Archive 26/02/2014

Go4 Receives £8,000 grant from Council!

By in Fundraising, Grants, News Tag , ,
Grant photoshoot

Go4 have been successful in their bid for funding from Colchester Borough Council under the 2013 Enterprise Grant Scheme. We were awarded a total of £8,000 for the following:

  • match-funding for 2 interns (Essex University will provide the other half of the funding)
  • training bursaries for 6 young people
  • marketing and research budget to provide marketing strategy for GO4 and the traders in the HTC

Go4 were joined at a photo-shoot by representatives of Signposts and en-form, two other local third sector organisations who were also awarded grants. The photo-shoot was held at the Go4 Market Cafe on Tuesday 25th February at 10:45 am.

Grant photoshoot

Representatives from en-form can be seen on the left, Councillor Paul Smith, Portfolio Holder for Business and Resources is in the middle, with a representative from Signpost to his right, with tow of G4’s Directors (Jim Howard and Steven Dale on the far right).

In their press release, the council said:

“The Enterprise Skills and Employment Grant supports increased prosperity in the Borough, helping residents learn new skills to live and work to their full potential. This financial support will help these three organisations to provide local people with one to one advice, support and training for those looking to get back into work and also assistance for those looking to start up a business.

The Borough has a wide and diverse range of more than 20,000 businesses, offering a broad base which is essential for a resilient economy. In the first 6 months of 2013 a record 773 new businesses registered in the town and the Council is committed to bring more local businesses to the area, supporting them as they grow.

Councillor Paul Smith, Portfolio Holder for Business and Resources said:  “I’m delighted to award this grant funding to three local organisations; Signpost (Colchester), en-form and Go4 Enterprises.  Even in tough economic times there are opportunities out there and we’re backing those who have the ideas and can-do attitude to help people get back into work or start up their own business.

The Council is committed to helping local businesses start up and grow, and to giving local people the chance to improve their skills and help keep Colchester’s economy thriving.”

Note:

  • Signpost (Colchester) provides skills and confidence for people looking for work www.sign-post.info
  • en-form – the Colchester environmental information centre is the one stop shop for all matters related to the environment. It acts as a focal point for the gathering and exchange of information on one of the most important issues of the day; the environment. www.en-form.supanet.com

 

 

Exciting new developments – watch this space!

By in News Tag , , ,

Its been a while since the site was last updated but there has been good reason for that. In the last few months Go4 has been undergoing some significant changes. The Directors have been working on some new developments and been engaged in various discussions with other organisations. The lack of updates on the website does not mean that nothing has been happening!

Although we can’t say anything just yet we will be able to share some good news in the next few days so please do ‘watch this space!’ We can say however that the Cafe is doing really well and that despite a slight downturn over Christmas and New Year the it is doing well and we are in the black financially. The gardening services are also doing well. This is down to the great team of staff and volunteers we have at the cafe and on the gardening team and we would like to say a huge ‘Thank You’ to everyone.

We are also grateful to the many individuals who have supported us over the past year, whether as customers or in other ways. In particular we would like to say a big ‘Thank You’ to all the market traders who have helped make the Cafe & Market such a success. The combination of a cafe and an independent indoor market works very well for us and brings mutual benefit to Go4 and all the independent traders.

Certainly 2014 is looking to be a key year in the development of Go4 and with new developments in the wings you can rest assured that Go4 will continue to grow and develop. The end result will be that more young people who need help and support will benefit from our services, which is why we are here, so thank you everyone for your support in 2013.