Archive for the ‘Information’ Category

Progress Report

Having been successful in being accepted onto the national Community Builders Programme we have appointed Thirdkey Enterprise Solutions Ltd to work with us to develop a Business Plan. This involves identifying and researching proposals through which we can begin to raise income through commercial schemes and reduce our dependence on grant aid. We intend that this will enable us to maintain our core local services to children and families in Bulwell.

Following a meeting in July with our Trustees and staff, Thirdkey have looked at our large range of ideas and reported that in their view the following present us with the best chances of success and will begin to conduct market research and development of a Business Plan. This Plan will be submitted in November to Community Builders as an application for financial investment:

-       To develop and expand the Mobile Creche Service and to look into other similar schemes such as Emergency Childcare.

-       To look into the potential for marketing existing work and expertise such as LTTP and outdoor learning to families outside Bulwell who may be prepared to pay for such services.

-       In relation to our building, we are having structural surveys done and are looking at ideas to support the work above. This may involve using downstairs as a staging and storage area for the mobile crèche and other schemes in order to make it easy to move equipment in and out of the building.

After the half term break (week beginning 22^th February 2010)

we will be asking you to pay £1.00 per family group

To attend each Toy Library session

We have thought and talked long and hard about this but it has become more and more difficult to get enough funding to keep these sessions going without finding other ways to pay for them.

When we asked members if they would support this the overwhelming response was that you would.

Toy Loan charges

Families will continue to be charged 15p per toy per week

but the charge to Childminders will go up to 50p per toy per week

We hope you all had a great Christmas and wish you a wonderful New Year.

The schools are back this week and here is a reminder of when our sessions will be starting again in 2010:

Our After School sessions in Crabtree Community Centre start this week on Tuesday 5^th January.

The first Pulley Park session is on Saturday 9^th January.

All Play and Lend sessions will restart next week, that is the week beginning Monday 11^th January.

See you soon.