We at McClarrons always try to champion the needs of our clients and our local community.
This year we are championing Basics Plus for the Aviva Broker Community Fund. Basics Plus, like many charities, has been hit hard by the pandemic. With massive development plans for the site, we’re hoping to support them by securing some funding.
Who are Basics Plus and what do they do?
Basics Plus provides a “real work” environment through community projects for adults with learning disabilities. They provide this work from their site at Betton Farm, East Ayton, Scarborough, where they operate a tea room and restaurant, farm shop and bakery, design and print studio, craft studio, and a recycling project of wooden pallets into fire kindling, as well as a leaflet delivery service. They also have an SSSI site (a Site of Special Scientific Interest) – a quarry that geology students and geologists love to visit. They also have a small animal farm, a small play area and a campsite.
All of these projects generate an income to offset costs to the public purse through Basics Plus’ contracts with NYCC Health and Adult services. Not only do their service users (students) benefit from the meaningful daytime activities, the wider community of East & West Ayton and the borough of Scarborough also benefit from the amenity, with the site also offering a great deal to the hospitality and tourism trade for the Borough of Scarborough.
As a specialist insurance broker for the Rural, Care, and Charity sectors, and as Social Farm & Gardens’ insurance partner, the education, employment, and experience services provided by Basics Plus are very close to our hearts. The idea of care farming is to utilise agricultural practices to improve people’s mental and physical health, social skills, or education. Basics Plus’ services provide service users with the mental and physical health benefits of being outside in nature, providing meaningful activity and rehabilitation.
So, what are we doing?
The Aviva Broker Community Fund returned this September, celebrating 10 years of helping brokers support good causes in local communities. With their largest fund to date, Aviva pledged to share £300,000 between winners.
Each year, Aviva invites its broker network to enter a local charity of their choice and to tell them why the chosen cause should receive funding of up to £20,000. Seeing as we have entered the Aviva Broker Community Fund in previous years, Aviva invited us again to compete for a share of this year’s £300,000 prize pot.
Naturally, we are always very keen to boost funds for local not-for-profit organisations – so when a great opportunity like the Community Fund comes along, we have obviously decided to go for it. Which is why we are championing Basics Plus this year. By sending details about their charity, activities and what the funding would go towards, we hope our entry gets through to the finals and wins Basics Plus some much needed funding.
What will the Aviva Broker Community Fund money be used for?
The funding would be used to match fund the project of renovation and replacement of animal pens and feed and tool store. After the last 18 months, through the pandemic, Basics Plus have had periods of closure which has affected the earned income of the organisation. This prize funding would benefit the organisation but also the wider beneficiaries of the site. It will upgrade an area which could become a health and safety matter in the near future, which in turn, due to the location of area, would mean they have to consider closure of the play area and animal area to the wider public – this would be a great loss to the service users and wider community.
The funding will be added to Basics Plus’ donation and their match funding to purchase the replacement of new animal shelters, which will be multifunctional for the different animals they house (pigs and piglets and sheep and lambs, Toby the goat and the small rabbits and guinea pigs).
Some of the funding will also cover the cost of replacement and renovation of the animal pens, which are existing and will improve the facilities and futureproof this area of the business.
Ultimately, this upgrade is required to continue this area of the business. Basics Plus service users will be able to work in a better environment, with a new feed and tool store and a new shed. The animals will be kept in new accommodation and the wider public will see a much improved area.
The stables will last the organisation in excess of 10 to 15 years; this will ensure Basics Plus can still operate the animal area for the public but more importantly, allow them to continue their animal care with the service users and local colleges that use Basics Plus for animal care placements. This project will therefore also futureproof these particular initiatives.
When will we know if we have been successful?
By 19th November we will know if Basics Plus have reached the next stage of the process, with the winners being announced in December. Of course, we’ll let you know how far Basics Plus get. Fingers crossed!
See what Basics Plus regularly gets up to on their Betton Farm here.
