Seed and Bubble merge activities to create ‘Wellbeing’ CIC
by Don Phillips, Chairman, Bubble Enterprises
Steve and I met seven years ago, hitting it off instantly over a shared passion for social enterprise – something we’d both developed a keen interest in after lengthy business careers.
Both from corporate backgrounds, myself having spent many years in sales, marketing and operations at HP and Steve clocking up 19 years in planning and project management at Toyota, we understood how businesses work to bring about benefits for those at the top.
What we wanted to do was to use business modelling and the enterprise techniques we’d perfected to do the same in society, but not for the bigwigs – for people in need, especially those facing the challenges of poverty, poor physical health and poor mental health.
At the time, I was working with Bubble to deliver business incubation services – first at Manchester Business School with my co-directors Leigh and Belinda, and later through social enterprise like ‘the Pod’ in disadvantaged areas like Moss Side. Through Bubble, I was able to put my passion for people into action, and we helped hundreds of individuals facing poor mental and physical health challenges to develop their skills and become self-sufficient.
Using the Bubble model, Steve took our joint vision for social enterprise to Ellesmere Port – one of the most disadvantaged areas in Europe. There, he established ‘Seed’ – a community interest company promoting mental wellbeing and activities within communities.
Through Seed, Steve has developed ‘The Wellbeing High Street’ project – a literal high street in Ellesmere Port that serves the community with regular activities, training courses, volunteering opportunities and more. Together with Healthbox CIC, which looks after the governance and operations of Seed, Steve has secured enough Lottery funding to deliver beneficial services within the community for the last three years. Meanwhile, the Pod in Moss Side sustained itself for a period of four years.
To capture our joint spirit of intent, we’ve now decided to merge the activities of Seed with Bubble, creating a reinforced partnership with a focus on social enterprise, backed up by a proven track record.
Steve has become an ‘expert by experience’, and the skills that Seed brings to the table complement those of Bubble to create a partnership at the forefront of social enterprise. Together, we have the knowledge, connections and technology to bridge divides, bring communities together and change the world for the better!
No small ambition then!
If you want to know more about Seed, it projects and The Wellbeing High Street’ in particular, then give Steve a call on 07712 528808 he will be delighted to share hi experience with you.