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STEP, The Original Incubator and Accelerator™ and Stirling’s Business Support organisation has been supporting businesses in the third sector for nearly 40 years.
Today this support sees the company, who is home to over 200 of Stirling’s businesses, provide business support in the way of start-up, growth, and hiring advice, as well as specialist support in areas such as Marketing and IT.
One of STEP’s priorities is to support its local community and in particular support local social enterprises. In fact, throughout 2022, through their Business Gateway service, STEP has supported 93 social enterprises in Stirling.
Social enterprises that are based in STEP premises benefit from various additional on-site support services as part of the company’s incubator model.
Business Support Adviser Alan Porteous sits on the Stirling Social Enterprise Steering Group on behalf of STEP to ensure support is joined up and effective across the region.
But that’s not the only way STEP supports social enterprises in the local area. Each year the company also donates time and money to local causes through various incentives.
This year has seen STEP support Camphill Blair Drummond through the company’s Corporate Volunteering incentive.
Camphill Blair Drummond is a rural community home to 200 people. The company supports adults with learning disabilities and other special needs, providing a home, meaningful activities, and opportunities for personal development.
The STEP team spent the day meeting residents and staff and helping with some ground maintenance work.
With a mission this year to support those most vulnerable at Christmas, STEP chose to support their tenant’s Babes in the Wood and The Food Train, as well as taking part in a Christmas Jumper day raising money for Save The Children.
Babes in the Wood
Babes in the Wood is a not-for-profit social enterprise which exists to reduce the environmental impact of landfill waste and to reduce the effects of poverty on children from birth to 15 years. STEP has supported Babes in the Wood Stirling with their annual Christmas Toy Appeal, to help ensure no child goes without a gift at Christmas since 2018.
This year along with the free use of Meeting Space, £520 was donated, from the proceeds of the Christmas Tenant Christmas raffle and a monetary donation from STEP.
Linda Barrack Director at Babes in the Wood said: “We are so grateful to STEP for supporting this cause over the last four years. STEP is such a unique landlord and has created a community where we are all really here for each other. Our Toy Appeal this year was so successful, that we have used this year’s donation to support an influx of requests for children’s Winter clothes from our partners.”
Food Train
Food Train is a registered charity, voluntary organisation and social enterprise that has been making daily life easier for older people, providing vital services to those who are no longer able to manage independently, through age, ill health, frailty or disability since 1995. Food Train makes hundreds of grocery deliveries every week, ensuring those most in need have access to fresh groceries.
After a discussion around how The Food Train’s clients were coping with their heating and the cold amidst the cost-of-living crisis, it transpired that many of their clients wouldn’t receive a gift at Christmas and quite often the only contact they would have would be with one of Food Train’s volunteers. STEP, therefore, chose to help ensure that elderly people living alone are not forgotten about at this time of year.
220 Christmas gift packages were purchased and put together by the STEP team and hand-delivered by Food Train Volunteers.
The packages included sweets, treats and a Christmas card from everyone at STEP.
Laura Melville, Property Manager at STEP said “Each Winter we aim to demonstrate the true spirit of Christmas by giving back in any way we can. We support ‘Babes in the Wood’ Toy Appeal each year and with the new cost of living crisis, the number of people in need has grown so it’s a real pleasure to be able to continue to support this inspiring initiative and ensure no child goes without a gift at Christmas. Additionally, this year we have also been able to support The Food Train to ensure those who are elderly and alone are not forgotten about at Christmas time. To be able to provide a gift to so many vulnerable people in our community, and the feedback from the recipients has genuinely brought a tear to the eye of most of the team. The work that The Food Train does is so much more than a delivery service, they are a lifeline to those that they visit, and we are touched that we could be a part of the special service they deliver.“
Stuart Miller, Regional Manager at The Food Train said “We were overwhelmed by STEP’s generosity to make this Winter special for our clients. The feedback we’ve received from both clients and volunteers has been truly amazing with so many touched by the kindness and thoughtfulness of the gift from STEP. Some of our clients were tearful, one client had been taken into hospital, so her carer took her box in to the hospital for her, One gent rang to tell us that someone had left a box behind, and almost cried when we confirmed it was for him, it’s his birthday on 24th so he’s saving it for then! Actual quotes from some of our clients include: A delightful treasure trove, So excited about the chocolate coins, I’ve not had them since I was a little girl, Busy sharing the cakes with my husband with a nice cup of tea. It’s been a massive success and we are truly grateful to STEP for getting involved.”
