Bacup Social Enterprise, (BaSE) was established as an unincorporated association in 2010 and made the change to a social enterprise company limited by guarantee in 2012.
This means we don’t have shareholders or dividends. All surplus funds are re- invested into delivering more community benefit, which allows us to achieve our aims of;
- Supporting & Encouraging Businesses & Community Groups
- Aiding the rejuvenation of the offer in Bacup
However we have to cover overheads otherwise we can’t survive it’s how you use the profit that matters.
It was during an ‘Asset Management’ course that BaSE ran for Rossendales’ community groups, at the REAL building in St. James Square, that the lack of facilities for the community of Bacup became apparent.
To help resolve that issue BaSE formed the organisation Community Assets Standing Tall (CAST) as a constituted group on 6th June 2013 and then steered CAST to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on 22nd August 2013.
CAST have gone on to deliver many community projects and were instrumental in forming Valley Heritage, Rossendales only Building Preservation Trust and two BaSE directors continue to have a hands-on role with CAST www.communityasset.org
BaSE secured funding to buy equipment to run ‘Cook n Eat’, a cookery course encouraging healthy eating using ‘Change for Life’ resources including a large variety of recipes. The course was run with Inspire (drug and alcohol rehabilitation organisation) to add to their activities programme and provide life skills to the recipients.
We still have the equipment which has been utilised by CAST for ‘Cook n Eat’ with dementia courses and is ready and waiting for its next outing. Our ‘Produce for the Table’ idea, which brings local producers together under one online roof, has been aired a few times but is still being tweaked on the drawing board, we look forward to making progress with this in the near future.
BaSE were commissioned by Valley Heritage to undertake an ‘Asset Mapping’ exercise to identify community use in the surrounding area of Stubbylee Hall.
BaSE are always on the lookout for new initiatives to boost the economy and offer in Bacup and are usually working behind the scenes with various ideas that could prove productive, not only for Bacup but for the whole of Rossendale. Keep an eye on our ‘Current & Future Ventures’ page for those ideas which are worth pursuing.