Collaborative Communities
Pages
Examples of Social Enterprise in South West Wales
Pembrokeshire Frame
Frame primarily works with people with or recovering from mental ill health and/or a disability as well as other disadvantaged, socially excluded people. Service delivery is underpinned by the need to provide vocational, occupational, social and recreational opportunities to enable participants to contribute as full members of their community. Frame provides a real but sheltered working environment where people learn new skills, practice work and regain self confidence and self esteem. Frame is an excellent social firm – over 25% of its employees are disabled and over 75% of its income is generated from trading income or contracts.
Work practice and training placements are currently provided through:
- A community furniture store that collects unwanted household items, clothes and bric-a-brac and assesses their potential for reuse. This provides opportunities in call centre style operations, collections and delivery, sorting and assessing stock and warehousing
- Retail outlets that make the items available to the general public
- A workshop that repairs and/or modifies furniture and manufactures items out of wood reclaimed from un-reusable furniture
- A horticulture project that grows fruit and vegetables, flowers, shrubs and trees for sale at a farmers market and in a new shop at Scolton Manor
- Supported Employment Service which supports the progression to paid work both at Frame and in the wider community including help to find work and to learn a new job
www.pembrokeshire-frame.org.uk
2Active8
2Active8 is an enterprise set up by the Ammanford Junior Gateway to provide real work volunteering to people with a learning disability through ‘I Smooth’ cafe and ice-cream parlour and ‘Get Stuffed’ printing and mail shot project in Ammanford. The enterprise helps people suffering from mental ill-health, school leavers, skill build students, sixth formers and various members of the community who would like to learn more about volunteering and working with various disabilities.
The enterprise allows them to provide meaningful employment to their clients, a progression route from training to the world of work, whilst reducing their own reliance on public funding. 2Activ8 is a vehicle by which they can sustain their provision of services to volunteers in the long term.
Myddfai Trading Company
Made in Myddfai is the new trading arm of Myddfai Ty Talcen, set up to help revive the villages fortunes and generate income for the refurbishment of the community and visitor centre.
The business has produced a brand and range of gifts that evokes and celebrates Myddfai’s heritage and the legends of the physicians of Myddfai. A diverse range of products are selling well online and through a range of business outlets throughout Wales. The enterprise involves many local people as volunteers and employees and leads to social as well as physical development. It is also reaching out to more local residents to provide a forum for local economic development in areas such as agriculture by providing an outlet for produce.
