Energy Advisors drop-in service

Winter Survival Project –

by with No Comment Wellbeing

“After 7 weeks of hand-washing and asking favours from friends / family, I was finally able to do a load of washing myself. It was great.”

Now that we are halfway through this winter, we can see the days getting longer. February marks 3 months into our Winter Survival Project, and we thought we would just give you a little update on how it’s all going.

We have managed to help over 60 people so far, which is incredible. Gabriella from The Artisan Bazaar has been running our practical makers workshops; making cook bags and draught excluders from recycled materials. Georgina has been running our Energy Advisors drop-in!

We are going to run another Women and Numbers course in March, and at the end of the month Georgina will be running an Energy Champions course! This Energy Champions course will give you all the practical skills and knowhow to understand your energy bills, where draughts are entering your home and mitigate that, how to reduce condensation in the home and know what grants are available for home improvements. It may even lead onto paid work as a freelance energy advisor.

The feedback from Gabriella’s workshops has been fantastic, so positive that we have decided to put more sessions on in February! Here is what some of the women have had to say about the workshops.

“I was impressed with what I made and surprised at how well it turned out using recycled fabrics. It was an education. I enjoyed it.”

Along with learning a practical skill, the women have commented on how lovely it has been to be in a space with likeminded women, having the time and space to connect with each other and how valuable providing a safe space for women to come together and share their experiences. We know that running your own business can sometimes be isolating, making these kinds of environments even more important.

We have also seen many women in the community come into our Energy Advisors drop-in service. Georgina, who runs the sessions, has connected many of our women to LEAP, the Local Energy Advice Partnership. This is a great resource for people to get advice and assistance on how to save money on their energy bills.

I’ve recently got myself referred to LEAP. A knowledgeable and friendly energy advisor came into my home and helped me identify how and where I could cut costs, draught proof and reduce risk of mould and condensation. The service can even offer replacement of white goods, if yours are old and energy guzzlers. It amazed me that this service was free, I was given chimney balloon, some draught proofing under door slips, draught proofing for our letter box and some remote-control plug sockets. All on the same day! My home already feels less draughty, and these non-invasive measures are great for me, living in a rental property.

I feel confident referring anyone who may be struggling with high bills or a cold home.

But, you don’t have to take it from me. One lady who had an energy advisor from LEAP come to her house said that:

“It was fabulous, I actually understand how it [my heating system] all works and don’t feel as ripped off now I that have choice.”

Even though this project may seem a little off-beat for us, the feedback is reflecting how necessary this project is. Practical skills training is help to reduce feelings of isolation, build self-esteem, and increase feelings of autonomy.

The feedback has shown this is allowing women to better manage their own finances, reinforced with our upcoming Women and Numbers in April, and make informed decisions about their own lives.

So, definitely come down and see what is available to you whilst this project is ongoing! Our drop-in service at our offices on a Thursday, 12:30 – 2:30, at our offices in White Cross (742 Cameron House), call our offices at 01524 383846, or email megan@thegrowingclub.co.uk, to find out a bit more!

numbers-2023

English is important, but maths is importanter

by with No Comment Business educationNews

If you saw our Christmas newsletter you will have read this..

And finally, a heads up that 2023 will be the year we put lots of attention on numbers; from energy saving and understanding your bills, budgeting and getting out of debt. And to properly working out what to charge for your product / service. Because, to quote a quote that Cleona Lira sent me:

“English is important, but maths is importanter” 

And so this post is to tell you what we are offering, who for – and why.

Last January we ran a retreat all about women and money. The experience of how empowering that was, combined with seeing the interesting responses to the finances curriculum on both our start-up and growth programmes, we have come to realise that there is some fundamental work that needs doing around numeracy for women.

Understanding that whilst we all deal with maths every day, but if we believe that maths is scary, we are disempowered from fully participating in life, in the summer we trialled a series of 4 Learning Lunches called Women and Numbers. The aim was a simple exploration of the blocks that come up for women when it comes to numeracy, with Ebony Rebecca, of Rose Tinted Financial, very gently enabling us to face those.

We have now been awarded some DfE funding called Multiply, to enable us to deliver an exciting range of fully funded support for women in Lancashire who haven’t reached GCSE level C, and / or want to build their confidence around all things numbers.

We are delivering this work in 3 ways:

  1. In both January and February there will be a 4-session course to simply build your confidence with using numbers. Ebony explains more in this video.
  • On February 10th, we have an excellent workshop called Know Your Price, for all you women running businesses who struggle to work out what to charge. Full details and booking here  
  • One-to-One support.  In addition to the courses and workshops, there is also funded one-to-one support available. Either with Ebony, to address budgeting and debt, or with Viv Davenport for maths support to prepare you for your GCSE if you choose to go that route, and for applied maths for day-to-day life, such as understanding special offers when shopping, what size pizza to order, and your household bills.

And even better – everyone who participates in the Multiply programme will be entered into a prize draw to win one of these fabulous T-shirts from Ducon.

In addition to all that, we have the Winter Survival programme to help you reduce your energy bills. You can find out all about that here.

If you want help with anything around numeracy, please do get in touch with us via email to Rebecca@thegrowingclub.co.uk or call 01524 383846.

The Growing Club CIC designs and delivers employment and enterprise training and support for women

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angels-den-2022

Angels’ Den 2022

by with No Comment NewsWomen in Business

As you may have seen, on the 30th of November we held our 2nd Angels’ Den event, an evening that gave some of our start-ups the opportunity to pitch to members of the local business community, for skills support that will help them on their journey. 

The evening, hosted by the Health Innovation Centre, was a huge success which beautifully showcased the innovation and entrepreneurship that we see from women in our district. What’s more, the evening also exemplified the real sense of community and mutual support that we hold in such high regard here at The Growing Club.

Glyn Jones, who is the Partnership Development manager at the Health Innovation Campus, as well as one of our Angels, said:

“[Angels’ Den was] an inspiring celebration of the entrepreneurs (as previous ones have been). I also found it to be very “real” as in, no theories or officiousness, instead people building something positive and beneficial by virtue their own efforts and diligence with pragmatic support from The Growing Club community.”

We appreciate this feedback  –  the personal nature of The Growing Club is something we are incredibly proud of, and it is encouraging to hear that our approach of “it takes a village…” came across with the event.

Not only did our Angels value the event, but our pitchers did also.

Jenifer Ryder, of Model Club, said that whilst it was challenging, it was good for her – that the process has helped her to find the words to relate her business to an audience and that the help she was offered has already begun to propel her and her business forward.

Karen Belton from Two Tiny Makes said that the whole experience was extremely rewarding, and went on to say “I really do think that it is wonderful that local businesses want to reach out as Angels and support new businesses.  I can’t wait to meet up with my Angel in the New Year as I think it’s going to be a good jumping springboard to make my 2023 a success!” – once again highlighting the value of community-based support for businesses, which we try to foster through our work, both specifically through Angels’ Den and through our work in general.

Jane Twyman of Hedgepigs found the experience of pitching to be very affirming for her business, and alongside winning the “outstanding support” from our Angels, she also gained new contacts and customers!

We at the Growing Club also agree that it was an amazing evening, and we want to extend a huge thank you once again to everyone involved – our Angels, our pitchers, and to everyone who came to support on the evening too. Special thanks to Joanne Barlow of Access to Finance Lancashire for coaching and training our pitchers, Kelly Ann Sharp from Voice Work for providing vocal coaching beforehand and supporting on the night itself, and to Costal and Co for providing a low-carbon supper.

We look forward to holding more events like this in the future – with the success we have seen with this second event, we plan to host these every 18-months or so in the future, so keep your eyes peeled for the next opportunity!

If you would like to discuss how The Growing Club can help you, please contact us on 01524 383846

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Winter Survival

by with No Comment NewsWellbeingWomen in Business

At The Growing Club we have always worked holistically with women, whether that’s women wondering “What Next?”, or starting, or growing their business, because we know how much women juggle in their life and how much they are impacted by external conditions. And I don’t need to tell you that we have gone from pandemic to winter crisis without an opportunity to catch our breath.

It was identified that during the pandemic women were hit the hardest, and we are seeing the same again. That means we all have to look out for each other right now. With the combined effects of a rising cost of heating a home, flus, COVID-19, we want to provide programmes for our women which will help to protect you this winter.

And that’s why it may look like we gone off piste with our new projects, but we know it’s all part of the support women need. And so, we are very pleased to share that, this winter, we have funding for 2 additional programmes this winter, to keep you warm, healthy and connected, and to make sure you have all the skills to understand your bills and make informed choices this winter.

Firstly, Winter Survival Programme

1. Extended Drop-in Service

Georgina Sommerville from Green Rose CIC will be at Thursday drop-in each week to discuss your own personal situation and what support you can get to reduce your household bills.

And she won’t just tell you and send you on your way.

Anyone on benefits or with a household income of £31k or under is eligible for a home visit. She is able to offer so much, so please come down and find out what you’re really eligible for.

So, if you’re struggling with high bills, a cold home, energy debt, or you’re looking to find out how to drop bills and increase comfort with simple measures, join us during our drop in service at our offices in White Cross on Thursdays. The kettle will be on, and Georgina will be able to talk through some advice and guidance to keeping warm and healthy this winter.

2. Practical makers workshops

Gabriella from The Artisan Bazaar will be coordinating makers workshops as well. These will be a warm, sociable, and practical space to learn how to simple bits which will help you to keep your home warmer and cut electrical costs out of second-hand items; draught excluders and nonelectric cook bags. We will be alternating week on week, one week doing draught excluders (a simple, but super effective tool for keeping a room warm), and the next week doing cook bags to reduce cooking expenses. These are bags which you can place a boiled pan into, and leave for a couple of hours. It will continue cooking to perfection.

The full list of dates can be found here:

Draught excluders:
9/12/22
06/01/23
20/01/23

Cook Bags:
16/12/22
13/01/23
27/01/23

And all of the equipment will be provided for you, along with hot drinks, snacks and soups! 

That these will mostly be in our training room in Lancaster. Please note we can pay your bus fare, as we know it can be super expensive, especially traveling in from rural areas.

Secondly, Women and Numbers

Alongside all that we are running a comprehensive Women and Numbers programme, primarily aimed at women in Lancashire who haven’t got GCSE grade C level 4. But if any of you are struggling with any numeracy issues, including understanding your bills, please do join us. Between now and the end of February we are running 2, 4-session courses (via zoom), one-to-one support and a pricing workshop to help you work out properly what you need to be charging for your products and services  – a big issue for many women in business.

This will be run by Ebony Rebecca, from RoseTinted Financial Services. We ran a Women and Numbers workshop in the past, it was very positive so we are delighted to be running it again, and taking it further. So, watch out for that in January.

In addition, we are providing a warm working space.

You can come to our training room Mondays and Fridays for free. Our only ask is that you ring up to check that there is space. It’ll be a warm space for you to go and to get on with your admin, and save on your own energy bills. We have to pay ours anyway, so you may as well benefit from it too. If you need any help over the winter, or if there’s anything more we can do please email us. Megan, in our office, will be coordinating this project so drop her a line if you have any questions about this initiative!

Emma drummond women and IT

A woman’s journey into the well-paid world of tech

by with No Comment Women in Business

At The Growing Club we work with women who want to make a change to their work situation. We have seen that, regardless of their skills and experience, many women in caring roles, myself included, end up in low paid work as the only way to balance all the demands.

Fellow Galgator, Emma Drummond, decided to retrain and join the well paid, but male dominated world of tech’. Here’s her journey :

I was on a career-type route through my twenties, which I very much enjoyed.  I like to put my all into my work, so I felt I couldn’t promise that consistency once I had my children and I took low-pay roles for over a decade.  Now, however, I am beginning a new career by moving into the ‘tech’ industry. 

Moving into tech is a measured risk as I’ve turned my analytical approach on myself and explored aspects of the varied roles I’ve held.  When I looked back, data analytical work was a driving passion throughout.  Several administration roles left me time to look at the information I accumulated, from course feedback scores to employment statistics, and a very repetitive day pattern was perfected to add a research project in the gaps. 

The pay of jobs in tech is astounding and I can expect to earn considerably more than I have ever as a PCR technician or administration assistant. However, joining a supportive team will be my priority as I juggle family with a more demanding and satisfying role. The tech industry is not known for its softer side, but I have met several employers recruiting “returning mums” as they have more potential and motivation. Simply by being older than the usual freshly graduated applicant means I bring many extra skills and experiences, and a greater knowledge of myself. 

In a practical sense, I’ve been preparing for the career move for a few years by undertaking a project creating computer codes which predict patterns in genes.  I’d looked at a few projects but getting an extensive grounding in R and Python was the reason I chose the project.  Working at a distance, including through the pandemic, was a real challenge as I had to not only self-motivate but also solve many problems independently.  This was both a boost for my confidence and evidence of my abilities for future employers.

The pandemic lockdown home-schooling taught me that I was stronger than I thought and that I needed to generalise my skills and make connections.  I’m currently broadening my coding skills at an intense, government-funded, coding boot-camp, CODE Lancashire. The course is built around the needs of local businesses for coders confident with languages, like SQL, HTML and Python, which guarantees my employability and usefulness.

Good luck in your job search Emma!

Angels' Den

Angels’ Den is finally back!

by with No Comment NewsWomen in Business

So, Angels’ Den is finally back! The event you’ve been waiting for, and the event we are so excited to put on again. 

The premise of the event is much like the popular show Dragons’ Den, budding entrepreneurs have a few minutes to pitch their start-up ideas to a panel of businesspeople. The twist here is everyone will be a winner. On the night, entrepreneurs from The Growing Club’s start-up programme, Roots and Shoots, will have a few minutes to pitch their start-up ideas to our panel of business “Angels”.

After all the pitchers have gone, the angels will discuss between them who can best support each woman. Everyone will be coming away with something, and it’s a great opportunity for businesses in the local area to support entrepreneurs, as what could be a small thing for one business could make all the difference to a start-up.

On the evening there will be fine company, an opportunity for networking, along with a buffet and some mulled wine, juice or hot drinks.

In the next few weeks, we will be announcing our angels. We have some familiar faces, welcoming back the support of the Chamber of Commerce, and some new faces as well. The offers from Angels are ranging from website design, accountancy, to business development and marketing strategies. So, make sure you keep your eyes on our social media accounts for these announcements, where you can follow these angels and see what there is on offer.

This event really encapsulates what we value here at The Growing Club, community, and mutual support. Mandy Blackwell, who organised the last Angels’ Den event back in 2018, said it was so special to her to have been involved in the organisation of the last event, and to be a part of an entrepreneur’s journey of starting out with an idea and seeing that idea come to life. For her now, it’s great to see years later that there are women who pitched and have businesses which are still trading.  

It’s an amazing opportunity to get that confidence boost which allows an entrepreneur to go self-employed.  Wendy Jones was pitched at our last Angels Den event and said that having the support from her Angel gave her that confidence to take that step and go fully self-employed. Also, having only 3 minutes made her home in on what it was she wanted. 

So, this is why you should come along to this event. The evening will be celebrating mutual support and be a great night of showcasing the amazing entrepreneurship and creativity which is here in Lancaster. It’ll be a special opportunity to be a part of a woman’s step towards realising her entrepreneurial dreams.

When: 30th of November

Where: Health Innovation Centre, Lancaster

Get your tickets today here

the sowing club, Sow to Grow

What the heck is The Sowing Club?

by with No Comment Training Courses

What the heck is The Sowing Club? The title, The Sowing Club, was a deliberate play on words. It is a short course with a small group of your peers, where together we sow the seeds of possibility.

What is The Sowing Club all about?

On a practical level it is a group that meets one morning a week for 6 weeks. Essentially, it is small group of women who want to make a change to their employment situation. But in actuality, it is magic!

It all started in 2017, as our first lottery funded project, which we called a pre-start course for unemployed women. Pre-start up was not a term that was used back then, but is much more common now. When I set up my first business in 2010 I was an unemployed single mum and didn’t have a clue what I had to do. When you are wondering about starting a business there are a million questions, and no one to ask.

As we developed our social enterprise, I realised that there are lots of unemployed women who have skills, hopes and dreams but are at risk of being pushed into low paid, insecure work. And I wanted them to know there are other options. Back then it was a 4-session course, and feedback was that just isn’t enough, so we changed it.

We have gone on to run variations of this course for women aged 50 plus, in response to the change in pension age, for refugee women, for unwaged women, and for young women who have left school and are feeling a bit lost

What has been really interesting for us over more recent years, is the mix of women who want to join the course. We now attract unemployed women, women who hate their job as well as women facing redundancy. Women with no qualifications and women with a PhD come together with a shared experience.  

I often say most of us, women and men, are all sorts of wonderful shaped pegs who have sadly been rammed into square holes, and try as we might to fit in, in the end it just makes us unhappy, or ill. We have a significant number of women with long-term health conditions, often caused by work, who are getting stuck in the benefits trap, and are fading away, whilst their heart and soul is crying out to be useful and creative, and to be active in society. 

So, what is it that we actually do on this short course?

Well, tutors and participants use words like: find a new path, re-connect with our skills and dreams, a space to look at things differently, a chance to re-charge, reset and make a change.

I call it “What Next?”, I call it a supported space to work with your peers to re-connect with your skills and dreams. Women who have been through the course say it gives them permission to go back to what they really love, after years of doing the sensible thing. It’s a guided programme where you get to review you, and look at your options again. That may be joining our start-up course to start a small business, or going back to study, or maybe getting a job in a pub so you can follow your dreams of being a karaoke singer (that is one of my all-time favourites).

It doesn’t matter what you do next, what matters is that you get to see that you have a choice, and that it’s never too late .

We take you through a programme where each week builds on the last, enabling you to re-discover who you are, what you love, what you are good at. We will gently challenge you and push you out of your comfort zone, so you can see what possibilities there are

So who is this for? It is for any woman, whatever her circumstances and background . It is for any woman who feels they want to make a change to how they earn their money. It is a space where you will meet women you may never have had the opportunity to meet. It’s for you if you are unemployed, in work you hate, a carer, have been out of employment for a while, or are facing redundancy. It’s for you if you know that you don’t want to be in the situation you are in for the rest of your working life.

Thank you very much to the Sowing Club…It has been invaluable. I have been seeking direction to move forward and the timing of the course was perfect. It was such a positive and welcoming space. You say you recognise untapped potential in individuals and empower them to step into it … you do. Thank you.

If you think this might be for you, or someone you care about, the next cohort starts on Tuesday 20th September in Lancaster. Sign up here or call Rebecca on 01524 383846 and one of the trainers, Soaad or Nicola, will call you to answer any questions you have, because we know it’s scary to go somewhere new.

It is funded for women in hardship, otherwise we ask for a donation based on your household income. And, we can help with bus fare and child care costs if they are things that stop you coming.

Can’t get to Lancaster? We will run a cohort via zoom after Christmas, email Rebecca@thegrowingclub.co.uk to register your interest.

More information about the course here.

kate manders, GC2, graduation, growing club stories, bloom and grow

Growing Club Stories: Kate Manders

by with No Comment Women in Business

Kate Manders

Hi, I’m Kate Manders and I own and run the Wagtail Deli Café in Arnside and the Wagtail Kitchen at Lakeland Food Park, Plumgarths, nr Kendal in partnership with my husband Steve.

Kate Manders

I’ve known Jane Binnion for a few years now.  We initially met around 2014 when my husband and I did some Facebook for Business training with her and I loved the way she delivered her training.  She was full of practical advice; I knew I’d found someone who could really help me.  I signed up for the newsletters! In 2016 Jane mentioned she had designed a course for women in business who wanted help, not just to achieve their goals, but to fit it round real life.  The Growing Club was the outcome, and the timing was perfect for me to sign up for the second cohort (GC2).  I’d just sold a previous business and was going into full-time catering with my husband.  We knew we wanted to make big changes but didn’t really have a clue where to start.

Being in the Growing Club was life changing.  I know you’ll be rolling your eyes right now, thinking I am some sort of over-enthusiastic groupie.  But honestly, I can’t think of how else to describe it.  I spent 12 months with a group of other like-minded women, all at different stages and from very different backgrounds.  But from our year together, we all have so much clarity in our business, and understanding of how better to balance work with the rest of your life, and a fantastic support network of people who are all rooting for each other.  This is what the Growing Club does.  It gives you the confidence to, well, to grow.

Since graduating from GC2, I regularly attend the Growing Club Graduates meet ups, and I have an ongoing business buddy.  That chance to receive and offer support to and from other amazing souls is worth more than anything for me.  We opened the Wagtail Deli Café in 2018 and have just started developing our Wagtail Kitchen brand.  I don’t think I would have the guts to do any of this without the Growing Club. 

I would always be happy to talk to anyone who is considering a Growing Club programme.  When something is this good, you’ve just got to share it. 

Visit: www.wagtailcatering.co.uk

You can read more of our fabulous Growing Club Stories here on our blog.

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Growing Club Stories: Janet Hampson

by with No Comment Women in Business

Janet Hampson

janet hampson

In the next in our series of blog posts introducing Growing Club women, we meet with Janet Hampson of JHPM to chat about taking the plunge into starting her own business and how The Growing Club has played a role in her success.

Janet first heard about The Growing Club online in Autumn 2018, when she saw an advert for ‘Crafty Women’; a course designed to support women who want to turn their art and craft skills into a viable business. “The big thing that caught my eye was that the training was being held in Morecambe, and not Lancaster,” Janet told us.

“Once I learned that Crafty Women was just one element of what The Growing Club offers, I started to look at what else might be a good fit for me. I moved away from the idea of craft pretty soon. I realised that the answer to what I should do next was right under my nose.”

Bay Casting

Janet, whose background is in casting and who lives in Morecambe, was moved to start her extras agency, Bay Casting, when primetime ITV series ‘The Bay’ came to Morecambe for filming.

“The agency started by recruiting local people who wanted to be extras whilst I was still part of Crafty Women. The website went live in February 2019 and we got our first job – for Coronation Street – in May.”

Since then, Bay Casting has gone from strength to strength, and we are delighted that she has achieved the goal she originally set out with.

“We are now supplying extras to series 2 of The Bay. It’s now time to think about what happens next…”

As is the case for many women who run their own businesses, Janet has experienced the difficulties that working alone can bring, and shared with us how connecting with the Growing Club has helped her overcome some of these barriers.

“When you are self-employed – or intending to be self-employed – you can really miss having a sounding board. Having a place to say ideas out loud and get feedback has been fantastic. I found friendships, which are always a good thing.

“The main thing I’ve gained has been time to think and reflect. I’ve recognised my strengths, I can look at my skills with an outsider’s eyes,” Janet told us. “It gave me a big dollop of self belief.”

Janet’s journey started with a craft course but took a different route into representing extras for TV and film. We asked Janet if she had any advice for other women just setting out on their business journey. She said:

“For me, the realisation that the business training I was receiving was transferable to any business was an Aha! moment.”

“I’d say turn up for all the sessions. You might think ‘I don’t need to know x, y or z for my idea’ – but how do you really know that? And why turn your back on hearing from experts in their field? You never know what might spark an idea off.”

So what does the future hold for Janet and Bay Casting? Building on her initial success, Janet shared with us her plans for the future:

“I’ve recently opened another agency – this time purely for actors. Bay Casting was born out of wanting to do something locally, using the skills and contacts I already had.”

“The new agency, JHPM, gives me the opportunity to work with actors again – which is what I’ve done my whole working life. So far, it is working out really well and I’m feeling very positive about the future.”

Janet is continuing to work with The Growing Club, having signed up for our 12-month business growth course, Bloom & Grow, and we wish her the best of luck with her future projects!

Follow JHPM on Twitter @janethampson
JHPM on Instagram: @jhpmltd
JHPM website:  www.janethampson.co.uk

Follow Bay Casting on Twitter @baycasting1
Bay Casting website:  www.baycasting.co.uk