The wheels are turning again for charity ventures
V CHARITIES ARE restarting their social enterprise projects, which generate revenue while giving service users job and life skillls. And none has been busier than the bike repair shop in Hendon run by learning disability charity Kisharon, which has benefited from the surge in cycling as people have been encouraged to avoid public transport.
Manager Eytan Bordoley said business had “gone mad” since the reopening on June 1. Since then, staff have worked on around 400 bikes, more than three times the normal demand for the period. However, the repair shop has had to reduce the number of service users helping out from a dozen-plus to three because of social distancing issues.
As well as learning the mechanics of bike repair, the Kisharon clients are given easier jobs, such as replacing inner tubes and brake cables.
“For the guys I’m working with, there was a lot of frustration at not knowing what was happening,” Mr Bordoley told the JC. Hopefully, they could now return to some sort of normality.
Kisharon also runs the Equal gift store in Temple Fortune. It reopened in mid-June and according to stock buyer Andrew Plaskow, was building up sales.
“In line with probably every other shop, we are not hitting our pre-Covid levels for this time of year yet. But we’re getting there,” he said.
The store can currently only admit two customers at a time but does not need a high footfall to thrive.
As some older customers are staying away, the plan for the High Holy-Days is to run an online outlet with a “click and collect” option.
Equal also retails items made by service users in its Hendon hub, such as cards and Shabbat candles. This remains closed, depriving service users of both the social benefits and the “achievement of making something they know other people are appreciating and buying”.
Mental health charity Jami has yet to reopen its Head Room café in Golders Green, its warehouse in Borehamwood
or its Mill Hill charity shop.
Vicky Rachel, Jami’s commercial enterprise manager, hopes a recent large donation of designer clothes from brand distributor Fashion Edge will be a significant step towards getting back in business.
The donation — of around 400 pairs of shoes and 200 pieces of clothing — has allowed the five furloughed warehouse staff to return part-time. But the charity is cautious about involving volunteers and service users.
“We do have people constantly asking when they can come back in and when we’re reopening because they do miss that face to face interaction,” Ms Rachel said. Jami moved its activities online at the start of lockdown so service users could keep in touch with their social groups.
David, a 45-yearold Jami employee and service user, said he had felt “increasingly depressed” during the lockdown. “I miss my work routine. Working motivates me and gives me a sense of achievement.
“It has helped having telephone and online support from Jami and keeping in touch with my team. But I’m looking forward to being able to return to work and even to my commute, which I enjoy very much.”
Meanwhile, New Chapters, Langdon’s online secondhand books enterprise, reopened its warehouse last week, with “bubbles” of service users and volunteers going in at different times to fulfil orders.
Neil Taylor, chief executive of Langdon — supporting those with mild-tomoderate learning disability — said the reopening had brought “some of the busiest revenue-generating days”.
Service users had been looking forward to coming back and the charity had focused on involving those most eager to return.
We are not hitting preCovid levels. But we’re getting there’
I miss my work routine. It gives me a sense of achievement’