Acumen Community Development Trust helps the community to become over-comers

Horden and Easington Colliery were identified as an area to encourage enterprise in 2001 because of the high levels of deprivation, low employment rates, poor health and low skills levels. After gaining approval from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, an employment and enterprise group, Acumen, was formed by various charitable groups and government agencies. The group embarked on a strategy to address unemployment, lack of education and enterprise. The strategy has three major strands; ensuring access to services; creating businesses and opportunities for employment; and breaking down the barriers that prevent employment.

The strategy was integrated by Acumen through the development of the Aim High Network that provides access to high quality information advice and guidance, learning opportunities, job search support and support for enterprise. Aim High delivers its services through community venues which are branded as Aim High Centres, including community centres, welfare halls, libraries and schools.

There are now 15 Aim High Centres in Horden and Easington Colliery, providing the community with outreach work and exciting community activities. The development of the Aim High Centres is helping to bridge the gap between the community and mainstream provision.

The 15 Aim High Centres are accessible to the community, ensuring that people can easily access services available to them. Moreover, Aim High runs a wheels-2 -work scooter scheme, a wheels-4-work van, a lorry leasing scheme and enhanced childcare opportunities. These schemes have made it easy for members of Horden and Easington to use the centre and benefit from the programmes.

One way in which Acumen has managed to encourage and support an entrepreneurial culture has been through the implementation of BizFizz, a package that provides grant and loan support to members of the community. BizFizz not only offers financial help but employs a business coach who is located within the community itself and made accessible to local people, to provide them with confidential advice tailored to their needs.

Acumen has helped to break down barriers that prevent employment through the development of the Action Team for Jobs. This is based on a holistic client-centred approach with a designated Action Team Adviser who can access funding and support from the rest of the Aim High Network.

In an area such as Horden and Easington Colliery, individuals face multiple barriers to employment such as lack of confidence and self-esteem, debt, substance misuse, benefit dependency, low skills and a culture of unemployment. Acumen helps the community to overcome these problems. It addresses debt through specialist counsellors, low skills through One-2-One learning and offers outreach skills through the STEPS To Excellence course which is run in the area.

Since Acumen began it has achieved transformational results. In the first two and half years alone it helped over 140 people into self-employment, when prior to Acumen there were only five business start ups each year in the area. Many business premises have been brought back into use and the appearance of the shopping areas has greatly improved.

A number of social enterprises have also formed and are supported by Acumen, who directly run five enterprises in the area and is itself a social enterprise, employing 55 members of staff and has a current turnover of £2million. One such example is InformNorth, a magazine that has a circulation in excess of 15,000 and has been used as a major vehicle for the promotion of the activities of the Horden and Easington Colliery area. It also produces a local newsletter, The Buzz, which promotes work in the area.

Other successes include the movement into work of over 250 people last year - a significant increase as, prior to Acumen, approximately 50 people each year went into work from the two villages.

Acumen intends to continue its work and rapidly expand in the near future. One major project moving forward, is the purchase and refurbishment of Easington Colliery School, which would potentially provide 37,500 square foot of enterprise space. It is also looking to work with National Trust to develop Whitlea farm into an activity and enterprise centre.

Kate Welch, Chief Executive Acumen Community Enterprise Development Trust, sums it up best:

“Our success in the Enterprising Britain 2006 competition reflects our achievements encouraging enterprise. The increase in entrepreneurial activity is living proof of the quality, support and encouragement that Acumen Community Enterprise Development Trust provides to the people of Horden and Easington. We’re delighted to have been chosen as the North East regional winner.”

Acumen Community Enterprise Trust was the North East regional winner of the 2006 Enterprising Britain competition.