Business driving green public space wins scaling-up support of partner
AN innovative nature-based regeneration firm that is on a journey to transform Derby city centre into an urban metropolis is set to receive support from one of the region’s leading businesses to help it scale up.
Down To Earth Derby – the community-interest company behind the Electric Daisy community garden and event space that currently occupies the former Prince’s supermarket site in Bold Lane – was chosen by Vibrant Accountancy as winner of its Community Growth programme.
The Down To Earth Derby project is linked with Cornwall’s Eden Project, underscoring its emphasis on sustainable and communityfocused urban regeneration.
Award-winning Vibrant Accountancy, meanwhile, opened up entries for the programme earlier this year, offering to mentor and support companies, charities and non-profit organisations making a positive impact in Derby.
And, after receiving many worthy entries, the Vibrant Team – led by founder Bev Wakefield – chose Down
To Earth Derby as winners.
Bev said: “We will be supporting Down To Earth with tailored business support that includes strategic planning sessions, cash flow forecasting, mentoring and regular profit and cash flow improvement meetings.
“For us, Down To Earth tick so many boxes. They are a sustainable organisation at the heart of the community, and we feel that, with the support we are giving them, they will be able to put their visionary plans into action.”
Vibrant also chose two organisations – the Empowered Parenting Programme and a community supermarket initiative that will be run at Reach Events, near Pride Park – to receive free coaching sessions at the company’s Lodge Lane headquarters.
The support comes at an important time for Down To Earth Derby as it looks to scale up its public and private sector regeneration projects, and ahead of a busy spring/summer programme of events at Electric Daisy.
On Saturday, it hosted an event featuring live music, street food and a barbecue at Electric Daisy that formed part of the Spring Market being organised by Love Sadlergate; a group of independent businesses based in and around the Sadler Gate area of the city.
The following day saw Electric Daisy host a house music festival called Discoteque and, at the end of May, Down To Earth are teaming up with Derby Book Festival for a workshop and meet-the-author session aimed at young bookworms.
Electric Daisy has received huge acclaim since opening last summer.
Derby’s newest green public space – which includes planters brimming with flowers, plants and trees, as well as wooden cabins, recycled benches and entertainment space for guest speakers and live music – has increased footfall in the area and provided the city with a venue to host community and corporate events.
Down To Earth’s Jamie QuinceStarkey said: “This is the start of a very busy but very exciting season of events with something for everyone. Our aim is to make Derby one of the top 10 ‘green’ cities in the UK through various projects and programmes. Derby has all the pieces of the jigsaw in place, our role as an independent catalyst is to pull all the different stakeholder pieces together.”
“We can’t look up and scale Down To Earth without having the backing of trusted partners,” added Ross Nicholson, co-founder of the CIC.
“Vibrant can help with that. They share our vision and values and having them onboard frees up our time to join up the dots and push on with what we want to do.”