Secondment/Volunteer
role description
Role Title:
Line Manager:
Where:
Remuneration
Garden Centre Project Manager
How often:
3 days a week or as agreed
Director Income Generation
How long:
4 – 6 months, starting asap
Riverside House/Old Sarum
the post could be filled on a voluntary, seconded or salaried basis (subject to funding)
Alabaré Christian Care & Support works with the most vulnerable in our society providing a pathway to accommodation
and support so that everyone can have the opportunity for a fulfilling life. We operate Homes and Services throughout
the South West and Wales. Last year we assisted 3,500 people. We have a heart for those leaving care, Mums &
Babies, the homeless, Veterans, and those with learning difficulties and mental health issues.
Why we need your help:
Alabaré retail has been awarded 3 months business mentoring. Our Garden Centre situated at Old Sarum is a Service
for those with learning disabilities. It is open 5 days a week and offers a range of services (garden work, grounds
maintenance etc.) for its clients. Alabaré would like to explore the possibility of running it as a commercial garden
centre, attracting greater number of paying customers whilst extending its learning and training opportunities to more
clients (see attached sheet). Using your project management and business/financial skills you will work with Alabaré’s
staff and an advisory board to develop a full business plan and investment prospectus.
We would like to have a fully worked up business plan available by the end of February 2016 so we can approach
potential investors/commercial partners in March/ April.
What we need you to do:
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Become familiar with this aspect of the work of Alabaré and Home for Veterans
Work collaboratively with Alabaré’s Business mentor, central services, income generation and service staff
Research the commercial garden centres (with mentoring and advisory support)
Explore partnerships and potential funding opportunities to create a business plan with mixed income streams
(customers, service users, training income, supported employment grants, apprenticeships etc.)
Explore and develop potential commercial partnerships
Work with Alabaré services and managers to ensure that service users will fully benefit from the development
Keep clear records of approaches made to potential partners
Liaise with the marketing and fundraising teams for any events in the H4V locations
have a clean driving licence and be prepared to use your own car (Mileage expenses paid) to attend meetings
and undertake research.
Homes for Veterans is an initiative of Alabaré Christian Care & Support.
Alabaré Christian Care Centres is a company limited by guarantee, trading as Alabaré Christian Care & Support.
Registered in England No. 2604011. Registered Charity No. 1006504. Registered Office Riverside House, 2 Watt Road, Salisbury SP2 7UD
T: 01722 322882 F: 01722 341657 E: [email protected] www.alabare.co.uk
Secondment/Volunteer
role description
What you can bring to the role:
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Project management skills
Creativity
Attention to detail
Financial or business management skills
Ability to work in a team or independently
Ability to take something from conception to delivery
An empathy for those we assist.
What we can offer you:
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An opportunity to play a unique and pivotal role in developing a new income stream for the charity
A chance to pioneer a social enterprise that will be unique in the charity world
A hands on role that captures creativity, practicality, financial viability and deliverables
Support from senior staff, advisers and mentors that will help you develop your business and entrepreneurial
skills
To become key member of the Alabaré volunteer family.
What we ask of you:
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To follow Alabaré’s policies and procedures
To complete documentation relating to the role
To provide the appropriate driver documentation if you choose to drive whilst volunteering.
Homes for Veterans is an initiative of Alabaré Christian Care & Support.
Alabaré Christian Care Centres is a company limited by guarantee, trading as Alabaré Christian Care & Support.
Registered in England No. 2604011. Registered Charity No. 1006504. Registered Office Riverside House, 2 Watt Road, Salisbury SP2 7UD
T: 01722 322882 F: 01722 341657 E: [email protected] www.alabare.co.uk
Secondment/Volunteer
role description
Old Sarum Garden Centre
Background
Alabaré took over the Old Sarum Development and Garden Centre from the Shaw Trust in June 2014. It offers
vulnerable adults meaningful horticultural activities on a contract/fee basis and generates additional income through
sales at its garden centre and grounds maintenance service from a 4 acre site, two miles north of Salisbury. The Centre
is open Monday to Friday. It is adjacent to a Park and Ride scheme and situated on the edge of an area of new housing
development.
In the first six months of this year it has generated a surplus of £12k.
Business opportunity
Alabaré would like to explore whether it can develop the Centre into a sustainable ‘social business’1 – through
developing its public offering (as a Garden Centre) and extending the range of services it could provide users. We
envisage a mixture of income streams that would provide a sustainable commercial business.
A social business is one that is:
Created and designed to address a social problem and is a non-loss, non-dividend company, i.e.
1. It is financially self-sustainable and
2. Profits realized by the business are reinvested in the business itself (or used to start other social businesses), with the aim of
increasing social impact, for example expanding the company’s reach, improving the products or services or in other ways
subsidizing the social mission.
Homes for Veterans is an initiative of Alabaré Christian Care & Support.
Alabaré Christian Care Centres is a company limited by guarantee, trading as Alabaré Christian Care & Support.
Registered in England No. 2604011. Registered Charity No. 1006504. Registered Office Riverside House, 2 Watt Road, Salisbury SP2 7UD
T: 01722 322882 F: 01722 341657 E: [email protected] www.alabare.co.uk
Secondment/Volunteer
role description
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Developing a profitable retail garden centre that would be attractive to customers.
Developing a profitable grounds/garden maintenance business
Extending the day care opportunities for vulnerable adults by developing a café/restaurant and other on site
facilities
Providing appropriate work experience for veterans and other clients in Alabaré’s supported accommodation
Providing accredited training and apprenticeships (in horticulture, customer service, catering etc.) for veterans
and other service users
Creating jobs for those returning to employment that would attract support from other funders (e.g. service
charities)
We could also explore whether we could offer products for sale that could be developed through other associated
initiatives (e.g. garden furniture).
Our immediate objective is to develop a robust business plan and investment prospectus for March 2016
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As the winner of the Salisbury Local Business Accelerator Awards we have been given three months business
mentoring to help us develop our business plan and thereafter free advertising in the Salisbury Journal and Spire
FM
We are looking to attract either a secondee or grant support to employ a business development manager to
review business opportunities and prepare a robust business plan
We are setting up an advisory board or specialists to advise on different elements of the business.
Unlike a profit-maximizing business, the prime aim of a Social Business is not to maximize profits (although generating profits is
desired). Furthermore, business owners are not receiving any dividend out of the business profits
Homes for Veterans is an initiative of Alabaré Christian Care & Support.
Alabaré Christian Care Centres is a company limited by guarantee, trading as Alabaré Christian Care & Support.
Registered in England No. 2604011. Registered Charity No. 1006504. Registered Office Riverside House, 2 Watt Road, Salisbury SP2 7UD
T: 01722 322882 F: 01722 341657 E: [email protected] www.alabare.co.uk