WHO:
Footprints Women's Centre was established in May 1991 in the Dairy Farm Centre in Poleglass. It has developed over the last fourteen years to meet the distinct needs of the women from the Poleglass and Twinbrook area. Their work has culminated in the provision of a purpose built facility in the area which was completed in February 2001. In 1997 Footprints Catering Ltd was set up to generate income to contribute towards the services delivered and to create employment.
WHAT:
The customers are those using the services at the women's centre and those who live in the surrounding area. As a social enterprise, the core aim of Footprints Catering is to support the mission of Footprints Women's Centre. The following aims and objectives have been identified:
- to implement a range of relevant opportunities in catering.
- to generate income from the business to support social economic activities undertaken by the Footprints Women's Centre.
- to promote catering as a skilled occupation encouraging staff and the wider community to train and develop.
- to promote healthy eating to staff and the wider community
HOW:
The Trading Company was developed out of a catering business (Footprints Catering Ltd) which was set up as a community business in November 1997 at Glenwood Community Campus (at that time an outreach college for Lisburn College of Further Education). When it was established Footprints Catering Ltd provided a campus cafe at the Glenwood Community Centre. It has since opened a café in the Footprints Women's Centre, Poleglass. The business provides a catering service to the staff at Footprints, visitors, those attending training courses, those using the creche and the general public. The business also provides an outside catering service. The current funding situation for all women's groups and organisations is precarious. Although the income from Footprints Catering does not cover the full costs of delivering their valuable services, the manager of Footprints, Gillian Gibson says 'The only funding we can truly rely on is the money we generate ourselves.'
WHERE:
Footprints Womens' Centre is based in Poleglass which is an area characterised by big housing estates, poor social infrastructure and few resources. The 10-15 women who originally formed the group felt it would help them make new friends and support them to deal with problems such as unemployment, isolation, serious lack of amenities and the effects of living in an area steeped in the conflict of that time.
WHEN:
Having been established in 1997 and moving to the new premises in 2001, Footprints Catering Ltd has grown from strength to strength. In Autumn 2004, an Eat Safe award was presented to the Footprints community restaurant recognising that one of the centre’s main aims is to enhance the knowledge, skills and confidence on food safety, diet and nutrition using the Footprints restaurant as a working example. With health and hygiene on top of the list of priorities, Catering Manager Eileen Wilson explains how her staff are put through their paces: “It’s extremely important to us that our staff are trained in food safety and that our premises maintain and demonstrate high hygiene standards. We are delighted that all the hard work put into the running of the restaurant has been acknowledged and appreciated. “Winning this award will not only increase the local community’s confidence in what we’re trying to do, but will also demonstrate to surrounding areas that the Footprint’s community restaurant is actively and effectively setting an example in food safety.”
HELP:
Footprints Catering was set up under the remit of LEDU's Community Business Start Up programme. Mentoring and training, like that offered in the Social Economy programme, were deemed an important part of the process of starting Footprints Catering. "Work West has a proven record of encouraging and sustaining Social Entrepreneurship within communities of greatest disadvantage. Our experience has been positive and consistent from the outset and we cannot fault the support, advice and direction we have been given over the last decade of working with Work West."
CONTACT:
Eileen Wilson
Footprints Women's Centre
84a Colinmill
Poleglass
Belfast
BT17 OAR
T: 028 9092 3444
