I’m very pleased and excited to announce that I have been selected as a Community Business Weekend ambassador for Birmingham. This is in partnership with the charity Power To Change. If, you haven’t heard of the Community Business Weekend before, here is what it involves. I am so excited to have this opportunity. I have previously visited a community business in London (see the above photo!) and I think it is a brilliant idea!

Power To Change

Power To Change is a lottery funded charity. They work to create better places through community business. Their main aim is to accelerate the growth and impact of community businesses. If you don’t know what a community business is, it is a business which has been set up by a local community. It will have been set up in order to address changes that the community faces together. The business will be ran by someone from the local community. These businesses could be anything from shops to cafés to libraries. There are so many different businesses across the UK. Power To Change is here to help them to thrive.

What are the benefits of local community businesses?

Community businesses are great for the area and here’s why:

·     They are run by the community for the local community and profit is reinvested locally. This means that it’s not a large corporation who is benefitting. It is local people, which is the people who need it most.

·       Anyone can get involved in a community business. You don’t have to be of a certain age or have a certain education. You can volunteer and learn new skills and make friends. Or you could support them by becoming a member, and that gives you a say in the business.

My local community businesses?

As I have been chosen as an ambassador for Birmingham, I will be focussing on a community business there. There are many community businesses in Birmingham which do a lot for the community. There are two community businesses that I’ll be learning more about; one close to the city centre and another which is based further outside of the city.

Change Kitchen CIC is an award winning event caterer who source all of their food locally. They have a great vegan and vegetarian menu and are available to hire for all sorts of events.

Ideal For All, Sandwell is a community gardening and local food initiative. Members of the community are able to grow their own fruit and vegetables in local allotments. They help local disabled, vulnerable and socially isolated people to add to their employment skills by working in the gardens.

I am going to be visiting one of these businesses so that I can see how they are run. I will also be talking to members of the community to learn how the community business has helped them personally and the community itself. It will be interesting to see what the community gets out of these businesses because they have such an impact on the local area.

Community Business Weekend

Community Business Weekend is taking place from 16th to 18th May this year. During this weekend, the local community businesses will be showcasing what they do and how you can get involved. This is such a great way for the local community to get involved, meet new people and have new experiences. If you are looking for a volunteering role, you may want to have a look into your local community businesses which is what this weekend is all about! You will be able to see which community businesses are in your area and this will give you a chance to learn all about them. It’s also a chance for you to give back to your local community and to help out others.