Service hailed for finance aid in pandemic
A Bath-based social enterprise has won national recognition after meeting the challenges of the pandemic.
Clean Slate Training & Employment CIC has been recognised in the SE100 Index which is run by Natwest and Pioneers Post every year to name, celebrate and learn from the UK’S 100 most impressive social enterprises.
Clean Slate was launched in Bath in 2010 and supports people on low incomes to manage their money better, find work - or better paid work, and get online.
The challenges of the pandemic have seen a surge in households facing financial difficulties and Clean Slate has grown quickly and provided innovative solutions to meet the demand.
Growing from a staff of 15 in 2020 to 50 in 2021, Clean Slate has been able to adapt in the pandemic and move its in-person centres to phone and online options.
It delivers a variety of programmes, including a phone-based “money health check” in which people are taken through a questionnaire to assess their financial resilience and then supported to make changes to improve their finances, job prospects and, through this, their wellbeing.
Analysis showed that Clean Slate’s 2-3 ‘Set up and Go’ sessions yielded an average of £317 per client in financial gains, while the 5-6 week ‘Walk the Walk’ budgeting course saw gains of £950 per client and the 12 week ‘Claimants in Crisis’ course resulted in an average gain of £2,250 per client.
Clean Slate has grown geographically too and now offers services across Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Gloucester and London with plans to scale up and eventually achieve national reach.
Ellimay Wade, a Clean Slate client based in Bath, said: “I was a single mum trying to find work.
“Clean Slate helped me with my computer skills by signposting me to courses, letting me use their computers and even getting me a laptop through a scheme that was running so that I could sort out my CV, search and apply for jobs.
“They’ve kept in touch and been a great moral support. I was in very difficult circumstances in sheltered housing but when it came to moving to my own place, I felt I had the skills to make my money go further.
“I’ve been able to use all the free
❝ I was a single mum trying to find work. Clean Slate helped me with my computer skills, letting me use their computers and even getting me a laptop so I could sort out my CV, search and apply for jobs.
Ellimay Wade, above
sites like gumtree to get my furniture and Clean Slate helped me get discounted white goods.
“I now grow some of my own veg, I have hens and goats. I just like that sort of lifestyle. I feel so much better than I did.”
Founder and director of Clean Slate Jeff Mitchell said: “We are proud and delighted to receive the recognition of a place in the SE100 list.
“Covid-19 has shown that many of us are only a few steps away from the poverty line.
“This last year, many people have experienced true poverty for the first time, while others feel themselves further away from ever escaping it.
“Many people are unaware of what they are entitled to, unable to get online, get back into work or access the help they need.
“Our work has never been so important and we have ambitious plans to reach even more people via partnerships with local authorities, housing providers and other organisations delivering support services.”