Emmaus Preston

Every month the UK office send a Business Information Letter (BIN) round to all the communities and newsletter subscribers. The newsletter for October 2008 after the jump.

The Credit Crunch

Communities are feeling the pinch, with collections falling and furniture trading becoming more difficult in some parts of the country. Strategies to combat the credit crunch include:

• Emmaus South Lambeth has converted one of their high street furniture stores into a low price electrical store and has developed a relationship with their local Appliance Reuse Centre (Croydon ARC) to secure stock. They receive small electrical items to be tested for free and also buy fridges for £3 untested and £25 tested. This is filling up their new shop ‘Electrics on the Hill’.
• Emmaus Leeds has brokered a deal with Leeds City Council to pick up reusable furniture, bikes and bric-a-brac from 3 of the Civic Amenity Household Waste Sites in Leeds.
• Emmaus Brighton has struck a deal with ‘The Big Yellow Box’ company – they are called in to collect furniture and goods that have been left by people who no longer pay for their storage.

Depressing Sector News

Debt Advice

There has been a 51% increase in new mortgage and secured loan enquiries in the three months to October and a 10% increase in fuel debts compared with the same period last year, according to the Citizens Advice Bureau. Emmaus Communities have relationships with those organisations that can provide these types of advice services to their customers and local community.

Reserves at risk

Three charities fear they have lost reserves totalling £25m in the wake of the banking collapse in Iceland. Stephen Bubb, head of chief executives body ACEVO, said three members had contacted the organisation with concerns that their reserves in Icelandic bank accounts could be lost. The unnamed organisations held reserves of £11m, £10m and £4m respectively in Icelandic bank accounts.

Upbeat Sector News

Asset Transfer

The Development Trust Association has received £1.3m from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to set up an Asset Transfer unit that will offer free independent advice to both community group and local authorities across England on the viability of transferring council owned buildings to community groups. The unit will be launched in January 2009. 60 Local authorities are said to be working with DTA to develop this scheme.

Take advantage of property crash

The property crash should be regarded as an opportunity to acquire property assets in local communities, according to the Government’s local authority guru. Barry Quirk, chief executive of Lewisham Council and adviser to the Communities and Local Government department. He said that charities faced far less competition for land from private companies and developers than in previous years. Local authorities could be more easily persuaded to sell to the third sector, he said, and councils could end up putting more properties on the market as they struggled to hit fixed targets for capital receipts.

Reconomy

The WRAP fund administered by www.reconomy.org.uk is undersubscribed. If you have any projects that you wish to start (that increase the amount of waste diverted from landfill) that require either consultancy support or interim management resource please get an expression of interest in to ensure a full application can be assessed prior to March 2009. The risk is if it is undersubscribed the Government might try to claw the money back to give to the banks. Experience says money available is up to about £25,000 per application, applications already submitted include requests for funding for: Interim management to set up a Wood Recycling project; A consultant to audit and update H&S policy and procedures; and a Waste Consultant to provide input to the development of a recycling and reuse enterprise.

Building Materials Reuse Centre

Reconomy have funded Bioregional to support the set up a number of Building Material Reuse Centres over the next six months. If you have (or are considering getting) large amounts of space (outside and under cover) and want to understand more about how Bioregional can support you to set up a Building Materials Reuse Centre please contact Jonathon Essex . Tel. 020 8404 4249. Mob. 07801 541 924. Email. jonathan.essex@bioregional.com

Community Enterprise News

Emmaus Preston

Emmaus Preston opened the doors of their shop to the public on Saturday, they raised £1373 on their first day trading. Congratulations!! (Editor’s note: Thanks, Tara :) )

Emmaus Oxford

Since taking over the Furniture Store (a furniture reuse project previously run by Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action (OCVA)), Emmaus Oxford is enjoying Emmaus-afying operations, they have a new van and a new Community Leader. Things have got off to a flying start with revenue up in their first couple of months of trading as Emmaus Oxford. Good news for those Companions who will be taking over the running of the store when they move into the new Community in February next year.

Emmaus Sheffield

Over the summer Emmaus Sheffield developed a partnership with ‘Unite’, a student landlord, to clear left belongings from student flats. This provided the Community with £14,000 in clothes that were ragged and many other nice bric-a-brac and household hold items that are currently being used in Sheffield’s ‘Starter Pack Scheme’ (see below).

The Community was awarded £500 from The Guinness Partnership for the difference it has made to the local community. Emmaus Sheffield have used this money to set up a ‘Starter Pack’ scheme providing households goods such as crockery and light bulbs to those in need who are transitioning into unfurnished accommodation.

The Gardening and Housing Maintenance (house voids turnaround) business is also booming with Emmaus Sheffield submitting a number of additional tenders to different departments within both South Yorkshire Housing and the Guinness Partnership.

Emmaus Village Carlton

Village Carlton managed successfully to coordinate 50 volunteers from Tribal Consulting in painting and decorating their shops and premises without disruption to the normal running of the Community’s thriving business.

Emmaus Brighton

The very productive ‘Goodwill Co Op’ was officially launched on Saturday 17th October. With over 70 volunteers signed up to produce innovative gifts and goodies from unwanted materials, Emmaus Brighton is filling up with contemporary jewellery; funky hand knits; luxury gift cards and stylised furniture. The project is generating the biggest word-of-mouth marketing campaign with many members of the local community visiting the Community for the first time. There has also been much interest from the local press.

Please note there was a full blown ‘porky-pie’ (lie) in the last newsletter. Emmaus Brighton does not currently advertise on the back of buses they just refer to a bus in their adverts “ The No.1 Bus goes to the No.1 store”, listening is a skill that requires continual personal development!

Emmaus Hampshire

Even without a store open yet, Emmaus Hampshire has already landed an amazing business partnership with IKEA. The exact nature of the partnership is being discussed but I understand it is will be very wide-reaching and have a very positive impact on all elements of the Community.

Emmaus Hastings & Rother

Emmaus Hastings & Rother have potentially discovered the secret to operating a full scale waste and recycling site… take a party of councillors and officers from East Sussex Council, Hastings Borough Council and Rother District Council to visit a very inspirational French Community, Emmaus Angers. Emmaus Hastings are working hard to transfer the concept to the UK. Watch this space!!

Helpful resources / information

From 1 October 2008, all properties when sold, built or rented will need an energy performance certificate (EPC).

Emmaus Brighton are applying to Waitrose to be part of their ‘Community Matters’ scheme. Where by the local store works with a local organisation to support them in their charitable objectives. Find a Waitrose near you.

If you are undertaking house clearances get hold of your free Waste Carriers license – a quick reminder from Emmaus Sheffield.

Events

3xE Network set up by Off the Streets into Work for social enterprises working within the Homeless sector is to be launched in October and November. If you are interested in joining this free network, an application form can be accessed at www.osw.org.uk/services/3xE-join.asp. To attend one of the 3xE launches or find out more about 3xE services, contact Jenny Turner on 020 7089 2727 or email at jennyturner@osw.org.uk. Details as follows:
East Midlands:11.00 -14.00, Friday 28th November 2008 - The Dawn Centre, Leicester
South West: 11.30- 14.30, Friday 7th November 2008 - Taunton Probation Service, Priory Road Taunton

I attended the first session in London and am meeting a representative from OSW in November to understand fully what training and support Emmaus Communities can expect from being members of this network.

FRN Conference and President’s Award Dinner will be Thursday 8th – Saturday 10th January 2009 at Cranage Hall in Cheshire. Special deals for FRN members (that have fully paid their membership) are as follows: 15 half price places for small organisations (6 of these places have been snapped up already). These will be for full members with less than £100,000 income. These will be allocated on a first come first served basis after the conference booking form has been circulated. Trustee reduced rates - delegations including at least one Trustee will be entitled to a 10% discount in their conference fee.

15 nurses, 10 teachers and a skateboard park : This event being held in London on 18th November, 6.30pm Church House, Dean’s Yard, Westminster is to publicise the Emmaus Federation ‘Sharing in Success’ report. A report quantifying the savings an Emmaus Community makes to public spending.

Chain-Reaction, Social Leadership Conference 17th – 18th November: The great and the good from the private, public and third sector are meeting to see if they can change the world. See www.chain-reaction.org.

Association of Charity Shops is running: a Health & Safety workshop on 13 November (£103 per attendee) in London, where the two trainers will go through shops’ legal responsibilities and how to implement necessary changes.

Subscribe

The Emmaus Business is run by all: companions, staff, Trustees and Friends of Emmaus. If you wish to subscribe to the business letter, please contact Tara O’Hara (Business Development Officer, Emmaus UK, tohara@emmaus.org.uk)