The Box - text-only version of the website

Welcome to The Box, the web site for an exciting project for social enterprises, community groups looking for sustainability, and potential social entrepreneurs within the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness. Delve in, have a look around, get a feel for what it is all about. Here you will find information about The Box itself; how to get involved, who to contact, what is on offer. You will also find pages for news, events, advice, FAQs, a page for your ideas, and, more importantly, the support that is available to your self and your groups. It takes one phone call to move your idea to reality.

Latest News

Fast Start for ‘The Box’ Project

Since the project started some 10 weeks ago, there have been approximately 15 organisations and individuals who have made contact with the project, all of which are based in the borough. The ideas and plans that have come forward are quite wide ranging, and all of them are at various stages of the project.

The 29th of August saw developments workers, and other support groups attend a training session, held at Age Concern on the project, their remit under the project, and the legal side of becoming a social enterprise.

Upcoming Events

‘The Box’ Launch Event

Friday 29th September 11.30-4pm at Victoria Hall, Rawlinson St Friday 29th September sees the official launch of The Box. The afternoon will be dedicated to an exhibition of social enterprises, and companies that support them, together with two mini master classes on legal structures and marketing.

Event Calendar

22nd September 2006

29th September 2006 at Victoria Hall

The Box launch event, 11.30am - 4pm, exhibition of Social Enterprises and companies offering support.

About The BOX

The Box is an exciting new project, the product of the Barrow Social Enterprise Network, a partnership set up to develop the social enterprise sector of Barrow-in-Furness . The Box not only offers discretionary grants, but also offers business and financial planning, bespoke training, mentoring, support and advice. This is available to community groups looking at ways of becoming sustainable, and trying to move away from grant funding, and also to individuals looking to become social entrepreneurs within the communities in the borough. Should you choose this route, you will be assisted all the way from initial contact through to receiving a grant – if that is what you need.

Meet Mike Brockbank

Mike came to Barrow-in-Furness in 1983, when, as a serving police officer, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant. During his time with the police, he worked at Barrow, Ulverston and Dalton, as a uniformed sergeant and then moved on to become a crime prevention officer. Eventually he became community services manager for South Cumbria, and was instrumental in setting up the current Community Orientated Problem Solving team (COPS), and it was whilst involved with this he became heavily involved in working with the different communities in Barrow, Dalton and Ulverston.

On retiring from the police, he took a position with Copeland Borough Council at Egremont, as the programme manager for the Market Towns Initiative, where he worked with the local regeneration partnership, and alongside the communities within Egremont and the surrounding district. In 2004 he moved back to Barrow and worked for Age Concern as their campaigns and advice services manager. This was for a period of two years.

In July of this year Mike was appointed as the project co-ordinator for the Barrow Social Enterprise Network and their project, The Box.’ He is based at Burlington House, on Michaelson Road, and spends a large proportion of his time working with local community groups and the development workers based both at Burlington House, and The Nan Tait Centre.

When asked about his aspirations he said, “I have spent a lot of my working life working with community groups, and have also spent a lot of time submitting funding applications to grant making bodies. I know how frustrating it can be when, after spending a long time on a particular application, it is turned down. Hopefully, the Barrow Social Enterprise Network, and in particular, The Box, will help to address this problem for groups working in the community. I would like to see groups going down the route of social enterprise, in whatever form, and becoming sustainable by trading in goods or services. I suppose my ultimate aim will be to see enterprises being awarded public sector contracts, to deliver public services within their area.

Partner Information

The Barrow Social Enterprise Network has a number of partners, some who deliver The Box project, and others who have funded the scheme.

The funding partners are West Lakes Renaissance, the local urban regeneration company; Government Office North West for European Regional Development Funding, and Cumbria County Council. Together, the project is worth £600,000 over three years. However, not all that money is for grants; some of it will be used for training and mentoring and support.

The delivery partners are Furness Enterprise Limited, who assess the grant applications; Community Action Furness, themselves a social enterprise, and InBiz Ltd., a national company, the remit of which is to assist people back into employment.

Delivery Partners

Furness Enterprise was established in 1991 with the aim of supporting businesses in the Furness area. They assist companies locating to the Furness area, new business start-ups by entrepreneurs, and growth programmes for existing companies. Furness Enterprise is the lead organisation in the Barrow Social Enterprise Network and can offer guidance, advice and support to anyone wanting to set up as a social enterprise or traditional business.

Community Action Furness was established in 1993, since then the organisation has developed an infrastructure of established community based enterprises within which it can train people, enabling them to gain skills and qualifications in a variety of quality work based environments, together with promoting learning and fostering enterprise and entrepreneurship.

InBiz can help you put your ideas into action and put you on the road to independence, even if you are unemployed and claiming benefits. They can give you all the advice, guidance and practical support you might need.

Over Fifteen years of experience of working with nearly 13,500 clients has given InBiz a unique insight into the opportunities and issues of business start-up and enterprise.

Why a Social Enterprise?

Why indeed? How many times, as a community group, do you fill in those grant application forms – if you are lucky, possibly once or twice a year. How many times are you rejected? More times than you are successful!!

Then there are those occasions when you are coming to the end of the project, and have to start looking for more funding to keep the project running. If the project employs people, we are talking about jobs, and possible redundancies. A lot can have happened since you last applied, and there is the possibility that the original funder will not fund the same project twice, or, their funding objectives, i.e. what they fund will have changed, or their criteria has changed. Sounds familiar?

What if with a lot of advice and support, you were able to become less reliant on grant funding, and become more sustainable. How? By becoming a business that trades goods in the market place or offer services to communities that are paid for. We are talking about Social Enterprises – businesses that have social aims, that trade, and the profit made, is ploughed back into those social aims, and becomes sustainable.

Useful links

Social Aims

Running a Social Enterprise

Running a social enterprise is not very different to running a normal business as a social enterprise can trade in goods and services, can make a profit, employ people and pay salaries. The only real difference is that any profit made must be used to further the social aims of the business.

Legal Structures

Not only are social enterprises similar to private sector companies in the way they trade, they are, to a degree, similar in their legal structures. A social enterprise can be a company limited by shares, it can be a private limited company, but there are other structures that do not fall into the private sector.

The attached is a simple guide to the different types of structures that are available to enterprises.

Ideas Generator

Although you have the idea, you need to know more about making it reality. To assist you, take time to download the options appraisal, complete it and return to Mike Brockbank either by post to:
Mike Brockbank
Barrow Social Enterprise Network
Burlington House, Michaelson Road, Barrow-in-Furness. LA14 2RJ
or email to mikeb@the-box.org.uk

It will help you to further develop your idea, and also give him more information.

Grants & Funding

The Box Grants - what they are and how to apply

The Box offers three types of grants: feasibility funding; start-up funding for new start enterprises and funding for existing enterprises wishing to expand. All three funding streams will pay capital and/or revenue to a maximum of 100%. There is no need to match fund. Funding will pay for salaries under the new enterprise stream, but will not pay for salaries under the existing enterprise stream. However, there is a process to go through prior to reaching the grant application stage.

Once your options appraisal has been assessed and is deemed a suitable social enterprise you will be referred to either InBiz or CAF who will provide the necessary support to take your idea onto the funding application stage.

After completing the first two stages, you will be given a URL & password to enable you to access the funding guidelines and application forms.

FAQ's

What is a social enterprise? – a social enterprise is a business which has social aims. The social aims centre on the employment of people, offering training to people and the delivery of services. The business can trade, employ people, pay salaries, but any profit made must go back into the furtherance of those social aims.

How do I contact The Box? – contact can be made by telephoning the co-ordinator, Mike Brockbank on 01229 813355, or 07810 872526, or e mailing him through this web site.

What happens when we make contact? – Mike will make an appointment to come and see you, discuss your ideas with you, and complete a couple of forms. He will then refer you to either Community Action Furness or InBiz Ltd.

Does our group need to be constituted? – not on contact. The Box will give you all the support and advice that you will need to turn the group into a social enterprise, and eventually apply for grant funding.

What happens when we are seen by CAF or InBiz? – they will assess your organisation to see what has to be done to get you to grant application stage. This could include assistance with business and financial planning, establishing what training courses are needed, if necessary; assisting with the completion of registration forms to become a business, assisting with the completion of grant application forms.

What sort of training is there on offer? – The Box will provide bespoke training to groups and/or individuals in subjects that will assist in becoming a social enterprise. The training and trainers will be sourced by The Box.

How long have we got to get to grant application stage? – as long as it takes. The Box accepts that it will take some longer than others to reach grant application stage. The Box is not about getting as many groups to become social enterprises, it is about groups becoming sustainable through a social enterprise route.

If we apply for a grant, how long do we have to wait before we know? – if its under £5,000 – two weeks; £5,000 to £20,000 – 4 weeks; above £20,000 – 6 weeks.

Will there be conditions attached to the grant? – like all grant funding there will be conditions. This is to safeguard the money that has been invested, to ensure it is spent on what it is supposed to be spent on, and also safeguards the applicants.

What will grants pay for? – Grants will pay for feasibility study funding, that is to do some research; new start social enterprises and existing social enterprises. The grants will pay capital and revenue, up to 100%, but will not pay for salaries on existing social enterprises looking to expand.

Contact Details

Mike Brockbank
Barrow Social Enterprise Network
Tel: 01229 813355. Mob: 07810 872526
E Mail: mikeb@the-box.org.uk

Barrow Social Enterprise Network
Burlington House, Michaelson Road, Barrow-in-Furness, LA14 2RJ

Community Action Furness
Victoria Hall, Rawlinson Street, Barrow-in-Furness, LA14 1BX

Furness Enterprise Ltd
Waterside House, Waterside Business Park, Bridge Approach, Barrow in Furness, LA14 1AF

The BOX website - text only version

Online resource for community groups and entrepreneurs