Recycling charity wins new commercial contracts - June 2007

Social Enterprise

Skill Recycling Transforms Future For Charity

A company that collects commercial waste has gained five contracts with the help of local Business Champions.

Recycling Ollerton and Boughton (ROB), has secured new commercial contracts that will reduce the amount of industrial waste sent to Nottingham landfill, thanks to East Midlands Business Champions, a programme created and funded by the East Midlands Development Agency (emda).

The charity which enables adults with learning disabilities to gain vital work experience through its recycling initiative has transformed its management team and become more commercially driven after the direction of local businessman Griffin Dixon.

Mr Dixon, managing director of Corsair Environmental Consultants has been working in a voluntary advisory capacity at the Boughton based organisation, counselling on finance and management, raising the profile of the charity and helping the business forge forward, ensuring students get the vital experience they need.

ROB, which is currently training more than 20 students and contributes more than three per cent to Newark and Sherwood’s recycling total, sought assistance from Business Champions to ensure the success of the project.

Mike Phillips, acting chair from Recycling Ollerton and Boughton, has seen the assistance of the East Midlands Business Champions as vital to the survival of the project.

He said: “Our primary focus has and will always be the training and development of our students. With government funding reducing, we realised that in order to survive we needed to have clear objectives to work towards and develop the business commercially.

“Griffin stepped in, providing unlimited time and expert knowledge to help us establish goals. His drive and passion, coupled with initiatives to make the organisation more business oriented have provided us with monthly targets, which have resulted in us becoming more united as a team, working towards single goals that will ensure success of Recycling Ollerton and Boughton.”

Now, Recycling Ollerton and Boughton is to secure a service level agreement with Social Services to provide ongoing training to students within the area. They are also aiming to secure further contracts and raise their recycling sales income by 50 percent so that they can upgrade their vehicles in 2009.

Griffin Dixon, Business Champion, adds: “Working with Recycling Ollerton and Boughton has been a phenomenal challenge and one that I feel is truly beneficial. It has provided me with the opportunity to give something back to my local community while helping a worthwhile organisation to overcome some of the challenges I faced when I first set up in business.”

Recycling Ollerton and Boughton was set up in 1999 to help people with learning difficulties gain vital skills and work experience by providing recycling services to businesses and households in the Newark and Sherwood area.

For further information on Recycling Ollerton and Boughton visit www.recyclingollertonandboughton.co.uk.