Natural Worx CIC for a Sustainable Seaton

Aim

To create a welcome, calm space in the heart of Seaton, bringing together community & sustainability, putting people & planet before profit.

Building our community by putting the people of Seaton and our planet first  

For those that already know about Natural Worx and have supported us so far, we want to say a BIG thank-you. We have been amazed at the community support in Seaton, particularly your response and support at such a difficult time. We are where we are now because of your help, and we hope that you continue to support us. 

For those of you who don’t know us read on.  

What is Natural Worx and Why Create Natural Worx CIC?  

Seven years ago, Vanessa Coxon opened a small shop which wanted to make a big impact on our shopping habits.  She provided Seaton with its first zero waste shopping experience, as well as a great selection of carefully sourced sustainable products. Vanessa championed local food providers like Elbow & Trill Farm, Hand to Mouth Bakery and In My Back Yard. Building on this, Natural Worx has now been set up as a CIC (Community Interest Company) which means that our surpluses will be reinvested into the Community of Seaton. 

Who are we? 

Three people who care passionately about Seaton, our planet, the food we eat and the products we use. 

What's our vision? 

We are passionate about creating a warm, welcoming, safe, calm space in the heart of Seaton that can be used to bring the community together as well as being a place that will help with loneliness and isolation in our community - which has been made worse by lockdown and the ongoing situation with Covid-19. 

How are we hoping to do that? 

We have so many initiatives but here are our main ones: 

• Community Space: We are lucky enough to have a lovely space upstairs in our new building and we will be using this for workshops and community groups, as well as showcasing local sustainable products and art.
• Food Donations and Collections: We have set up a new partnership with SAVE Food Hub enabling space for their collections in the evenings, as well as donating anything we have available to them. We will also be having a community fridge and freezer for the incredible amount of food that they ‘rescue’ each day. We have already started this partnership by offering food during October half term in Seaton.
• A Community Kitchen with Donation Meals:  We will be setting up a community kitchen where we can enhance our partnership with SAVE Food Hub and create meals which can be offered on a donation basis every day.
• Reducing Carbon Footprints: We will have a dedicated area, where more Zero Waste refills will be available, helping you to reduce your carbon footprint and reducing the need for single use plastics.
• Supporting Local Food Producers: We will offer a dedicated space for local food producers working in close partnership with local company In My Back Yard.
• Increased opening hours: To serve our community better, we plan be open from 8am until 8pm.
• Supporting involvement from the local Community: We will offer volunteering opportunities for people who want to gain workplace skills and for those who want to be part of a community enterprise doing things differently. 

The next stage of funding for us  

These are challenging times, and ways of creating community are more important now than ever.  We have taken the lease on 1, Vintage Court, a beautiful old building in the heart of Seaton Town Centre and are refurbishing it with a lot of love, sustainable materials, volunteer help and very little money. This is where we need your help!  

We are asking for your help to make this building the best community space we can. We have set an ambitious target of raising £8,414 which we believe is achievable.  
If we can raise £8,400 with your help, East Devon District Council & Devon County Council might match the funds raised with grants.  

As a Community Interest Company, we are passionate that Natural Worx will become part of the community, supporting our town with our surplus, and here for anyone who needs us.

Below is a costing of what the funding will go towards 

These are the items and work needed to get the project started. Anything we raise above and beyond this amount will go to fund stage 2 of our plan.  
If you help us by contributing towards these costs we would be extremely grateful!
Thank you so much for your help!

Costs we are crowd funding for
Zero Waste Scales £2935
Zero Waste Dispensers £1619.70
Display Fridge £1799.99
Display Freezer £1259.99
Community Kitchen we will purchase a second hand kitchen and only purchase new items where not able to be secured second hand £800
The above costs exclude VAT as we are VAT registered

Costs we have secured funds for
Refurbishment of the building £6385

Stage 2

Build a complete new disabled toilet & change layout upstairs 3000 

Stair Lift 8000 

Change front window to allow better access than the existing steps, planning allowing   3500 

 Total 14500 

If you made it this far thank you again, we are passionate about this project and have invested our own money already into Natural Worx but need your help to take it further, we are passionate to expand our reach into the community and really hope you appreciate that ideal too and will support us, every little bit helps! Or even better if you have the skills to help us renovate we would love to hear from you :)

This project successfully funded on 16th December 2020