team kickstart wins first kirklees social enterprise start-up competition
Local Grassroots Community Interest Company wins £5000 towards a new project
Sheepridge-based Team KickStart has won the first Kirklees Social Enterprise Competition. The grassroots Community Interest Company (CIC) provides activities for local young people to get them off the streets and stop them getting into crime and anti-social behaviour. They now want to become less reliant on grant funding and aim to develop new projects that can bring in an income whilst still involving and supporting young people. Their first idea is to develop an online shop selling refurbished motorbike parts that is run by the young people themselves and gives them hands-on skills, work experience and qualifications.
The judges liked that, ‘Team KickStart have a good idea and clear aims that involve young people throughout’.
The competition was run by a new partnership of local organisations that want to encourage and support more social enterprise in Kirklees. 12 local people and groups, with big ideas to support their local communities, took part in a series of free business development webinars over the Summer and then were invited to pitch their polished plans to a panel of local experts. Three finalists were chosen to pitch again, and the winner was announced at a special event celebrating local social enterprise, with food provided by Full Circle Community Cafe (run by Healthy Hearts (Women’s Wellbeing) CIC), and an inspirational talk and runners-up prizes provided by Hive Huddersfield CIC .
The 3 finalists were:
- Team KickStart (Kick Start Project CIC) – see video below to find out more
- Laid Bear Recovery CIC (Will Halstead) – see vide below to find out more
- CollaborARTi
Hilary Thompson, from TSL Kirklees and Chair of the Kirklees Social Enterprise Sounding Board, who ran the competition said, ‘This was the starting point for a new project to support and encourage more social enterprise in Kirklees. For lots of reasons, Kirklees has fewer social enterprises that other areas, but we know that not-for-profit and community businesses are great for the local economy, creating local jobs and supporting local people, and so it’s in our interest to make sure we have as many as possible. Our ambition is to make Kirklees into a social enterprise place, which means that we’re committed to investing in social enterprises so that they can thrive and grow. The Social Enterprise Sounding Board is the start of that work.’
The Kirklees Social Enterprise Sounding Board is a partnership of local organisations that want to support and encourage more social enterprise in Kirklees – including, local social enterprises, Locala Health and Wellbeing and Local Services 2 You (LS2Y), local third sector infrastructure support charity, TSL Kirklees, Kirklees Council and Huddersfield University. The support package was put together and led by social investor, Key Fund with additional sessions delivered by TSL Kirklees and local accounting charity, WYCAS.