CASE STUDY
Support provided under the NDWA funded Business Start-Up Initiative
Background:
Prior to the launch of the Recycling Lives charity in 2008, the founders had already amassed considerable experience of running a successful business and finding common ground between the needs of business and the needs of disadvantaged people and communities. They had seen their family owned recycling business grow into a multi-million pound organisation and through a combination of progressive recruitment policies, charitable projects and involvement in publicly funded economic development programmes, they formed a firm conviction that business could play a vital role in resolving pernicious social problems.
This experience, then, informed the development of the Recycling Lives concept, in which profits from a commercial recycling business would go to support the development of a charity that would provide practical and sustainable solutions to problems such as homelessness, worklessness and the need to encourage social engagement and enterprise.
As a multi-faceted organisation that would combine commercial activities with charitable aims while also seeking to address a broad range of socio-economic challenges, Recycling Lives was faced with a problem of communications. Conveying the right messages to a disparate range of stakeholders, prospective partners, funding bodies and potential end-users demanded an array of different marketing materials including both printed and on-line resources. The founders therefore approached Enterprise4All for help in developing a marketing communications strategy that would ensure that the organisation put out a consistent, accurate and compelling message.
E4All advisers then held a series of meetings with various members of the Recycling Lives team and worked with them to rectify any inconsistencies in their proposed new literature and, where required, to produce new content for brochures and the charity website – www.recyclinglives.org.
Results:
Recycling Lives is now operational as both a charity and a commercial operation. The first of many Recycling Lives centres was built in Preston in 2009 at a cost of around £3.5 million. This now provides safe, clean and secure accommodation for homeless individuals and families, and the centre offers permanent jobs for those ready to make the commitment to work. Moreover, the new centre offers training and pastoral care for its residents, educational facilities that can be used by other local charities, social enterprises and community groups, and fully equipped business incubator units to support the growth of aspiring entrepreneurs.
The Recycling Lives concept has been applauded by the Rt Hon Hazel Bears MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. She said: ““Recycling Lives is innovative, it’s enterprising and it’s inspiring. It doesn’t just tackle homelessness, it also looks at its causes ... and it gives people the chance to get involved in a job that helps the environment as well. It’s great news for local authorities and indeed the whole community.”