Challenge 

Hidden Treasure work in a community with high levels of poverty and deprivation. Many local residents are marginalised and socially isolated and the area has experienced significant funding cuts. A lack of community cohesion and opportunities for building relationships has compounded many of the social issues in the area. We aim to support local children to build a positive self-image and empower adults who are experiencing social isolation, mental health issues and significant barriers to employment. These are the range of issues we tackle through our community facility, the Hideaway, which offers a space for local people to come together, with a play centre for the children and a café and education suite for adults and families.

Solution

Our play space uses creative play equipment to encourage imaginative play, creativity and physical activity for younger children and we offer a programme of workshops and sessions for children which follows the national syllabus. We are also running a schools mentoring programme to support socially isolated children to develop the skills and resources needed to flourish.

The focus is on services which offer prevention and ongoing support as being surrounded by positive relationships supports higher levels of emotional wellbeing and increased personal resilience. We believe that this encourages a society where individuals are better equipped to cope with the challenges that life throws at them.

Hidden Treasure support local families through adult courses and support services and our goal is to build relationships with families and feed into services and support networks. We help local people back into work, employing nearly all of our staff and volunteer team from Partington and supporting those who have been out of work for a while into suitable roles through volunteering.

Revenue Model: selling and renting to individuals, B2C

The majority of our revenue is from customers paying to use the centre and the café. Our adult courses are free and local residents have a discount card to make the centre as accessible as possible to those we most want to benefit from our offer. We also generate revenue from hiring out the Hideaway for children’s parties.

Alongside trading income we received £78,500 in grant funding and donations during the year we raised investment, this enabled us to build Noah’s Ark and complete the first fit-out of the building. The investment itself meant we were able to run the Hideaway at full capacity on a regular basis, leading to a healthy trading revenue for the 2018/19 financial year.

Impact

The investment has made all the difference at a crucial stage in our development. It gave us the freedom to press on with our social mission and focus on what we do rather than the finances. The grant element has enabled us to build a totally unique facility that is fun and engaging as well as practical, providing a community training facility and volunteer hub for the area. GMCVO have been helpful and engaging, offering the support and advice to make the whole process as easy as possible, enabling us to maximise our chances of success over the coming years.

- Ruth Lancey, Director