We have all done a lot of talking over the past few months, as continuation funding has remained so elusive. We all agree that there are many people in Rossendale with ideas for new businesses and projects who still need the support of their community to realise their ambitions. We all agree that there are businesses and organisations in Rossendale who still need the support of their community to manage change and grow or sustain what they do. We all agree that there is less help available for enterprising people in Rossendale now than at any time in the last 10 years.
The facts convince us that PEER Support needs to continue. The challenge is how to do it without a paid Enterprise Facilitator. We have thought long and hard, and we believe that we can find a way to do this as we make use of the strengths we have, and stick to the principles of our service.
What are our strengths?
- We believe we have the trust of the people of Rossendale and the public, private and community sectors here, who all value what we do and respect the results
achieved over the last 8 years. - We have a group of passionate local people who have great experience in how Enterprise Facilitation is organised and works in practice: the PEER Support Board.
- We have members of the PEER Support Executive group who are willing to step up and offer more of their time to coordinate and publicise our activities.
- We believe we have people within the PEER Support Board who would be willing to give more of their time to support clients.
- We have, in Andy, the most experienced Enterprise Facilitator in Europe, whose talents include training and coaching. He has agreed to become part of our volunteer group, and is willing to train volunteers in how to support clients directly.
What are our principles?
PEER Support’s service is available:
- To any person or organisation in Rossendale with an enterprising idea and the passion to make it happen
- Free of charge, without restriction or bureaucracy
PEER Support’s service is confidential and helps clients to:
- Maintain control of their journey to make their idea happen
- Understand the barriers to success and how they might be overcome
- Connect with anyone (and everyone) that has the potential to help them
- Build a balanced management team to make their idea happen sustainably
So how will we sustain PEER Support’s support for enterprise in Rossendale? By recruiting and training a group of volunteer mentors who have skills, knowledge and experience in business and social enterprise. Their work will coordinated by another volunteer, and we will continue to work collectively to help clients overcome their greatest challenges.
