Changing lives through enterprise

Aspire Oxford is an award-winning social enterprise, tackling poverty, homelessness and disadvantage across our community. Our unique enterprise model means that we can provide our clients with hands on work experience on our social enterprise businesses to help them build their skills, training and confidence and move into employment. We are proud to use innovation in enterprise to transform over 1,000 lives each year. Over the last year, we have taken our enterprise model one step further and are now able to incubate community and student led initiatives to deliver further social impact in Oxford.

On top of this, 2018 will see Aspire Oxford helping our clients to set up their own businesses by funding training, start-up equipment and offering ongoing business support and advice. This is a very exciting new offer for our clients and will see us supporting more people like Henry, who is now a qualified personal trainer thanks to Aspire. This is his story:

“My name is Henry and I started working with the healthy lifestyle and sports activities that Aspire offers in late 2016 after being introduced to them at the hostel I was living in. This was a good option for me as I was recently released from prison and was new to Oxford. I did not know any one and could not afford the gym.

“Training with Aspire’s boxercise class gave me something to do, people to talk to, a kind of routine and kept me fit. The classes were very good and taught me a few things about training groups which I have found useful as I want to be a trainer also.

“Aspire also funded me on a Personal Training course (Levels 2 and 3) raising £700. Had they not funded me I may not have the job that I have started now as a personal trainer. There is also a potential that Aspire will again help me by putting me forward for a qualification in boxing training which would be very useful for me in my work.

“Working with Aspire also led to me finding accommodation in Oxford as Jamie from Aspire used his contacts to help me find somewhere to live after having no luck in 11 months whilst living in a bail hostel. I would like to personally thank Jamie and Aspire for all of the support I have received since arriving in Oxford.”

Being able to offer our clients the chance to set up their own businesses and deliver further social impact in Oxfordshire is an exciting step change for Aspire.

If you would like to find out more about our enterprise and incubation support programme, or help us raise vital funds to help our clients start their own businesses, please call Mark on 07539 206404 or email mark.gallagher@aspireoxford.co.uk

Find out more about Aspire by visiting aspireoxford.co.uk or on our Univ in the Community page.

Published: 12 April 2018

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