Nature Wild are a new organisation based in Radcliffe, set up to enrich the lives of children and the wider community through the delivery of outdoor education activities and programmes. This includes a new Forest School site, which the founding director, Tamsin, has been setting up in partnership with a primary school in Radcliffe.
Tamsin knew that she wanted Nature Wild to be a social enterprise as that aligned strongly with her own values and vision for the company. But Tamsin needed some specialist support in navigating how best to setup the company. Tamsin was signposted to Bury VCFA where she met with Owen from the Capacity Building team, to talk through her plans for Nature Wild. Having previously set up a company limited by guarantee with ‘model articles’, the first job was to update the company’s governing document to include the key constitutional features of a social enterprise – namely, inserting a social mission, an asset lock and clauses stating that any profits made through its activities are to be reinvested back into the company to further the social mission. To help with this process, Owen brought in the expertise of a local business advisor and social enterprise consultant. In August, the updated governing document was accepted for filing with Companies House, meaning Nature Wild was now formally constituted as a social enterprise.
Tamsin had made a great start identifying a Forest School site at a primary school in Radcliffe and had worked tirelessly over the summer clearing the site in preparation for the new school year. Tamsin had built good relationships with the school’s leadership, but was unsure how to approach negotiating a smaller monthly payment to the school for the use of the site. Tamsin sat down with Owen to work through a cashflow forecast to get a realistic view of the expected income and expenditure. This helped provide clarity for what level of payment to the school would still enable Tamsin to pay herself a reasonable wage and make the project sustainable. After working through the updated cashflow, Owen then accompanied Tamsin to a business meeting with the school where they successfully negotiated a significantly lower and more manageable rental amount. Owen also suggested the school PTA could apply for one of the VCFA small grants to help cover the site start-up costs, including some open days to get local residents and parents involved. The school PTA responded with great enthusiasm to this suggestion, working in collaboration with Tamsin and with guidance from Owen to submit a strong grant application.
Asides from developing the partnership with the school, Owen and other VCFA colleagues have also helped Tamsin build strategic relationships with Bury Council officers and helped her to build her professional network with other local VCSE organisations - both locally in Radcliffe and across the Bury borough. Tamsin has been an enthusiastic attendee at the Bury Social Economy Network meetings, and also made good use of VCFA’s training offer, attending multiple sessions looking at marketing, ‘how to pay yourself as a social entrepreneur’ and a ‘know your stats’ session for VCSEs.
Bury VCFA will continue to work closely with Tamsin, supporting her to further develop the company and get the site up and running. Following registration with Ofsted, in addition to running Forest School sessions with pupils from the local school, Tamsin is also planning early years ‘Stay and Play’ sessions, an after-school club and community gardening sessions for local residents. Watch this space!
“I feel incredibly grateful to have found Bury VCFA. The advice and guidance from the team have been invaluable—especially from Owen, who has gone above and beyond to help me navigate various aspects of the business. He’s truly understood and supported my vision through all the ups and downs.
Starting a social enterprise has been a dream of mine for a long time and Bury VCFA has played an instrumental role in helping me turn this into a reality. As the sole director at this stage, I’ve faced a lot on my own and encountered many unknowns. Their knowledge and expertise have not only helped me find practical solutions but also opened doors to new connections and opportunities. With their support, I’ve grown in confidence and feel better equipped to lead the organisation.
I can’t thank them enough and I’m excited to see how my company continues to grow alongside their ongoing support”
(Tamsin, founding director of Nature Wild Ltd)
