wellington centre

[sweetpea]

It's really good to hear about the plans to breathe new life into the centre in Wick especially since it will be a social enterprise. I'm really excited for those who will be able to benefit from all this. Well done to everyone involved:)

[Torvaig]

Yes, well done all! This is another example of people power and shows what can be achieved when the enthusiasm is there. I think it is always best when the people involved are the people who will work there, their clients etc., etc.

[cuddlepop]

I have seen a difference "social projects" make to the individual and the community.We have two on Skye,one of which is Touch Wood which makes new furniture from old and a Quilting workshop which recycles old material and makes quilts from it.
The people who deliver the projects actively promote ownership which is wonderful.
Hope you have similar success.:D

[sweetpea]

There's a good one in Edinburgh, a B&B called Mary's Place and they also did laundry for big duvets and football strips, very lucrative business run by people with all sorts of disabilities.

[Bill Fernie]

I have stayed at the B & b at Six Mary's Place and it was very good indeed. It is or was vegetarian place and the meals were excellent.

All of these businesses were run by Edinburgh Community Trust which changed its name to Forth Sector - See http://www.forthsector.org.uk/

I was researching Social Firms and Community Enterprises at the time and visited them to see how it operated.

I saw their laundry, sandwich business and their main offices operating over a few days. They also had a gardening and landscape business that they closed down a few months after my visit as it was not making enough money.

I hasd been thinking about starting up something in Caithness but then "Jobs For All" began at the college in Thurso and took up many of the people I might have been interested in employing who had disability. That has now gone and there are certainly opportunities again and the landscape has changed as the Scottish Executive and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are much more interested now than they used to be when I was looking at it.

Still it was then that not having started that idea I turned my attention to something else and that was - you probably guessed Caithness.org

At the meeting on Saturday I added a few of the ideas I have been mulling over ever since then with regard to the types of business that might work here under the banner of a Social Firm. Plenty of others contributed ideas and in fact there are so many good ones they may have difficulty choosing what to start on first.

the Wellington Centre offers an opportunity but it will need lots of work to build the plans and obtain the necessary finance to get it all going. There is still some work to be done even in regard to passing over the building and Social Work department will want to be sure that any ideas coming from the group are well thought out and can obtain the necessary grants and funding to get started and become sustainable.

I will be backing them whenever I possibly can.

I have set up a new section Community Enterprises - to keep all the information and contacts in one place. See http://www.caithness.org/community_enterprises/index.htm

[sweetpea]

It would be really good to see the land at the back of the centre in use maybe with an offshoot like tending the green areas round the estate and plants in offices.
I think it's good that the agencies are recognising the need for things such as social enterprises because mainstream just doesn't work for a lot of people nowadays. It's a shame when you know people that are sitting about because they have nothing to do(not through choice but lack of it) usually because they find it hard to get jobs or need a different way to interface with society than traditional leave school,get a job. I imagine a lot of the people who will go there will have so much to offer and hopefully they can showcase their talent and make their contribution.

[horseman]

Good for you Sweetpea, most sensible observation.

Great to see the town getting to grips with things and making things happen.

By the way, we have a fabulous moggy cat called sweetpea..Nicest thing you have ever seen..Cross twix persian and rag doll..Gotta' be seen to be believed,I'm sure you are in the same bracket.. Thats if I am allowed to say something like that..:lol: :lol: