Coalfields Assists ESCAPE Family Support on the Road to Recovery
09 October 2014
Having raised a staggering £250,000 to refurbish the former NUM Hall in Ashington, a Northumberland drug and alcohol recovery charity found itself in need of yet more cash to put the future of the building on firm foundations.
Blyth-based ESCAPE Family Support bought the building at auction but it was in a sorry state of repair and in desperate need of a major facelift. With the generosity of a range of grant-givers the work on the transformation began earlier this year.
With that headache out of the way, the charity was then on the hunt for a cash injection to create a strategy for the long-term growth of the Ashington operation. A social enterprise, Escape Trading Ltd, was set up by the charity and the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, the only organisation dedicated to supporting coalfield communities to help themselves, was approached.
NUM Hall was the ideal location and size to deliver the many charitable services offered by ESCAPE including family support, mentoring, training and education. However the creation of the new trading arm offered a whole new set of challenges.
Hearing about the Coalfields Enterprising Communities scheme offered by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, the only organisation dedicated to supporting coalfield communities to help themselves, ESCAPE made contact to ask if there was any advice or guidance that could be offered.
In response, the Coalfields Regeneration Trust paid for a specialist consultant, who had previous experience within the drug addiction and recovery sector, to develop an operational business plan alongside the team which would allow them to raise funds over and above the running costs of the building.
NUM Hall was the ideal location and size to deliver the many charitable services offered by ESCAPE including family support, mentoring, training and education. However the creation of the new trading arm offered a whole new set of challenges.
Hearing about the Coalfields Enterprising Communities scheme offered by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, the only organisation dedicated to supporting coalfield communities to help themselves, ESCAPE made contact to ask if there was any advice or guidance that could be offered.
In response, the Coalfields Regeneration Trust paid for a specialist consultant, who had previous experience within the drug addiction and recovery sector, to develop an operational business plan alongside the team which would allow them to raise funds over and above the running costs of the building.
For more information about the Enterprise Communities Programme visit www.coalfields-regen.org.uk/what-we-do/social-investment/coalfields-social-investment-programme-england/ or for details of the services provided by Escape Family Support please visit www.escapefamilysupport.org.uk or call the 24 hour helpline on tel. 0770 2833944.