Aylesbury Estate residents survive Dragons' Den
Seven residents from the Aylesbury Estate have successfully pitched ideas for community-oriented businesses at a local version of the popular TV show Dragons' Den.
Click here to see a video of the event.
Funded by Aylesbury NDC's successor the Creation Trust, the Aylesbury Arena was designed to promote and encourage the development of community-based businesses on the estate.
The event was organised by social enterprise training specialists Red Ochre, and attracted an audience of more than 80 people to InSpire, the Crypt of St Peter's Church in Liverpool Grove on 24 November.
Participants had the chance to pitch to a panel of judges for funding from Creation, and for business development support. All the aspiring entrepreneurs had previously attended one of the ACE (Aylesbury Community Enterprise) courses or drop-in sessions run by Red Ochre at the Aylesbury Learning Centre.
The winners included Hannah Larkin (Fair Enough Stuff, an ethical clothing business which reproduces fashionable catwalk designs); Sarah McCarthy (Turncoat Annie, which takes old furniture and turns it into something beautiful and funky); Donny Idoyen (IJU Designs, which recycles leather off-cuts to produce innovative laptop cases); and Toyin Dawudu (My Virtuous Media, which aims to engage with and support the local community through photography and video production training). They all won £1,500 and two days of one-to-one business support.
Also successful were Toyin Adaje (The Regallery, which will showcase work by artists from the community); Peter Mant (the Aylesbury Kings Chess Club); and Catherine Msoni (Divine Rescue, which supports homeless and addicted people in Southwark) each of whom will receive £500 and one day's business support. Divine Rescue also won the audience vote and an additional £500.
Sarah McCarthy's business, Turncoat Annie, makes one-off pieces of furniture from old, broken furniture that was destined for landfill. "It's based on the philosophy rethink, redefine, redesign," explains Sarah.
She had been renovating furniture for several years for herself, family and friends. The ACE course helped her realise that her idea had the potential to become a viable social business.
"The course, and the prize have really boosted my confidence," says Sarah. "I'd always thought that to be a successful business person you had to have a bit of a cutthroat attitude, but the social enterprise model shows how you can be successful and benefit the community and environment at the same time.
"I will be using local people to design my website and to photograph my work. As Turncoat Annie grows there's a great deal of potential to employ people and offer training."
Sarah has managed to secure a shop rent-free for three months to display her furniture at Unit 79, Brixton Village, Coldharbour Lane.
Toyin Dawudu, is running My Virtuous Media, which aims to engage with and support the local community through photography and video production training.
"When I first started the ACE course, my business revolved around getting paid to take photographs and record events on video," explains Toyin. "However the course made me realise that I could mix my management degree, my technical and creative skills and my need to give something to my community to create a business that would benefit the community as well as myself."
He plans to put the prize money towards delivering media workshops to Southwark residents during the Easter and summer holidays, as well as upgrading his equipment and developing his website.
Penny Daly of Red Ochre says, "The ACE project hasn't come to an end. We'll be continuing to work with fledgling social entrepreneurs on the estate until the end of March, and people have been approaching us wanting to know when we're going to be running the course again."
She adds, "The project has definitely opened residents' eyes to the possibilities of taking a dream and turning it into an enterprise that will help them AND the community."
To find out more about the project, please contact Cathie MacIver on 020 7358 4143 or by email.
