Bloom Bakery and Catering, a Lewisham-based community programme which supports people looking to re-enter employment by teaching them food handling and bakery skills, has received £4,500 of matched funding from Santander’s innovative Changemaker Fund.
The Fund is part of a pioneering collaboration between Santander and rewards-based crowdfunding platform Crowdfunder. The programme is designed to help social enterprises, small charities and community groups deliver projects that improve communities and help disadvantaged people to have confidence in the future.
Bloom Bakery and Catering is a project run by local charity Jubilee Community Enterprises. The innovative social enterprise trains and supports local people who are looking to return to work after a period of unemployment by running courses in basic bakery and food handling. Following the course, participants will gain an accredited qualification. They will also have the option of working in Bloom’s commercial kitchen, producing goods for private events and sale at local markets. All the profits from the bakery and catering are reinvested into the organisation’s training schemes.
The additional funding has enabled Bloom Bakery and Catering to hire its first full-time staff member to help grow its activities in South East London. The charity was previously run solely by volunteers.
Sue Douthwaite, Managing Director of Santander Business Banking, commented: “We are thrilled to be able to support Bloom Bakery and Catering’s work in teaching people skills to re-enter the workplace. Finding a new job following a period of unemployment can be a real struggle and learning valuable skills such as these can make all the difference.”
Amy Kimbangi, Founder of Bloom Bakery and Catering, commented: “We have seen first-hand the kind of difference the right support and opportunities can make to people experiencing unemployment. We’re incredibly grateful for this funding as we’ll now be able to significantly expand our work to tackle unemployment and social exclusion in South East London.”
The Changemaker Fund, www.crowdfunder.co.uk/changemaker, is part of Santander’s flagship community programme, The Discovery Project, which aims to inspire people to have confidence in the future through projects that build skills, grow knowledge and support innovation.
By working together with Crowdfunder, Santander aims to enable entrepreneurs and community groups to tackle social challenges and create positive local impact. Eligible projects seeking funds of up to £20,000 and focused on supporting skills, knowledge or innovation that get the crowd’s backing will receive 50 per cent of their funding requirement from Santander to ensure the enterprise reaches its target.
As well as access to the matched funding from Santander, projects will benefit from crowdfunding team specialists with education, enterprise and coaching support to unlock further funds and create lasting impacts in communities across the UK.
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About Bloom Bakery and Catering
Bloom Bakery and Catering is a training and employability social enterprise run by Jubilee Community Enterprises (JCE). JCE is a Lewisham-based charity, founded in 2016 with the aim of creating opportunity, fostering community and promoting wellbeing. Through Bloom, JCE helps people experiencing unemployment re-enter the workplace by teaching them skills, knowledge and confidence.
For more information please visit: www.jubileece.org or www.twitter.com/bloominbakers
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