'THYME FOR WORK' - Creating 4 business start-ups
United Kingdom
Aim
Creating 4 UK regional distributorships for our Inspiration Recipe Kits and Bonkers Snacks products … each owned and managed by ex-offenders
WE ORDERED TONS OF HERBS AND SPICES
A SHIPPING CONTAINER LOAD OF NUTS
TOOK INSPIRATION FROM THEO PAPHITIS
AND ENDED UP IN PRISON !!
NEWS FLASH .... When we reach our target we are going to celebrate by hosting a Barbecue for the Homeless
NEWS FLASH .. we have been featured in the East Anglian Daily Times
VIEW OUR CAMPAIGN BRIEFING PRESENTATION
IT ALL STARTED ON A MARKET STALL
‘Easy Peasy’ Cooking (Suffolk) Limited started selling Herbs and Spices on a market stall in Ipswich in late 2016. Having won a Theo Paphitis business award, for our ‘Inspiration Recipe Kits’ concept, taking on board Theo's advice, and the resultant publicity, we started to outstrip our ability to meet the demand.
In September 2018 we created an ‘outsourced’ workshop facility at a women’s prison in Yorkshire, called the ‘Inspiration Academy’, where the residents pack our ‘Inspiration Recipe Kits’ and ‘Bonkers Snacks’ range. The work experience, training and certificates they receive whilst being in the 'Academy', gives them better opportunities to find work on their release. We will be expanding to other prisons during 2019.
We believe that there is a better way to do business, that benefits our communities. We have become an accredited Social Enterprise, with the creation of our 'Thyme for Work' project, committing 50% of our profits into creating employment opportunities for ex-offenders. The project has two stages … the first stage was the establishment of 'Inspiration Academies' as the supply chain to stage two … the creation of regional distributorships.
"TO MARKET, TO MARKET, TO BUY A FAT PIG, HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN , JIGGETY-JIG"
Stage two of the ‘Thyme for Work’ project offers 4 ex-offenders a comprehensive package of business training and support, giving them all the tools to become a regional ‘distributor’ for ‘Easy Peasy’ Cooking, either on a market stall or in a pop-up shop, and selling and promoting the ‘Easy Peasy’ product range to businesses in their area. We aim to create 50 distributorships over the next 3 years.
The target of £20,000 for this crowdfunding campaign will fund the first four markets stall or pop-up shops, which will be in Manchester, Wales, Yorkshire and East Anglia.
Fully funded with no outlay required, the package includes:-
- Business, sales and product training
- Market stall or pop up shop rent for up to 6 months
- Membership of the national market traders federation
- Business insurance
- Start-up stock to a retail value of £5000
- Mobile phone and card payment machine
- Stationery, leaflets and banners
- Retail display equipment
- Bank account, book keeping and business support
NOT ONLY WILL YOU BE DOING SOMETHING SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE WHEN MAKING A PLEDGE … BUT WE ARE OFFERING SOME GREAT REWARDS
(that are all ready to post or be redeemed)
Pledge £10.00 and we will send you 8 'Inspiration' Recipe Kits and Seasonings
www.inspirationrecipekits.co.uk
Pledge £12.00 and we will send you 9 tubs of 'Bonkers' bar snacks
Pledge £20.00 and we will send you 4 Pasties HM Pasties
The award winning restaurant inside a prison
How about breakfast, lunch , or dinner for 2 people, for a £125 pledge, at a Clink restaurant in Brixton, Sutton, Cardiff or Styal
PLEDGES MADE BY BUSINESSES WILL SAVE YOU MONEY, OR GIVE YOU A PROFIT ... IT'S A WIN, WIN
Our rewards for pledges from businesses such as bars/pubs, restaurants, butchers, farm shop and independent retailers offer some great prices for Herbs and Spices (in 5kg bags), Recipe Kits and Bar Snacks. Take a look at the rewards section for full details .. pledges start at only £12.00
ARE YOU A 'SUPER PLEDGER' - SOMEONE WHO CAN MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE TO OUR CAMPAIGN ?
DARE WE HOPE THAT YOU ARE OUT THERE
‘Super Pledger’ One - pledge £500 and you will be treated like a super star
You will be invited to meet with the ‘Easy Peasy’ Cooking team including the guys and girls that have started their distributor businesses through your generous support. We will also put you up in a 4 star hotel and treat you to dinner in one of the Clink restaurants in Brixton, Sutton, Cardiff or Styal
‘Super Pledger’ Two - pledge £5000 to create a distributor business
You will probably be resident or with a business established in Yorkshire, Manchester, Wales or East Anglia. Your pledge will fully fund the first 3-6 months of operation, covering rent, stock, equipment, insurances etc. We would also hope that you could provide local mentoring and business support, and where appropriate be included in publicity and marketing initiatives. You will meet the whole team, we will aput you up in a 4 star hotel and treat you to dinner in one of the Clink restaurants in Brixton, Sutton, Cardiff or Styal
WHY EX-OFFENDERS ?
IT'S NOT JUST US WORKING WITH EX-OFFENDERS … THERE IS A HUGE APPETITE ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO GIVE THEM ANOTHER CHANCE
WORK ON RELEASE IS PROVEN TO CUT THE RE-OFFENDING RATE .. ASK JOHN TIMPSON, CEO OF TIMPSON ‘I find the staff we’ve recruited from prisons are among the best colleagues we’ve got,’ James says. ‘We see this as a great way of not only helping people but of getting people to work for us. We simply recruit people who we feel deserve a chance,’ he adds. ‘I think the best way to avoid people going back to prison is to give them a good job.’
DATA FROM THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE SHOWS THAT ONE IN EIGHT EMPLOYERS STATE THAT TAKING ON EX-OFFENDERS HAS HELPED THEIR BUSINESS, AND TWO-THIRDS RECOMMENDING THAT OTHER BUSINESSES FOLLOW SUIT. SECRETARY OF STATE DAVID GAUKE SAID, “I believe passionately that through work, people can turn their backs on crime and start a new chapter in their lives.” “I want more employers to look past an offender’s conviction to their future potential,” Gauke continued. (MAY 29th 2019)
EVERY EX-OFFENDER THAT THE 'THYME FOR WORK' PROJECT STOPS RETURNING TO PRISON WILL SAVE THE UK ECONOMY OVER £30,000 PER YEAR
This project closed unsuccessfully on 24th July 2019