and consultancy. Based in Rochdale, Lancashire, Maracuja aims to increase the areas sense of pride and community cohesion using a cultural approach with local food at its heart. The community bistro is still under refurbishment but Maracuja is already catering for events, including weddings and birthdays. The enterprise only began applying for grants in August 2011 but so far has received around 16,000 from, among others, Making Local Food Work, Awards For All (Big Lottery Fund) and Neighbourhood Learning in Deprived Communities. Penny Mulongo, one of the founding members, says: A business plan is like building a house. If you dont have a good foundation, it will fall down. It can be very complicated. Ours was a community enterprise with lots of different voices it can be a challenge to turn that into a common cause or vision. I think our business plan stood out because it was so original; it was special and different. Its about innovation, new ideas for community diversity but in the end all of the directors were united in one common aim: to give back to the community. The challenge was to sell this idea as a business, especially in this financial climate, but we have managed it. www.maracujua.coop

Include d TO DATE eta questionn ils of any public m ee a parties lik ires, and discussion tings, e s have occu the local council or with third rr re schemes ed. Include details sidents that considere o d and wh f other rejected y th y the team ou need to inspire ey were is commit confidence te Provide a s much de d, competent and that tail as poss sk succinct. Use mate ible but ke illed. ria up the flo e w of the b l in an appendix if p it it clogs usiness p lan.

WORk DONE

Explain where you are planning to deliver your business from. Is it the local pub, village shop and post office or even a swimming pool obtained from the council? If you are hoping to buy land or a building, your plans should be as well developed as possible. If you are yet to secure a site, you will need to account for this in your budget and show clearly how the project will be managed include the brief youve given to your architect or costings from your quantity surveyor. You should also include details on the progress of any planning application.

PROPERTY/PREMISES

ANALYSIS SWOT AND PEST ned to make you think sig

siness. A These are de ility of your bu about the viab means looking at the is SWOT analys s of your d Weaknesse Strengths an the Opportunities and d enterprise an face. Is there a need ay Threats it m e your chief ess? Who ar for your busin hat could go wrong? W competitors? is looks at the A PEST analys ental, Social and ronm Political, Envi pects of how your chnological as . Te ates business oper

Who are the ke your organisa y players in tion? How w ill it be staffed? Will volunteers or you be using paid staff? Yo need to includ u will e trustees (and the names of your an explanatio their roles), th n of e other import chief executive and ant staff mem well as their bers, as background, skills and experience. A diagram sh structure sh owing staff ould also be included.
Consider the risks that you r enterprise may face. Ma ke sure you have assessed the like lihood of them happening, the imp act and your method of dealing wit h it.

TEAM

RISk

Include a timeline of key tasks and goals for the first year of your proposal. This will help to keep you on track. Decide how you will monitor and review your business plan and who will do it.

PUTTING YOUR PLAN INTO PRACTICE

BUSINESS PLAN
they want to do or where they are going. Community enterprises are about social and financial returns. Those that can link the two and tell the story well are the most successful. Sometimes we get business plans that dont quite make sense. Theyve been running training courses and now they want to buy a boat you need to make it clear how it fits into your business strategy. BANK ON IT If you are applying for a loan or funding, you need to make your business plan as appealing as possible. Mike Williams of the Wales Co-operative Centre, explains: A good business plan is as important to a social enterprise as a commercial outlet. Its your working map. Common pitfalls include a lack of attention to detail and forethought like its not been thought through thoroughly. Clarity of objective is very important: the plan needs to flow. Dont forget that a grant panel will be assessing a number of funding applications in a short period you need an original and innovative idea to make yours stand out. Mike helped both Harlech and Ardudwy Leisure and Pengwern Cymunedol (see pages 13 and 15) put together their business plans. Both were very detailed plans which had a lot of thought put into the wording and the financial information to back that up. Youve got to stick to the facts and figures and provide

1. At the beginning, its the time spen t plann rather than the plan, that is important ing, 2. Be structured and comprehensive in your preparation 3. Dont start with a document temp late: constrain your thinking and the way it may you tell the story 4. Write it with your readers in mind : know interests and keep it focused and conc their ise 5. Let your organisations personality shine through 6. Dont stretch the plan to suit diffe rent if necessary, use supplementary docu readers: ments 7. Remember that it is for you first and foremost 8. Use it as a flag that everyone can march behind 9. Dont bury it: keep it at hand and front of mind 10. Butremember to be flexible as things develop.
From Richard Snow, project manager, Plunkett Foundations Making Local Food Work programme www.makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk

TEN TIPS FOR YOUR PLAN

evidence, urges Peter Hughes, Charity Banks regional manager for the Midlands and East of England. He says: A good plan is wellresearched and the assumptions made in performance and growth are valid and tested. It should be well laid out and not too long. It should cover all the bases and the person writing it must understand the audience he or she is writing for. Writing for a social lender is slightly different from writing for a grant panel. A bank is still interested in social outcomes but is also looking at longterm sustainability. Grant funders are sometimes more interested in the project. Social lenders stay involved for a lot longer and the document is the foundation of that partnership. Turn to page 21 for top tips on making your grant applications stand out from the pack. PRESENTATION MATTERS Its not just the content you have to consider its also how it looks. Your business plan is how you present your enterprise to the outside world and should be a goodlooking document free of spelling or grammatical errors. Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors suggest a lack of care and diligence, says Mike. Emma from Hinton St George Shop, says: People judge a book by its cover. However good the content may be, the physical presentation matters its about confidence and conveying that youre a serious organisation. (See page 14). After weeks of working on your business plan, its a good idea to consider an independent review for a fresh perspective. Ask someone who is not directly involved in the detail of the scheme to offer constructive criticism. You can also ask the Village SOS Advice Line experts for their help. Its free and they have years of experience putting together plans for all kinds of community enterprises.

CASE STUDY 3: PENGWERN CYMUNEDOL

Call to Pengwern Arms: save the local pub

The project has been divided up into seven stages and we will do a new business plan for each stage. Selwyn Williams
A group of determined villagers resurrected their local pub and now run it as a community co-operative. The campaign was founded two years ago after the centuries-old inn became the last pub in the village to close. It reopened in June 2011 the completion of the first stage in an ambitious project to see accommodation and a restaurant restored to Pengwern Cymunedol, near Gwynedd, North Wales. Director Selwyn Williams explains: We were extremely fortunate as we had a committee member who was very experienced in social enterprise and writing business plans. Weve been open since the end of May 2011. Looking at our predicted cash flow and the reality for the first three months, theyre surprisingly close, which is very reassuring. In fact, its a bit more than we expected but our estimates were conservative. The project has been divided up into seven stages and we will do a new business plan for each stage. Our aim is to have a pub, hotel and restaurant up and running. So far, we have completed the first stage to have a bar and function room open. We have two major grant applications in at the moment, and we would be able to complete the next few stages if we received the money. The pub does generate some income but there will never be enough capital to complete the work its about 750,000.

CASE STUDY 2: UIST WOOL

In remote communities, this co-operative model and the business plan which shapes it can be incredibly successful.
Sarah Deas
markets within the Outer Hebrides and internationally. Wool was a very important part of the local economy for hundreds of years but is now nearly worthless, explains Uist Wools Mary Norton. CDS helped to register the enterprise as a community benefit society and offered advice on drawing up a business plan. The group has received grants from groups including the Big Lottery Fund. CDS chief executive Sarah Deas explains: A good business plan is about setting a strategic direction which is clear to all. It gives the business a focus. In remote communities, this co-operative model and the business plan which shapes it can be extremely successful.

An artists

of th impression

e enterprise

Uist Wool on the tiny island of North Uist in Scotlands Western Isles is planning to revive its wool and processing traditions. The co-operative, which received start-up support from Co-operative Development Scotland (CDS), has been set up by a 113-strong group of crofters, sheep breeders and weavers to support the local economy by manufacturing yarn and woollen products from locally-produced fleece. It is planning to establish a spinning mill, training centre, office and shop on a croft in Grimsay, North Uist. It will buy, produce and sell woollen products for
THE LOCAL ISSUE 2

Building on local tradition: a far from woolly idea

For more details on how to write your business plan, visit www.villagesos.org.uk/get-involved/business-essentials/ write-business-plan or give the Village SOS Advice Line a call on 0845 434 9123. 13

BUSINESS PLAN
CASE STUDY 5: HINTON ST CASE STUDY 6: ARC HEALTHY LIvING CENTRE
David Cameron toured the enterprise during a visit to Northern Ireland in October of that year. Tiernach says: He was pretty impressed with our social enterprise model. The success of the project which is run in partnership with 27 local groups and charities is a community effort. Without the support of the community, we would be knocking our head against a stone wall, says Tiernach. I think our success is, in part, down to good planning. We do an awful lot of it. In fact, weve just held a strategic planning day to look at the next five years of our project. We also try to be creative and are open to all ideas. He adds: You have to be realistic you cant expect change overnight. The project relies heavily on the help of its 500-strong army of volunteers, drawn from across the ARC Healthy Living Centre and the regions charities and groups. And the vitally important work they do is honoured every November at the annual blacktie Margaret Wilson Awards, a volunteers Oscar ceremony which has become the towns biggest social event of the year. Our volunteers dont expect to be paid but they do appreciate a wee clap on the back, explains Tiernach. This is our way of saying thank you for all the hard work they do. Groups nominate a deserving individual and there is genuine excitement about this ceremony. The project has provided services to more than community .. the Irvinestown 50,000 residents And the winner is. in the surrounding Fermanagh area and has become known as a service delivery hub. I suppose you could say we are pioneers, says Tiernach, but more importantly, we are the servants of our community. When Sallyswoods major clothing and construction industries closed down, the small estate in Irvinestown, Northern Ireland, faced 90 per cent unemployment. But a group of socially-minded entrepreneurs have resurrected this once struggling community and transformed it. They created the ARC Healthy Living Centre, a state-of-the-art facility which offers a range of innovative services to improve the health and lives of local residents, including the elderly in isolated rural areas, unemployed and low income families, and those with drug, alcohol or mental health problems. Built from four derelict houses, it has its own addiction unit, runs employment skills and training programmes and offers arts and health services. It also has its own community centre and cafe. In November 2011 it launched its first Child Contact Centre, a neutral place for supervised family meetings with children who are the subject of a court order. This pioneering social enterprise has been designed to achieve up to a 30 per cent improvement in the health of the community and its enjoying fantastic results. Project co-ordinator Tiernach Mahon explains: Sallyswood used to be synonymous with all that was wrong with society but now its a pretty nice place to live. Many years ago, there was a culture of drinking on street corners but that has gone now. The ARC Healthy Living Centre celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2011 and Prime Minister
A mounta in to clim the 1.1 million H b: arlech p roje

GEORGE SHOP

nton St George People power: Hi

CASE STUDY 4: THE AvALON GROUP

Charity The Avalon Group, based across the north of England, provides a wide range of services for its clients from its vintage shop House of Avalon to its gardening business Gardening Gang and painting and decorating firm Michaelangelos Mates. It provides job opportunities for those with disabilities, supported holidays and housing. The group is currently in the process of putting together a new business plan. CEO Angelena Fixter says: A good business plan is massively important for us. We are a unique and innovative charity with a diversified portfolio, including various social care services, a travel company and four different social enterprises. Bringing all of these activities together under the umbrella of our business plan is always a challenging process. However, working to the same corporate objectives means that everyone is in harmony with a single vision that drives the work of our team. This year we are presenting our new business plan in a more visual format, which we hope will make it more accessible to everyone. It will be available online from 2012 at www.avalongroup.org.uk.

Working to the same corporate objectives means that everyone is in harmony with a single vision that drives the work of our team.
Angelena Fixter

House of Avalon: fashio

nable thinking

Faced with a six-mile round trip down single track roads to the nearest supermarket, the villagers in chocolatebox Somerset village Hinton St George had just one year to raise a massive 550,000 to save their village shop and post office from closure. And after the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) was suspended and a grant of 300,000 fell through, a solid business plan became all the more important. Vice-chair of the shop committee, Emma Way, explains: We did what all of us do when we are short of money we went to see the bank, the upshot of which is that based on our business plan we were offered mortgage loans from two different lenders of up to 200,000, but which we hope to keep down to 150,000 to keep the financing costs down. Our share offer in March 2011 has brought in a massive 160,000 from the community to date. This is made up of around 80,000 in memberships and shares, 64,000 in donations including gift aid and the rest in unsecured loans. Our grant income is around 55,000, but were still working on that. And we slashed the budget by 100,000, helped substantially by a major drop in the formal valuation of the vendors property, as well as economies and compromises in our ambition. The shop is a fantastic example of how using a business plan as a working document means youre better prepared for the unexpected. Its a three-year plan that we refer back to. Its not set in stone, you have to work with the situation you have rather than the one you imagined, says Emma. The shop opened on 30 July 2011 and so far trading and the shops future are looking up. www.hintonstgeorge.org.uk

ct

AND ARDUDWY LEISURE

CASE STUDY 7: HARLECH

When the council-owned swimming pool in Harlech, near Gwynedd, North Wales, was shut down to cut costs, the local community mounted a massive campaign to save it. After three years of waiting, residents persuaded the council to hand it over to them and set about raising funds to renovate and manage it. Refurbishment is now complete and its in its first year of business. The project, which has received around 1.1 million from the Big Lottery Fund, the Welsh Assembly and numerous smaller grants, also has its own climbing You have to wall and cafe. Chairman Trevor ens ure that if Gennard, who lenders start headed the drive to save the pool, picking at you says: It was r business plan, tricky but we were extremely it doesnt fall fortunate to apart. have volunteers who were Trevor Gennar d experienced in putting together and presenting business plans. That saved us a lot of money as we didnt have to hire a professional. It is crucial to get it right to receive funding you must have a solid business plan. Research is fundamental if that is sound then the rest of the plan comes together. Swimming pools operate at a loss so we put in a cafe and climbing wall to boost our income. Of course, we had to make sure people would use them so we went to Outward Bound centres and climbing groups, asked people what price theyd pay and made sure we were competitive. You have to ensure that if lenders start picking at your business plan, it doesnt fall apart. We had to write two business plans: one to convince the council to give us the facility and another one when we applied for grants. It changed dramatically.

THE LOCAL ISSUE 2

15

VOLUNTEERING

GIVE a LITTLE,

These days, volunteering is much more than filling up some free time. Younger or excluded members of communities are also using it to improve their skills, confidence and employment prospects. The fact theyre also helping out their neighbourhood is an added bonus! Here, The Local talks to two volunteers who break the stereotypical mould.

GET a LOT
circumstances. The alcohol addiction just got worse and it started impacting on my health. Being unemployed didnt help either and it was also a further trigger as I had so much time on my hands. I hurt all of those closest to me and I found myself in really bad situations. I got into trouble with the law, it brought about my divorce and I also lost my kids as a result. The worse things imaginable happened to me as a result of my addiction to alcohol. Ploughing on After hitting rock bottom, Joey couldnt see any light at the end of the tunnel unless he made changes himself. So about two years ago, he walked into his local Kaleidoscope branch to seek help. He has now been sober for more than one year and is looking forward to the future with a great deal of optimism. I get a lot of support from Kaleidoscope such as counselling and theyve also tuned me back into education and some kind of normality, explains Joey. Ive done a digital photography and

a NEw kINd Of schOOL

at Ashley Day ce his offi

My hus ban and I hav d, seven-year-o ld daugh e just wa te tched th episode e Newste r of Villag e SOS. I ad just how had to te impresse ll you d we we number re by the of volun teers yo particula u had, an r th d in who help e number of yo u ed out a nd earne ng people into the d qualific bargain. ations Ah and ever y one of uge well done to you, and each forward we look to Kirsty, K visiting in the fu ture. eith and Fiona M iller and I at aughter ulties th s miner s d o well the dif fic I am a the mine nly to since rstand o ve faced youve un de ies ha d ommunit azing an reat mining c all so am atched what a g You are wh o w involved closed. all en , trated to e. The young m dem ons r ywhere v men eve and hard y you ha munit young t com n to l, resilien inspiratio reneuria were an d, entrep rd ine so determ uth Woodwa ing. R work
People wanted to get involved in the tyre build because theyve never heard of anything like that before and they wanted to see what was going on, says Ashley. When they first started talking about creating a building out of tyres, people thought they were mad but it worked and it was fascinating to watch it take shape. The park also hosts the annual Headstock festival, which raises much needed funds by drawing thousands of visitors to the weekend event. As a festival volunteer, Ashley helps with planning and organisation a role made easier thanks to his BIIAB music promoters qualification,

olunteering helped to bring Joey Morgan back from the brink. The 38-year-olds alcohol addiction caused his life to spin out of control, but thanks to Kaleidoscope and the Ashfield Community Enterprise (ACE), hes turned his fortunes around. Joey is just one of the people growing stronger at ACE in Howey, Powys (see page 6). He was referred to the Village SOS project through Kaleidoscope, a national organisation which provides a range of support, volunteering and educational opportunities to people with drug and alcohol problems. Kaleidoscope is just one of the organisations that leases allotment plots from ACE for the benefit of their service users. Its 30m2 patch of land provides a golden opportunity for recovering alcoholics like Joey and other victims of substance misuse to plough their energy into something positive and forget about their problems. I had a pretty good life before the drink ruined it all, reflects Joey. Originally from Merseyside, he worked as a pre-school English teacher in Japan, where he lived for more than nine years with his wife and children. But after being deported in 2009, he arrived in Llandrindod Wells in very difficult

PERsONaL GROwTh

Fork in th e Joey M road: organ

image-editing course at a local college and Ive also completed two wordThe hard bits and my processing courses. I would daemons with alcohol are like to work in the media over. As long as I keep myself eventually. occupied with projects such Joeys message to other as Ashfield, I shall remain a people looking to volunteer at normal citizen and a better ACE is simple: If you like person. gardening, volunteering, Find out more about ACe meeting other people or have at www.villagesos.org.uk/ time to fill then pop into village/howey Ashfield and give it a go. Coming here helps to keep you focused and clears your mind. Theres a great atmosphere here, everyones really friendly and its such a peaceful and tranquil place to come to. Reaping the 1. gain rewards after a hard 2. enh new skills anc days work is also qualifi e your CV a nd/or really nice both 3. help cation get a physically and 4. incr others and ease y meet mentally. n our co selfnfiden ew people My life is quite 5. giv esteem ce and e so positive now. comm mething ba unity. ck to y our

whaTs I fOR yOU N IT ?

shley Days been hooked on fishing since he caught a tiny rudd at the tender age of four. So at 13, he jumped at the chance to join CAST, a youth fishing project run by Rural Community Action Nottinghamshire in Newstead, an area that has suffered since the closure of its last mining pit in 1987. By the time he was old enough, Ashley began volunteering as a coach. When I was 16, CAST put me through a coaching qualification offered by the National Federation of Anglers. Ashleys dedication was quickly noticed and he was offered a job as a project assistant a role hes held for the past five years. I became a volunteer to give something back and help underprivileged young people and I could do that through my angling skills. As I was roughly the same age as the young people CAST was working with, it was easy for them to talk to me as I could relate to any issues they might be having. Thats still a really rewarding part of my job. A typical day involves working with a group of around 10 young people who have learning difficulties or behavioural problems and are not attending school or only attend on a part-time basis. A half-day classroom-based theory session is followed by a full days practical session of angling or working in the

Newstead and Annesley Country Park, a Village SOS-funded project. Taking them away from a traditional classroom environment means you can really engage with them on a one-to-one basis. All the work is based around the qualifications we offer through the National Open College Network (OCN), such as health and safety awareness or introduction to carpentry. Weve got a pack of qualifications we can deliver and we tailor them to the individuals in the group. These young people probably wont sit an exam in school, so they are the only qualifications they are likely to get.

As seen on TV During the construction of the Country Park in 2010-2011, which was filmed for BBC Ones Village SOS TV series, Ashley joined hundreds of local volunteers, planting more than 10,000 hedgerows and laying four miles of fencing. Volunteers also built the worlds longest tyre wall, which formed the structure of the eco-friendly visitors centre. Not only did these volunteers find Volunteers on new confidence and Sarah Beeny site with , skills, but many earned Village SOS who presented on BBC One OCN qualifications as a result of their work.

which was also arranged by CAST. I had a general idea of what was in store but its unbelievable how much work goes into making a festival possible, he says. Still, Ashleys keen to sign up for next year and with volunteering opportunities ranging from stage crew to marketeers, technical assistants to festival planners and stewards to litter pickers, he urges others to join him. Its a really good feeling giving something back for local people to enjoy. And with Ashley setting the example, volunteers could also get new skills, confidence or even qualifications out of it too. Find out more about newstead at www.villagesos. org.uk/village/newstead

THE LOCAL ISSUE 2

17

cOMMUNIcaTION

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

GaVIN shEPPaRds TIPs ON whaT MakEs a GOOd sTORy

chief executive of the got great photos and/or be more relevant. company handing over video, your story will go Think about timing. If it the cheques that people straight to the front of happened last month, is want to read about, its the queue. You can make it still news? the difference it will a press-quality video on Stick to the facts. Make make to local people. a phone or inexpensive sure you answer: Who? camera. Major news What? When? Why? organisations and even Make it personal. The Where? Dont forget local newspapers are more local the story, the to include quotes from desperate for visual better. Stories that are real people to bring your content, so if youve near to us will naturally story to life.

hOw TO GET PUbLIcITy fOR yOUR PROjEcT

W
hen it comes to raising awareness for your community project not to mention support and funds theres no substitute for publicity. But finding your way on to the front pages, radio or TV screen can seem impossible. It can often be a case of who you know (or whos helping you) and thats where Media Trust comes in. This national charity is founded on the belief that everyone should have a voice and the opportunity to be heard. Marketing director Gavin Sheppard says: We work with communities and charities to use the power of the media to make good things happen. We provide communications skills and resources, help access new audiences and harness the power of the media industry in terms of time, money and pro bono resources to build a vibrant communications resource to support and inspire everyone from the smallest community groups right up to the big international charities. These resources all live on Media Trusts website (www.mediatrust. org), where you can sign up for courses and training, and find guides on everything from writing a press release to pitching a story to a journalist to making a video on a shoestring budget. You can also request free support from one of the thousands of media professionals, including web designers, social media experts and journalists that have signed up to be volunteers. But perhaps the most exciting aspect is Media Trusts Community Newswire service, where communities can submit their stories, press releases and photos, with the best written up by Press Association journalists and distributed to thousands of newsrooms across the UK. Gavin explains: Its a completely free, really powerful way for communities to get their stories into the mainstream media. For example, a tiny animal sanctuary in Surrey sent us a story about a hedgehog that the police had rescued from a group of people who were playing football with the poor little thing in a supermarket carpark. The sanctuary nursed it back to health and released it back into the wild. We put it on our Community Newswire service on a Friday morning. By Saturday lunchtime it was the third most read story on the BBCs national news website and on Monday evening it went out as a primetime news story on ITV Meridian News. Media Trust also runs Community Channel, broadcast on Virgin 233, Sky 539, Freeview 87 and BT Vision, and the UKs only digital television station dedicated to local and

People love reading about people, particularly someone they can relate to. Take a donation story, for instance. Its not the

community issues. We use the inspiring stories that people send us for our news programmes, including the new citizen journalism news magazine show, UK 360, says Gavin. And now theres another fantastic media outlet for communities to get involved in newsnet. This online

resource will be formally launched in January 2012, and is aimed at inspiring and uniting would-be and established citizen journalists. Whether its a local parish newsletter, a community radio station, village blog or website, newsnet is about finding and connecting citizen journalism where it already exists and inspiring people to start new outlets, explains Gavin. The idea is to offer a wide range of support from guidance to volunteers to help people improve their local communications, for example, turning their local parish newsletter into an amazing community website. The best stories will also be selected for the UK 360 Community Channel programme and

Community Newswire service. The whole media industry is better off by having access to a rich diversity of stories and voices from around the country. When people make their own news it has an authenticity which is impossible to replicate. www.mediatrust.org

What is citizen journalism? When non-media professionals gather and report the news as they see and experience it.

PREss POwER TO ThE PEOPLE

When John Coster started Citizens Eye, a community news agency in Leicestershire in 2007, he could only imagine that four years later it would comprise 20 news agencies, each focused on specific issues from dance and photography to ex-offenders, the homeless and traveller communities. Citizens Eye stories might come from volunteers, but they are regularly picked up by mainstream media, including BBC Leicester Radio and the Leicester Mercury. In fact, the project is so successful its been selected to be a founding beacon hub of Media Trusts newsnet. John uses his background as a social entrepreneur and his skills and limitless enthusiasm to give people the tools and confidence to tell their own stories. Being a citizen journalist means learning how to write short articles and using a camera, but were also teaching life skills at the same time. Many volunteer reporters have gone on to get part-time jobs. The first three editors of our refugee and asylum seekers news agency have all got residency, and our work with ex-offenders has given them the confidence to get out there and consider self-employment. Funded by the part-time media training John offers other organisations, Citizens Eye is entirely run by volunteers, with reporters ranging in age from five to senior citizens. My goal is to train 2,012 people to be community reporters by 2012, says John. He plans to do this through biennial Community Media Weeks, which include training sessions on key skills including writing news articles, using social media channels and making a short film, as well as the Community News Cafe

un Comm

s Cafe ity New

eir own make th ticity which people When t has an authen e. eplicat news i ible to r t s s is impos edia Tru
hep Gavin S pard, M

Joh n C helpingoster (centre their o people tell ) wn sto ries

sessions he hosts every Tuesday for between 10 and 55 people at a local coffee spot. These events tell people about Citizens Eye and the benefits of volunteering. John is adamant that anyone with a story to tell can become a citizen journalist. All you need is enthusiasm. Even being able to read and write isnt a barrier thats one of the reasons we set up the photography news agency. www.citizenseye.org

THE LOCAL ISSUE 2

19

COMMUNICATION

DONkeys wOrk fOr ChAlfOrD

he Chalford Donkey Project is a fantastic example of how all you need is an idea to start a community enterprise. When Anna returned to her home village in 2008, after many years abroad, she moved into a house with paddocks that needed regular mowing. I did it once and thought: This is crazy. We need an animal. I thought sheep might be boring; it had to be a donkey. When I told people in the village about my plan, they said: Why dont you reinstate the tradition of using a donkey to deliver things around the village? The Cotswolds village is as beautiful as it is steep, so donkeys were used until the 1930s to deliver bread, coal and other household items to peoples doorsteps (see the B&W photo from 1935 above). In fact, many front doors can still only be accessed by a winding network of donkey paths. Inspired, Anna teamed up with the community store the only shop left on the once thriving High Street and despite the fact she didnt actually have a donkey, sent a press release to the local paper. They ran a small story on page 10 and the next day I started getting phone calls from BBC Radio Gloucestershire and regional media. The day after that I was getting calls from the Independent and the Today programme and then it went global.
THE LOCAL ISSUE 2

TOwIN IT IN IT
he Village SOS Competition, which offered rural villages the chance to win up to 30,000 to set up or grow a community enterprise in their area, attracted hundreds of impressive entries. In November 2011, the judging committee contacted the villages that

fUNDING & GrANTs

es available, how can d funding opportuniti ck? With limite n stand out from the pa u make your applicatio yo
made it through to stage two and with the help of the Village SOS Advice Line team (0845 434 9123) these villages are spending the next few months developing their ideas to wow the judges and win seed money for their proposal. But as with most grants, theres usually not enough money for everyone to be successful, plus some may not meet the requirements, while others may simply need more money than a particular funding stream can offer. Fortunately, here are some simple steps you can follow to increase an applications chances of success.

Thanks to her four and eight-year-olds, Chalford local Anna Usbourne hasnt had a Saturday lie-in for a long time. But these youngsters arent what you might think. Chester and Teddy are Annas donkeys and together they run the Chalford Community Stores weekly delivery service.

Photo To

mas Millar

The story was picked up by international websites and I was interviewed on Australian radio. It was phenomenal. We had vans with satellite dishes cruising through the village, taking photos and doing interviews. The avalanche of press interest led to the Daily Mail and ITV West competing to be the first to provide the project with a one-year-old donkey, Chester, who was soon joined by Teddy. The donkeys are the only delivery service that the community-ownedand-run store offers. Theyre very much appreciated by the locals, particularly older residents who dont find it easy to carry their shopping; young children; and those keen to show off their village to visitors who come to stay. Service that attractS SmileS Delivery day starts at 8am, with the donkeys harnessed and given a thorough grooming so they look their best. Anna then walks one donkey as together they might misbehave to the village shop for 9am where they load the pre-ordered shopping and set out. Usually, Anna will also collect a couple of local children along the way who are keen to help. Together they do around 15 deliveries, and she says: The impact of the project isnt just

the people who are directly involved or those that receive deliveries; its the people who see us on the road and the sense of community spirit it generates. The project is run along the lines of a charity and Anna was hugely grateful for the support she got from a small committee when setting up the enterprise. It continues to be funded by donations and small fundraisers, and, fortunately, the donkeys are very low maintenance. Anna says they only cost about 1,000 every year to keep happy and healthy. In 2010, we produced a fundraising calendar with the great press photographs that have been taken over the years. Weve also done one-off Christmas present or Valentines deliveries, and have open days with donkey rides we can generate a bit of money doing that. And while Anna waits to hear whether her donkeys have been selected to carry the Olympic torch through Chalford, they may have another important duty in 2012. With the village shop needing to find new premises, Anna hopes her donkeys publicity pulling power can raise awareness and much needed funds for the co-operative store. Visit chalforddonkeyproject. blogspot.com to find out more or donate to the project.

read the guidance. Youd be surprised by how many applications the Big Lottery Fund receives that are ineligible because the guidance hasnt been read. Make sure you read and understand the criteria before you start writing your application. If anything is unclear, just ask. Most organisations are more than happy to answer any questions.

Write a bespoke bid that meets the funders requirements. Dont be tempted to save time by using generic information to fill in an application. It might seem easier, but it may also mean that others put in bids that better meet the objectives of the fund. With limited money available, you need to make sure youre the best.

Equally, dont try to fit a square peg into a round hole. Try not to start down a funding route that is not suitable for your project. While you may have to amend your project plan (particularly around timings) or present your objectives so they meet a funders criteria, dont alter from your key objectives.

almost ding for ry fun Finding causes is ve t. all good at the momen y n difficult , there are ma r Howeve open to you. options

think strategically. Make sure the items you want to be funded can be, as a lot of funding excludes particular items, such as ongoing staff costs or routine repairs, or, as is the case with the Village SOS Competition, you cannot commit to an expense before you receive the grant. If you have funding from more than one source, think strategically about what you propose to spend it on and how you can complement these funding sources with unrestricted funding, such as money you raise from your community.

make sure you can spend sufficient time on the application. Its sometimes an unexpected request that hurts your chances of a successful bid, such as being asked to carry out some work that you hadnt thought of or were planning on doing later. Reading the form and guidance well in advance of the closing date will give you time to achieve what is needed.

If at first you dont succeed Keep an open mind and open eyes when looking for funding. Dont be under any illusions: finding funding for almost all good causes is very difficult at the moment. However, there are many options open to you, from community shares or sponsorship to grants and loans. You can find more details at www. villagesos.org. uk/get-involved/ businessessentials/ finance

21

The experTs

e ns challeng champio

WhaT Would you do WiTh

Nobody knows a village better than its locals, but when youre trying to start something new or different, a fresh perspective and expert advice can be invaluable. Thats why the original Village SOS projects received a helping hand in the form of a village champion an outside business expert who abandoned 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 a community business.

30,000?
gs charloTTe hasTin
For many communities, having a local shop and/or gathering place is what everyone wants but it can struggle to make enough money. Local authorities are under increasing pressure to cut services like libraries and to enable communities to manage their own buildings, so I would get in touch with my council and looking at a fiveyear period discuss which services are under threat and what buildings are available. Id put the service and shop/ cafe under one roof for a winwin social enterprise and use the money for expert advice, equipment, stock and hiring staff for the first few months. Always seeking a new and different challenge has seen Charlotte Hastings (consultant, CEO, troubleshooter and project manager) move from law to fashion and most recently into social enterprise. As village champion for Caistor, she was responsible for delivering a commercially sustainable community project that broke even within six months. Connect with Charlotte at www.villagesos.org.uk/users/ charlotte-hastings *

Tim nicol
For any project, you should first research the needs and problems. Then, generate lots of ideas and creative ways to satisfy those needs. For example, if the problem was that village 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/voucher scheme encourage new cottage industries with 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/unemployed labour. The next step is to screen and refine the ideas based on need, affordability, sustainability, bid terms, and deliverability. Then all thats left is to organise, plan, bid, deliver, and finally, celebrate!

richard long

sandra BhaTia
Events and festivals are ideal for generating attention and publicity for a community business. If youre clever with your money, you can maximise the impact of a 30,000 budget. Pre-event Press and PR: this will connect you to local press, radio and even television. Social networking: very effective and very free! Street team: your people on the ground to get the word out locally (volunteers are ideal).

if you have a challenge youd like village sos To help solve, send iT To max@villagesos.org.uk

Jo gideon
Before you think about money, be clear about your vision. Work backwards from the vision not from the budget. Know what it is you want to achieve collectively and individually, and set milestones from the end point to the start of the process. Log what assets you have and whats missing. Cost the essentials and the gaps of expertise you need to buy in, such as a feasibility study, or design/ plans for capital projects. If you need to find further funding, ensure the seed funding is allocated to making the case and achieving maximum leverage. Former Myddfai village champion, Jo Gideon, is a business expert with significant experience in entrepreneurship. She develops commercial opportunities using a social enterprise model and has specialised in mentoring leaders, encouraging creativity, branding and all aspects of strategic planning and troubleshooting, as well as overseeing the governance of funded projects. Connect with Jo at www.villagesos.org.uk/users/ jo-gideon *

anTho ThisTleTonnymiTh -s
There are plenty of ways to create a building of around 300-400ft2 for less than 30,000, which could be used for a community centre, village shop or sports pavilion. A shipping container can be bought for 2,500 or a pre-fabricated timber structure for around 10,000, leaving plenty of money for foundations, obtaining planning permission, getting services hooked up, customising and fitting out. Its a great way of creating a big impact and getting volunteers involved, which will also get you a lot more mileage out of the money and bring the community together. Anthony Thistleton-Smith is co-founder of Waugh Thistleton Architects, an award-winning practice that is trailblazing new solutions to deliver truly sustainable buildings. As well as mentoring the Newstead Village SOS project, Anthony continues to lead the build team in the delivery of the pioneering Newstead Earth Centre due to open in March 2012. Connect with Anthony at www. villagesos. org.uk/ content/ anthonywaughthisleton *

Tim Nicol was the village champion for Tideswell in the Peak District. He is now a volunteer director of Taste Tideswell and Tideswell School of Food. His career includes 18 years in branded food marketing with Mars, and 10 years running his own innovation consultancy, MIH-Make Innovation Happen. Connect with Tim at www.villagesos.org.uk/users/ tim-nicol *

To start a project, here are a key few steps 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 to source it write a business plan demonstrate sustainability identify where money can be spent to give the best rewards for the most people seek professional advice where needed, eg architect, legal, financial 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 can do this at www.villagesos.org.uk/ communities). Richard Long served as village champion for Ballygally, Northern Ireland, obtaining funding to build a shop and community hall. Working for multi-million pound companies in business consultancy, retail, engineering and distribution including more than 20 years of voluntary work his expertise includes project management, legal, financial, acquisitions, mergers and arbitration. Connect with Richard at www.villagesos.org.uk/users/ richard-long *

Event Production: depending on whats required, see if you can strike a deal with a local firm to reduce costs. Venue hire: this may also be a signifigant part of your budget. Refreshments: theres nothing like a freebie to entice people to an event. As village champion for Honeystreets Barge Inn project, Sandra Bhatia used her considerable marketing, PR and promotional skills to bring the project to life and launch the music festival Honeyfest. She has worked in the music industry for around 15 years with a number spent at PRS for Music and following that in promotion, artist management, music award shows and club nights. Connect with Sandra at www.villagesos.org.uk/users/ sandra-bhatia *

THE LOCAL ISSUE 2

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

23

COmmUNITY

YOUR SQUARE mIlE

W
e live in a perhaps not-so-United Kingdom, in which the richest 10 per cent are 100 times as wealthy as the poorest 10 per cent and live an average of 14 years longer; in which 30 per cent of households are single person and rising and general levels of trust have halved since the 1950s. Research shows that 1 in 20 Britons know no neighbours at all and 71 per cent of people are not involved in any local social activities such as clubs, faith or community groups. Yet the same research also shows that one third of UK citizens (rising to half of 18-24-year-olds) want to get more involved in their neighbourhoods. More than 200,000 UK charities and 700,000 community groups many of them very small and local tackle the toughest social problems on our collective doorsteps and bind our otherwise fragile communities together. All of these charities and community groups are vital and many are now under threat. They need a unifying force; an interchange of ideas; a powerful voice. Thats why we have launched a citizens movement called Your Square Mile. We want to help people to make changes in their local and
THE LOCAL ISSUE 2

Founder and CEO of Your Square Mile, Paul Twivy, tells the Local why this national mutual couldnt have come at a better time for those looking to help or just get to know their community.

Q&A
Q1
Q2
Dear Village SOS for sale. Our local pub is up unity meeting We held a comm people and more than 120 buying it and are in favour of mmunity. running it for the co ittee and a comm Weve formed asking how already people are ares in it. What they can buy sh re is right kind of legal structu go about do we for us and how setting it up? Peter from Kent

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 advice@villagesos.org.uk Alissa Pemberton and her Advice Line team are here to support you and answer all your questions about starting, running or growing a community business.

YOUR QUESTIONS

interactive square-mile benefits including 1 self-defined communities. map that shows you how million of public liability and In rural areas this will accident insurance for every to be a savvy citizen and usually be a small town, kind of volunteering activity. pull the levers of change village or group of hamlets. where you are; and a library New benefits are being In urban areas its about the of great ideas that youre added all the time and will villagisation of our cities. encouraged to pinch. soon include community Your Square Mile Via pilot projects, Your gardening and clean-up launched as a mutual in Square Mile is already kits; special discounts in October 2011 and has beginning to have local shops; faster and attracted the support some impact in 16 of cheaper Criminal Record of big names, including the poorest, toughest Bureau (CRB) checks; Sir Richard Branson. He communities in the UK, printing deals and street says: If we could harness including rural communities party insurance. the power of the millions such as Wigton in Cumbria, The mutual and of employees willing to which had the first ever its website www. volunteer their time and youth curfew in England yoursquaremile.co.uk skill for the good of their but with Your Square Miles offers a toolkit to help neighbourhoods and help, has just staged its first people both give more and use our offices and retail ever youth festival. outlets as community hubs, receive more from their So be the change you want local community, including British businesses could to see and join in at www. a personal planner; an pride ourselves as much yoursquaremile.co.uk on our social contribution as on our economic L-r: Paul Twiv g project contribution. A gardenin MP, Nick Hurdy, Tessa Jowell Actress Emma MP Thompson recognises the challenges ahead: I hope that Your Square Mile contributes to our taking part in what we clearly need more than ever at the moment a genuinely democratic, people-led society which actively encourages us to For a tenner each year you get: engage with each other, 1. Community deals. As Britains first citizens mutual, challenge each other and, Your Square Mile has the clout to get benefits and crucially, support each other. bargains for you and your community. 2. A huge safety net. Free comprehensive public JOIN IN liability and personal accident insurance to cover Membership of Your Square you when you volunteer. Mile costs 10 per year and is open to every UK 3. The power to change. Together, we can lobby, citizen over the age of 16. petition and influence at a local and national level, As a member (shareholder), cut through red tape and get things changed. youll receive a range of

Dear Villa g What are e SOS communit y shares and how do building h they work? A loca as l and it wo come up for sale uld for lots of make a brilliant h ub c that we a ommunity activitie lready hav s e We were thinking o going on. f asking p to donate eo m buy it but oney to raise fund ple have heard s to shares mig ht be ano community ther optio n. Name wit hheld, De rbyshire

Q3
ge SOS Dear Villa g to set up a market nin Were plan pen a community and o ce and garden fresh produ shop to sell g people in training n involve you cements. We need d work pla ess plan in order an usin to write a b e initial funding secure som o about this? to we g how would ian m East Loth Yvonne fro

AlISSA SAYS
A1
Its great that you have so much community support for the project and have formed a committee. The next step is to think about your legal structure. Legal structures are a necessary part of the framework for all organisations and choosing the right one goes a long way to making your organisation run more effectively. A legal form is the sort of organisation it is considered to be in the eyes of the law, for example, whether it is a company limited by guarantee or by shares, an industrial and provident society or an association. The route to deciding which is most appropriate for your organisation can seem a little daunting at first but Village SOS has specialist advisers on hand to help you choose whats right for you. Give us a call and our legal experts will help you make the right choice.
*Calls to the Advice Line from landlines will be charged at local rates (3.4p per minute peak times, 1.7p per minute in evenings and 0.6p per minute at weekends). Calls from mobiles will vary and may be considerably more.

WhATS IN IT fOR YOU?

Community shares are an option for raising finance directly from your community. By harnessing the collective investment powers of whole communities, large amounts of capital can be raised in small sums from individuals. Community shares should be seen as a positive investment opportunity with High Street interest rates as they are at the moment. A share issue can be structured in such a way as to be withdrawable and produce a return a very attractive proposition over traditional donations. However, the proposition needs to be strong and engaging. Investors need to feel they are doing good with their money by directly contributing to local change and having a say in how a service or asset is run. For instance, Hurst Green Community Shop in East Sussex are hoping to raise funds through a community share issue to create a village shop and community hub which will reduce social isolation, provide village jobs and create a meeting place for local people. For help with planning a share issue, give the Advice Line a call or have a look at www.communityshares. uk.coop

A2

A business plan is a written document that outlines your aims, strategies, current market conditions, operational position and financial forecasts. It should detail how you plan to develop your business and how you will manage its finances. Clarity on this point is vital if youre looking for investment or funding. It should also include information on marketing your venture, your competitors, your premises and facilities and the skills of your management team and volunteers. A well-written business plan will help you spot potential pitfalls and overcome them. It should act as an honest measure of your success and help keep your business on track. It is a living document which should be updated regularly as your business grows. The Village SOS website has a downloadable template and factsheet that you could consider using: www. villagesos.org.uk/get-involved/ business-essentials/write-businessplan, and theres more advice and case studies on pages 10-15.
25

A3

PERSPECTIVES

Why IS buSInESS PlannIng ImPoRTanT foR RuRal CommunITy EnTERPRISES?

Catherine Prisk is director of Play England, pa rt of the leading childrens ch arity, the National Childr ens Bureau. Catherine is passion ate about championing childr en and young peop les time and space to play, with governm ent officials at all levels , business and volun tar sector organisatio ns, schools and childr yens services, planners and importantly, with fam developers and, very ilies and the communities they live in.

specialist in British, Hayley Elston is a work, d local food advisory n for regional an ting and promotio including marke al ctors in the region SMEs across all se ply chain. food sup unity and Hayley advises comm d ventures for co-operative foo Work, and writes Making Local Food networks, d publications and for foo do the foodie aficiona including as om w.myisleofwight.c blogger for ww

A business plan is your map for the journey ahead

The Local asks three community enterprise experts for their take on a topical issue.
rural communities: creating employment, community wealth and community glue or cohesion. Businesses require planning, as does any project carried out by anyone. If you dont know where you are going when you start out on a journey, you could end up anywhere, including up the creek! Business planning has standard components that give you confidence that all bases have been covered. For community enterprises, planning is particularly important and valuable because many participants can contribute to the vision, aims and objectives, and then everyone knows and is part of what the enterprise is really about. The business plan, as an expression of the planning process, then becomes a great mode of communication and a banner to march behind. A synopsis of the planning process can also be used in marketing either the enterprise itself or an aspect of it, such as a community share offer. Lastly, its important that business planning is done for the enterprise itself, rather than just to attract finance or funding. If you keep it realistic and honest, then by carrying out the tasks of business planning, at the end of it youll have given your business planned outcomes rather than a wishlist. And thats the kind of business we would all like to work for!

Richard Snow is a project manager for Making Local Food Work and is also chief exec utive at Oxford Wood Recycling. After escaping the corporate business world, he has been part of the social enterprise and co-operatives sector for the past seven years. Richard has co-written a new guide for co-operatives and community enterpris es called Simply Start Up, to be published by Co-operatives UK. He also recommend sa simple guide to business planning called Business Planning Unwrapped, which is available at www.makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk

The key word here is enterprise. For me, its the enterprising nature of rural community projects that is most exciting and determines whether such projects are ready and able to receive the support of
THE LOCAL ISSUE 2

business professionals and mentors. If you are planning to run a business, the exciting thing is that you are creating something that will bring multiple benefits, including the vitally important ones for

Investing in making our communities more family friendly can be as simple as getting a landowner to say yes to children being given access to a bit of woodland, it can be a capital project providing a community asset for many years to come, or it can be developing clubs that get children playing outside all year round. Tim Smits advice on business planning is always worth a listen (see www. socialenterpriseambassadors.org.uk/ ambassador/tim-smit). Tims the brains behind the Eden Project in Cornwall one of the more famous rural destinations where they plan year-round play activities. As a tourist attraction, social enterprise and charity, the Eden Project has welcomed more than 10 million visitors and contributed 1 billion to the Cornish economy. At the other end of the scale, the friends of Chudleigh Knighton playpark group use a Facebook site created by a local parent to keep in touch with developments on their playground and to consult on what they should do next (www.facebook. com/pages/Chudleigh-Knighton-Playpark/141177128177). You can also see why planning your developments is important in the video of the build of the Hook Norton playground in Oxfordshire (www.savetheplayground.co.uk). Here at Play England, weve been supporting communities in coming together around childrens play for several years, and on our website you can find guidance on everything from setting up a friends of group to negotiating the planning system to achieving the Quality in Play kitemark. If you are to be successful in securing support for or investment in your project, a sound business plan is the best possible first step you can make. Visit www.playengland.org.uk/our-work/ engaging-communities-in-play.aspx for more information.

Just because you want to run a community enterprise doesnt mean you should ignore basic principles of business. A social enterprise is still a business; just one that trades for a social purpose. Here are ten reasons why a business plan (BP) is important to your enterprise ignore them at your peril. 1. Common vision. Everyone involved should be able to recite the same mission and objectives for the enterprise. If you dont know what its all about, you wont attract support. 2. Outline each area of the business. A BP will provide an overview of all aspects of the business. It should detail the who, what, where, when and why of your day-to-day operations, costs and projected profitability. 3. Determine your financial needs. Writing a BP will force you to analyse the financial picture. You need to understand your cash flow and its effects on the business. Many businesses have run out of cash even when they continue to make a profit! 4. Set up milestones. By forecasting where the enterprise will be in six months, one year, or five years, you are not only letting potential investors know your plans, but also setting realistic milestones. 5. Attract investors. Before investors (eg

local residents, grant-making or funding bodies) can decide whether or not to back the venture, theyll need to know as much as possible about how the business operates, and how their investment will be spent. 6. Learn about the market the business operates in. Researching, analysing and writing about the market provides an overview for the BP and will give an understanding of where the business fits in, what makes it unique and its potential customers. 7. Support, additional funding or loans. The BP can demonstrate that you have met goals and illustrate the companys growth and funding needs. It builds credibility and convinces stakeholders that you are in control of the business. 8. Attract and retain staff. The BP allows management to measure progress towards targets, which leads to a shared sense of achievement and helps with recruiting and retaining staff. 9. Have contingency plans and manage risk. While BPs often include some contingency plans by virtue of having the document available, you can identify where the potential risks may be and plan for any eventuality. 10. Monitor your business. A BP should serve as an ongoing business tool that you use to monitor progress and evaluate your enterprise.

SUDOKU!
When you have finished the puzzle, add up the numbers in the yellow squares. For a chance to win a gourmet hamper from Country Markets up to the value of 50, email the total to max@villagesos.org.uk, along with your name, contact phone number and address by 31 January 2012.
Visit www.villagesos.org. uk/fun-and-games-terms for the prize draw terms and conditions.

7 3

8 1 3 9 4 1 2 3

1 5 1 7 3

9 8 9

WIN a 50 gourmet hamper of treats from Country Markets!

9 5

6 4

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

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