With a relationship stemming from an ACC Liverpool tender, Kimpton has teamed up with Wirral’s Future Yard CIC, the Birkenhead-based community music venue – creating a vibrant and sustainable partnership that supports grassroots music and industry skills across Liverpool City Region.
Kimpton is the facilities management services provider to The ACC Liverpool Group, which has a commitment to influencing and supporting the wider events industry and ecosystem as part of its social value strategy.
Kimpton first came across Future Yard whilst it was tendering for ACC Liverpool’s facilities management services contract. The tender asked potential suppliers to outline how they would work alongside ACCL to support its social value plan – Kimpton saw the potential to support the live events industry at a grassroots level, by offering its support to Future Yard if it won the contract.
Experts in developing and delivering decarbonisation schemes for businesses across the region, Kimpton partnered with Future Yard by offering to service and maintain its heating, ventilation and electrical equipment. This includes servicing the boiler and heating systems, carrying out water temperature checks, emergency lighting, fire alarms and maintaining all the kitchen equipment. Kimpton’s Service Director worked with Future Yard’s team to develop a preventative maintenance schedule and identify ways to increase efficiency and minimise its carbon impact.
Kimpton also supports Future Yard’s corporate partnership scheme NEIGHBOURHOOD with a £1,000 cash donation each year. This goes towards funding free and subsidised tickets for local young people, families and community groups to access cultural events at the venue including live gigs, Mosh Tots (weekly gigs for kids and their families) and giving teenagers the opportunity to learn instruments, form a band, and perform on stage for the first time.
Mika Haasler at Future Yard said “As a community music venue, partnerships with institutions such as the ACC and their commitment to social value are vital in sustaining culture and regeneration at grassroots level. Together we are working to create opportunities for young people at the start of their careers – both on stage, and backstage through our production training programme Sound Check, which offers hands-on experience in sound, lighting and event management.
“This commitment has also led us to our vibrant partnership with Kimpton, whose support creates opportunities for local young people in live music across our programmes, as well as managing the facilities in our venue.”
Matt Breakwell, Kimpton’s Business Development Manager, says “Working with The ACC Liverpool Group to extend our social value efforts to also support Future Yard, could not be a better fit. We’re working with them to ensure the equipment at the venue operates as efficiently as possible so that they can spend more of their money on supporting young people to develop careers in the live events industry and nurture talent at a grass roots level.”
Peter Hughes, senior facilities maintenance manager at The ACC Liverpool Group, said: “One of the reasons we appointed Kimpton was due to the organisation’s social value commitments which are very much aligned with our own.
“Legacy is a key focus for us and we are pleased that Kimpton has already connected with the local community through its work with Future Yard which provides opportunities for young people in the events industry – from grassroots musicians to technicians. This underlines and complements our own objectives and our procurement commitments in our social value plan.”
For 60 years, Kimpton has been at the forefront of renewable technology. It installed its first heat pumps back in the 1970s for Walkers Crisps and Golden Wonder and has delivered two UK firsts in sustainable technology – the UK’s first water source heat pump in open sea at Plas Newydd, Anglesey for the National Trust and one of the UK’s first Transpired Solar Collectors at the SBEC Building on Deeside with TATA Steel.
Delivering social value in the communities it works in is at the heart of everything Kimpton does, working with clients including ACC Liverpool, Liverpool Hope University, LIPA, Unilever, Walkers, Daresbury Laboratories, Hilton, Radisson Blu and Liverpool Philharmonic, alongside NHS Trusts, local authorities, and central government.
Follow them on Facebook, Twitter/ X and LinkedIn.
About Future Yard
Future Yard is a multi-purpose, non-profit community music venue, using music as a tool for social change in Birkenhead. It comprises a 300-capacity indoor and 400-capacity outdoor performance space, five music studios, a bar/café and social spaces. So far, it’s welcomed over 50,000 visitors and 450 artists since opening in 2020, despite the impact of the pandemic.
Future Yard reimagines a music venue as a learning resource, a space for young people to embark on career pathways in the live music industry. This is delivered within a working live music venue, programming touring artists from around the world alongside local emerging talent. It’s striving to become the first carbon-neutral grassroots music venue in the North of England – and one of the first in the UK – realising a positive environmental impact alongside its social impact.
Follow them on Facebook, Twitter/ X, LinkedIn and Instagram.
City of Liverpool Football Club is a unique community catalyst; a club rooted firmly in the community from which its players – and supporters – come from. The team, which competes in the Northern Premier League, West Division (the fourth level of non-league football), plays its games at the Halton Stadium in Widnes. Next year, it celebrates ten years since its incorporation and played its first match in July 2016. Since then, City of Liverpool has generated £320,181 in total of social and economic impact – and a wider impact of £921,900 – alongside creating 12 additional jobs.
Fan activism, social enterprise and community are the central tenets of the club’s ethos. Its founders included members of different supporters groups, who’d been involved, in many cases, for more than 30 years in in groups including Spirit of Shankly and the Football Supporters Association. “But we noticed that – as Premier League football went global, clubs were branded by place names, but not of those places. Our vision for City of Liverpool FC was to be inclusive,” says company secretary Peter Furmedge.
For fans at the match, that manifests in a number of ways:
The club now boasts more than ten teams, working closely with Kingsley United in Liverpool 8 across its junior teams, alongside a men’s first team, men’s Sunday team (a development squad for younger players); a women’s first team (and range of other women’s teams in different tournaments), an under 18s men and a spread of junior teams. It also runs a number of football programmes addressing community issues, including its refugee and asylum seeker team which plays under the banner of ‘Football for Everyone’, a walking football team, which targets men aged 50+ who may be socially isolated, and a ‘get fit football’ scheme, which is aimed at players who want to lose weight and play football in a relaxed environment. Its junior programme works with more than 130 young people, creating opportunities to train, play and learn across the city region; ‘Kits for Kids’ provides sports kit to those most in need, while ‘Boots 2 Play’ recycles football boots for children and adults alike.
City of Liverpool FC is one of Kindred’s most recent investments, with the money allowing the club to grow the business, developing its revenue streams – which include a community hub in Huyton which is used for a range of activities and events; its merchandise range, alongside memberships and matchday tickets.
Its community links are clear: the community hub includes two 3G 5-a-side football pitches, which are used for a range of games, including walking football and for the junior teams who need floodlit pitches to play through the autumn and winter. There’s a boxing club, and self defence classes alongside recovery support groups. “It stayed open through the pandemic,” says Peter, “and we know for a fact that it saved lives. For many people, it’s their main social event of the week.”
He points to the link between football and mental health and wellbeing – the club’s welfare officer is a mental health professional and its closely linked to a range of community support, including recovery living centre Damien John Kelly House. While the committee positions are voluntary, the side employs a manager and assistant manager, two coaches and a physio for first team, alongside 20 semi-professional footballers on the payroll.
The club has also been successful at taking on players cast off by bigger clubs. “We have a reputation for fixing them and putting them back together when they’ve lost their mojo,” says Peter. “There’s a through-put of players who’ve been at Liverpool and Everton – and then there are other players who’ve never been at any professional club, but should have been. We had a young lad who signed for Burton Albion in League One – he played 200 games for us; another lad left us to play for a team in a lower league, but scored a hattrick at Wembley in the FA Vase. He’s at Gillingham in League Two now.
What the club is trying to do is show that – in a time of huge change in global support – that there’s another way. “It doesn’t need billionaires or global capital,” argues Peter. “Clubs are community assets, and should be built on social capital. No matter what level were playing at, we’re representing something other than a bank account or a share price.”
Longer term, the club is fighting for a home in central Liverpool, and has been working towards a new community ground on Edge Lane: “it’s a place that will be at the heart of the local community,” he says. “We could host community outdoor cinema and festivals – provide a vital community resource in this area of Liverpool that is so well connected. A place to create something that people really identify with…”
The dream, Peter says, is to “be competitive, whatever level we play at. Ultimately, the club will be as big as the community wants it to be.”
Inspired by the belief that everyone deserves justice, the Equality and Employment Law Centre has provided accessible legal services to those who need it most for the last twenty years.
Based on Dale Street and working with clients from a wide range of backgrounds across the Liverpool City Region and beyond, this socially-trading organisation helps thousands of people every year to access justice and move on with their lives.
“At the Equality and Employment Law Centre, we believe that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, both in the workplace and in society. Our mission is to combat poverty, injustice, and discrimination by providing specialist employment and discrimination law advice and advocacy. We are committed to empowering individuals and organisations through expert guidance and training, fostering a fairer and more equal society for all.”
“Through our work we prevent catastrophic circumstances such as, unfair dismissal, discrimination unemployment, ill health, homelessness and poverty,” says CEO, Julie Ehlen. “Every penny we make is re-invested into providing free and cost-effective support to individuals who otherwise may not be able to afford it.”
Specialising in the complex areas of employment and equality law, the law centre also offers a free helpline to assist employees who require employment advice, as well as providing free HR/Legal advice to third sector employers.
“We are one of the very few free services that answer the phone directly without making you navigate through numerous options or leaving a voicemail, and we clearly publish our phone number on our website to make it easy for our clients to speak to someone, something that is becoming increasingly rare,” says Kristian Khan, Legal Practice Manager.
“Unfortunately, people from more deprived communities or employed in low paid jobs are more likely to be discriminated against,” says Kristian, “and many of our clients cannot afford legal advice and are not eligible for legal aid. Sadly, they fall between the gaps. Our advice line is in fact a lifeline.”
“A legal dispute is often very stressful having a huge impact on an individual’s health, wellbeing and relationships. Most of our clients come to us for help when they are traumatised highly stressed and in crisis, so a fundamental part of our impact is working in partnership with other like-minded organisations to transform lives,” say Katie Corless, Solicitor.
Julie continues, “We first learned about Kindred through the Liverpool City Region’s Growth Platform newsletter. Working with them has been a pleasure; they truly understand the demands of providing vital social trading services. Their support has been invaluable, allowing us to operate efficiently and effectively, helping us navigate the ongoing challenges of running a social enterprise.
“Our biggest challenges include underfunding, the cost-of-living crisis, and the loss of homegrown solicitors to better-paid private sector jobs. Additionally, delays in court cases due to backlogs in the civil courts and employment tribunals have impacted our operations. Yet despite these challenges, we continue to see a growing demand for legal advice.”
With the ambition to become a leading law practice specialising in HR, Employment Law and Discrimination in the charitable and voluntary sectors, the charity is now focusing on expanding its services further and continuing to advocate for social justice.
Julie concludes, “At the Equality and Employment Law Centre we’ve already prevented numerous adverse outcomes, helping clients to keep their jobs, resolve disputes or fight discrimination. With people needing our help more than ever, we look forward to continuing to promote a fairer and more equal society in the future.”
Find out more about the Equality and Employment Law Centre here...
Twelve years ago, Kate Collins turned being made redundant from a local conservation charity into a life changing opportunity.
“With a degree in Zoology, as well as years of experience working as a youth worker and an assistant park ranger, there was one underlying aim that inspired what I wanted to do. That was to reconnect children with the nature on their doorstep,” says Kate.
“My Outdoor Classroom CIC believes all children and young people have the right to play outside in nature, even in the most urban areas. By promoting positive outdoor experiences, and letting imaginations run wild, we not only develop their love for the natural world, but also nurture their education, health and wellbeing needs too.”
Based in St Helens, but delivering forest schools, community sessions and woodland adventure parties at locations across Liverpool City Region, Kate, her fellow My Outdoor Classroom CIC director, Lisa Bostock, and three freelance practitioners work directly with local schools, charities, SEN groups and low-income families.
“As our business has developed, so too has the need and understanding for the services we provide,” says Kate. “Although focused mainly on education, the potential for outdoor hands-on learning reaches far beyond primary and secondary settings. Its value is also recognised with young adults or people with learning or mental health difficulties too. Although the application is different, the same principles remain, and we shape our methods to suit the individuals, allowing them to learn, participate and achieve at their own pace and at a level of their own choosing.
“Kindred’s support has come along just at the right time for us,” she says. “When you’re juggling the delivery, as well as the development of a business, you’re that busy you sometimes can’t see the wood for the trees, as they say.”
Through a combination of financial investment and peer mentorship, Kate has now been able to invest in a much-needed van, making the transportation of equipment much easier, as well as gained a new support network from other environmentally-focused Kindred members.
“Thanks to recent Kindred support we’ve also been able to offer a self-referral adult forest school this year. Held at Waterloo Community Forest Garden in Crosby, this little sanctuary of nature is a space for those who need it to find mindful relaxation, meet new people and learn new skills amongst the wilds.”
Kate and her team are now also busy training the next generation of forest school practitioners too: “We have started to run accredited level 1 and level 3 training courses and recently welcomed ten childcare students from Hugh Baird College. Knowing that my passion is now becoming a professional career choice for so many means the world to me. I know it will make a positive impact on even more lives.”
Find out more about My Outdoor Classroom here...
Looking to build on his own experiences from early adulthood, Charity Director Lee Pennington, founded the Birkenhead-based Open Door Charity, to provide free, fast and effective mental health support at the point it was needed most.
Designed for young people by young people, this dynamic and progressive organisation continues to deliver a range of award-winning services using innovation, arts, and culture as a catalyst for change, over a decade on.
“Today my role at Open Door Charity is Executive Assistant to the Senior Leadership Team,” says Niall Miller. “But I first became involved four years ago when I was referred to their programme.
“At the time I was struggling with both depression and anxiety, seeking alternative support when I was given a long waiting list by traditional services. I instantly felt at home in the welcoming environment here and, thanks to the staff and my peer mentor, as well as the range of creative therapeutic care provided, my wellbeing significantly improved,” he adds.
Niall continues, “At Open Door Charity all our support options are delivered by a team of around 100 peer mentors – and we believe that having an organisation built on lived experience not only ensures that the support process is wholly unique, but provides a positive route towards not just feeling better now, but staying better for the long term.”
Kindred has been a firm supporter of Open Door Charity and its invaluable care provision since the outset. And, as one of the first organisations Kindred invested in, the money received was used to roll out a pilot for what would become its ‘Bazaar’ referral programme.
“Our core offer, the Bazaar programme, has been a huge success,” Niall says. “Designed to tackle low mood and anxiety, it’s an eight-week hour-long computerised therapeutic course, delivered face-to-face by volunteer peer mentors. Blending elements of CBT, mindfulness and more, to help people aged 17-35 understand their subconscious thought patterns, it provides the skills, tools and techniques a young person needs to take control of the pressures everyday life puts on us in these modern times.
“With this initial money from Kindred, the pilot not only involved organisations across Liverpool City Region, but also the likes of Oxford and Northumbria Universities, ensuring that what was developed was tailored to different audiences, whilst also addressing the huge need for creative mental health support across the country,” he adds.
“Also, in November last year we received support from Kindred in the form of a cost-of-living grant, which, in these difficult times, has helped us maintain consistent programming at our Bloom Building home, ensuring both creative activities and cultural events could continue running alongside our essential support services.”
With plans to provide the Bazaar programme on a national level, as well as extra support needed locally, Open Door Charity is always on the lookout for more peer mentor volunteers, and has a number of fundraising events coming up Kindred members can support.
Find out more about Open Door Charity here.
When St Helens became a settlement town for Syrian refugees back in 2019 the passion and perseverance of one local lady would go on to create a community cafe as unique as its customers.
“At the time Debra Hill was one of the first English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) tutors working at St Helens Council,” says Emma Bamber, the current Project Manager at Café Laziz. “Before this the town had been predominately white, and Deb realised that as well as teaching them English, the refugees needed more; more opportunities to share their culture, more ways to gain work experience and more ways to meet people from the community. And so Cafe Laziz was born.”
Very sadly, Deb was diagnosed with cancer in 2021 so turned to her colleagues about taking over. “Cafe Laziz is a fast-growing project and needed full-time focus so myself, and another colleague, Claire Nicholls came on board last summer,” Emma adds.
Initially just an Arabic cafe, today Café Laziz supports refugees from all over the world. “We give people a place to come to, to get out of their hotel room, to learn English, to meet new people, to eat food from different cultures and to generally provide a safe, welcoming, warm place for them to be,” says Emma.
Aiming to break down barriers between their volunteers and the general public, Café Laziz hopes that through their food they can educate and inform people who may otherwise have negative opinions of refugees and asylum seekers through what they hear on the news.
“Our dishes reference a different country each week, so there could be an El Salvadorean main and a Hungarian dessert one week, a Pakistani main and a Sudanese dessert the next.” Emma continues, “The benefit of having multicultural volunteers is that the only common language is English, so everyone has to speak English. It's great to hear the laughter coming from the kitchen as they all share and cook together.”
“One of Kindred's first investees, Café Laziz has received a great deal of support, financial and otherwise without which I am not sure Deb would have been able to get it off the ground,” says Emma.
Adding, “We continue to feel incredibly supported, and the hands-on help Claire and I received when we took over allowed us to spend much needed time planning what we wanted the project to become and really develop what we do.”
With a dream to one day have their own dedicated building in St Helens, and a wide range of educational outreach events and projects planned, Emma concludes, “One of the best things I have found about Kindred is that when you are working away at the coal face every day it is easy to feel that you are in it alone. But, thanks to the network of like-minded STOs from around the region you’re put into contact with, you know you are part of something so much bigger, and it’s incredibly empowering to know that positive things are happening.”
Find out more about Café Laziz here.
What was formerly a decommissioned council building in the heart of Huyton will become a dedicated centre supporting those experiencing dementia thanks to Kindred member, Me2U.
Founded by Rosie Whittington, Me2U has been providing a pioneering approach to community-based care in Kirkby since 2018. With every facility and activity specifically designed with individual needs in mind, it quickly become obvious that a second centre was much needed.
A mental health nurse with over ten years of experience working with older people, Rosie had previously been a teenage carer for her grandmother. “At Me2U we provide a safe and stimulating environment for those living with dementia, as well as offering respite and peace of mind for their carers and loved ones,” says Rosie.
“With over half of UK adults knowing someone who has been diagnosed with dementia, and the cost of caring for them expected to almost double by 2050, we want to be able to reach more people who need services like ours.”
While Rosie remortgaged her own home to set up her first centre, this time the Me2U team worked with Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council to secure an asset transfer, and organised a crowdfunding campaign as well as a series of fundraising events, to raise the £30,000 needed to fund the required renovations.
Backed by Kindred, the new site will provide a range of services, including an onsite hairdresser or barber, a community wash house, private consultation rooms for health visitors and a wet room. They will also offer a wide range of activities including gardening and flower arranging, art and crafts, board games and singalongs.
Carers will also be able to take advantage of holistic therapy sessions and support groups as well as expert advice on dementia care and diagnoses.
“Kindred invests in people who have lived stories and go on to use their lived experience to change their world. When I first heard Me2U’s founder Rosie tell her story I had no doubt this was an investment Kindred would want to make,” says Erika Rushton, Programme Director at Kindred.
Adding, “Rosie is just one of a powerful network of women in Knowsley who are redesigning our care system from the bottom up. And their design principles? Their care is designed for the people we love."
“We’re so happy to be able to expand our provision into another part of Knowsley,” says Rosie. “By getting the foundations right and establishing a person-centred culture, we can deliver even more essential care services that benefit the communities we support.”
Find out more about the Me2u Centre here.
After almost two decades working in the hair and makeup industry herself, Victoria Farrelly now passes on her skills to a new generation of beauty professionals.
“I was 13 years old when I started working alongside my mum,” says Victoria. “At the time she was a hairdresser and makeup artist on a Ridley Scott film and as soon as I arrived on set in sunny Cape Town, I fell in love with the film industry.”
In the years that followed Victoria worked on music videos with the likes of Robbie Williams and Texas, and commercials for leading global fashion brands. But it was in 2016 after working for seven years as a Lead Media Makeup Teacher at an Ofsted Grade 1 College, and on the completion of her Diploma in Teaching, that she decided to take a leap and created the Global Makeup Hair and Productions Academy (GMUA).
Now CEO, Victoria, along with her growing team of tutors, stylists, and experts, offers an alternative route into education for anyone over the age of 13; including high-quality, flexible, and accessible courses in a wide range of subjects like hairdressing and barbering, makeup, modelling and fashion, media, film and photography.
“The heartbeat of GMUA lies in the desire to give everyone an opportunity to be self-employed in a creative industry they love,” says Victoria. “Alongside our on-site training all our students also complete placements giving them invaluable business experience and entrepreneurial guidance.”
First introduced to Kindred in 2020, Victoria applied for funding towards the cost of employing someone to support her in the day-to-day running of GMUA freeing her time to focus on developing and delivering the courses that mean so much to her.
“Thanks to Kindred's support GMUA has grown 300% financially over the past two years, which in turn has allowed us to reach even more aspiring young talent across the Liverpool City Region,” says Victoria. “What we do extends way beyond traditional training. We have become a beacon of hope and transformation, a place where long-held dreams become a reality.”
By actively engaging with a variety of stakeholders, including local authorities, care workers, and NEETs agencies to identify individuals on the cusp of decision-making GMUA tailor their mentorship programs and vocational courses to create opportunities for all.
“So far, we have been able to support a number of women who have fled domestic abuse as well as women asylum-seekers and refugees. We are also currently training eight students to teach further courses for us and are in the process of creating a working salon in Liverpool to enable our graduates to make a good living and get the support they need to start their own businesses in the future.”
Victoria concludes, “Afterall, it's about creating a ripple effect of positivity, raising aspirations and empowering others to achieve great things with no barriers or boundaries.”
Click here to find out more about Global Makeup Hair and Productions Academy (GMUA).
After looking for a new direction and greater satisfaction in her own life, Jill Barlow, founder of Jigsaw Coaching CIC, now helps others to reach their full potential too.
“Throughout my career I’d always managed projects aimed at improving health,” says Jill. “But whether this was in a business, a charity or an educational setting, there was always one theme I kept coming back to; how where we work and what we do plays a crucial part in this.”
Fascinated by how some people thrive on challenge and variety; while others prefer a routine, repetitive job they can switch off from, the one thing clear to Jill is how hard it was for people to get the support they needed.
Whether dealing with dissatisfaction, discrimination, or the daily juggle of achieving a happy and healthy work-life balance, Jill wanted to do more. So, in 2017 she went on to qualify as a coach before setting up her own social enterprise, Jigsaw Coaching CIC.
“It was while working for the NHS that I realised I wasn’t utilising my skills, and my confidence was ebbing away,” says Jill. “Yes, it was great having a secure job, but I knew I’d find more fulfilment helping people who were feeling lost or dissatisfied to get connected to what matters to them – whether at work or in their home life.”
Jigsaw specialises in supporting people who wouldn’t normally be able to access coaching services. Its vision is to create a world where the journey of self-discovery and growth are accessible to everyone.
“Through our one-to-one sessions and workshops, we inspire people to explore their inner hopes and ambitions, helping them to create a vision of a better future for themselves,” Jill says. “In a safe, confidential space, people can identify their strengths and harness them to address blocks in the way and what they can do to lead more fulfilling lives.”
Working across the Liverpool City Region and beyond, Jill and her fellow associates’ approach is multi-faceted and, now with the support of Kindred, are reaching even more people.
“I first heard about Kindred through a local network and since becoming a member have met so many incredible like-minded people working in social enterprises,” says Jill. “Thanks to Kindred’s investment we’ve been able to focus in on the areas that are most important to us, such as supporting small business owners, people who are long-term unemployed, have a health condition, a disability or a visual impairment (VIs).”
With a new Jigsaw website due to launch in early 2024, we’re sure that more people will benefit from the services offered by this life-changing company.
Click here to find out more about Jigsaw.
Founded by one man’s passion for improving his community, and now managed by a team of dedicated staff and volunteers in his memory, The Book Stop is bringing hope back to its high street.
Like many places across the Liverpool City Region, St Helens has seen its town centre change dramatically over the last ten years. But, when its only independent and much-loved bookshop announced its closure back in 2019 after nearly 40 years of trading, it inspired one local man to bring back the books.
“Brian Leyland was the driving force behind The Book Stop,” says Trustee, Mike Webster. “His love of St Helens, its people - and of course its rugby team - played a major part in his life. As a published author himself, he was frustrated by the lack of a book shop in the town centre, so took on the challenge of leading a crowdfunding campaign that saw the community raise a staggering £45,000 backing the business.”
“The funds raised locally were then matched by the Community Shares Booster Programme and added to even further thanks to the Steve Morgan Foundation,” continues Mike. “This allowed us, with assistance from St Helens Council, to invest in a prominent but vacant unit on Bridge Street and enabled us to open for business in November 2021 before Brian sadly passed away the following February.”
The loss of Brian, the Covid pandemic and then the cost-of-living crisis that followed has not made life easy for The Book Stop, which is run as a charitable community benefit society. But it has not stopped it honouring its commitment to creating a socially inclusive and welcoming environment for the residents of St Helens and the surrounding areas.
Stocking 5,000 titles (and able to order in most books within 24 hours for their customers, whether that’s an individual, school or library), The Book Stop also runs a wide range of events. Its adult and children’s reading groups, book clubs and author signings are all aimed at improving access to books and enhancing reading and literacy opportunities in the town.
“Our bookshop is owned by the community, and most importantly exists for the benefit of the community,” says manager, Nik Lowe. “Any profits we make are always reinvested back into new books, events and workshops everyone can enjoy.”
An integral part of continuing to develop this much-needed outreach work has been Kindred’s support. This investment is now enabling this unique bookshop to transform its empty first floor into a new fully accessible events space.
Nik concludes, “We recently won the National Book Tokens ‘Newcomer of the Year’ award which we couldn't have achieved without the generosity of everyone who has supported us this far. Now, thanks to Kindred, we can continue sharing the magic of reading and the power of books with even more members of our valued community.”
With work due to start in February 2024, we look forward to sharing more about the exciting opportunities local families, school children, charities and organisations can experience and benefit from at The Book Stop.
