The Sunday best name of a CIC is that it is a Community Interest Company. It is a way in British law to set up a company that intended to change the world rather than make the fortune of the founders and directors. One of the features of a CIC is that it has a Community Benefit Statement. This is what it says.
Who do you serve?
A CIC is designed to serve a particular community. In our case the intention is to serve two interrelated groups of people
Adults with additional needs such as
- cognitive challenges, e.g. profound learning disabilities or dementia
- medical challenges, e.g. recovering from a stroke, a mental health diagnosis
- social challenges, e.g. domestic violence, caring for a relative, bereavement, family breakdown
Those who provide creative activities for adults with additional needs including
- relatives and friends of those with additional needs e.g. the child of someone with dementia
- professional carers e.g. someone who works in a residential care setting such as an NHS Project
- anyone who wants to support adults with additional needs by providing access to creative activities in a group setting
Activities
- Promote creative activities such as knitting and cardmaking (but not exclusively these creative activities) as a means of improving the well-being of individuals and hence the communities that they are part of.
- Facilitate the setting up of craft groups that enhance the crafting experience of everyone while aiming to support them as they face additional challenges. This includes providing specialist training and support to those who desire to set up and run such groups.
- Support those using crafts as part of a care package for an adult with additional needs by providing them with ideas for activities and access to materials.
- Manage and improve the facilities and services of the Company which, in the opinion of the Directors, may enhance the sustainability of the Company.
- Act in accordance with the sustainable development principle and aim at achieving the well-being goals, as defined by the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
How will the activity benefit the community?
There is a lot of evidence that creative activities are beneficial to our wellbeing including several books on the topic. They can be used to help improve both physical health and mental health. Benefits include distraction from pain, avoiding rumination and creating things that improve self-esteem.
Craft groups are a useful tool for bringing people together and therefore do more than encourage people to make things Amongst other things they can:
- combat loneliness
- bring together people with similar issues to support each other
- bring together generations with things like a grandma and me knitting group
- bring together people with different needs such as able and less able
Setting up a group requires a variety of skills from different spheres of interest including business, creative activities and social care. It can be overwhelming for those who want to set up and run a group especially a stand alone group. Our aim is to provide advice and support to those intending to start such groups as well as those who have already started and may be struggling to keep going.
Those providing care for family members as well as those providing care on a professional basis need ideas and materials to help them provide creative activities. The aim is to provide things like activity packs and ideas booklets that will both help them provide activities that meet the needs of those they are caring for and save them time and energy that can be used to improve care in other ways.