Planting a business idea

Dec 26 2008 by Ben Guy, The Journal

AN unemployed man is hoping to set up his own business thanks to skills he has learned from a volunteering programme in the North East.

Andy Offord, from Ouseburn, Newcastle, is exploring the market potential for setting up a business by selling his own line of hand-made garden planters at Ouseburn Farm, where he has been volunteering.

Andy, who has been unemployed for almost a year, started helping out at the farm to keep up his manual and technical skills and to boost his confidence while he looked for a job.

The experience has now inspired him to design his own range of garden planters which he has been selling to visitors to the farm. He plans to reinvest a portion of any profit he makes back into the farm, which is a social enterprise.

Andy, 21, said: “Ultimately, I want to run my own business some day but I know I’ve got a lot to learn first, so volunteering here is a way for me to build my confidence while I look for work.

“I get to use my gardening skills to help the local area and I’m also getting the chance to test out my own product idea. You couldn’t meet a nicer bunch of people and I’ll never forget the way the farm has helped me.”

Andy’s placement at Ouseburn Farm is part of One North East’s new North East Volunteers programme, which is designed to build routes to employment for people who have not worked for a long time – including young people who are not in education or training, ex-offenders, disabled and older people.

The £1.4m, three-year programme will also create a regional network of North East volunteers to support prestigious events such as the 2010 UK Schools Games being held on Tyne and Wear, and the Tall Ships Race which finishes in Hartlepool in the same year.

Ouseburn Valley Volunteers co-ordinator Colette Harrison said: “Andy’s involvement in volunteering has highlighted his creative talent and demonstrates the value of volunteering as a route to self-employment.”

Project worker James McElhinney said: “Andy’s been a pleasure to work with – he’s enthusiastic and adaptable, and has done way beyond what’s expected of him. The planters he’s making are only the first rung of the ladder but with the right training and guidance, he could go far.”

One North East’s skills and inclusion specialist Jo Morrissey said: “With unemployment rising, it has never been so important to help people who have already been out of work for a long time. The whole idea of this volunteering programme is that, by finding out what makes people tick and where their interests and passions lie, we can help them to develop their confidence and learn new skills for work.”