Dear Readers

I can’t express how great it is to write that this week, we shall see the first day of spring! I don’t know about you but for me, it has felt like a long winter and so I am delighted to know that the lighter, clearer days are upon us; a time of new beginnings and regeneration!

Here, at Future Leap, there have been plenty of new beginnings to welcome in! I am sure many people are already aware that work is well underway to regenerate a second sustainable business hub. The Future Leap Clifton site will open its doors mid-April, so stay tuned for updates on that as we head into spring.

We have also welcomed many new team members to Future Leap over the last few weeks. Katie, will be our Business Network Account Manager; a vital role as we continue to grow our community of change-makers. We have welcomed Eve, a former Kickstarter, into the Future Leap family as she is taking on a Business Administration apprenticeship to support a lot of our activities. Another Kickstarter, Luc, has joined the Consultancy Team and is rapidly getting to grips with carbon foot-printing and all the carbon jargon we discussed in this week’s business breakfast! And last but not least, we have welcomed Cal to the reception team, who will be a huge support to our co-working community.

Sadly the Kickstart scheme is drawing to a close and so that does mean that we will be saying farewell to Joe, who has been supporting our membership activities. Huge thanks to Joe for all the support during such a busy time. We have loved having you as part of the team (I have particularly enjoyed you leading our Wellbeing Wednesdays) and we wish you all the best for the future.

As some of you may know, Future Leap has been a Gateway organisation for the DWP’s Kickstart scheme. This means that we have supported members of our business community to access and administrate the scheme. Indeed, since the scheme opened, we have supported 15 employers to give 39 young people the opportunity to learn new skills and develop their CVs. Additionally within the team, we have had 11 Kickstarters working alongside us, three of whom have gone on to take on permanent positions at Future Leap. It has been wonderful to give these young people the opportunity to develop their careers and for them to share their knowledge, fresh ideas and creativity with us. I would like to thank colleagues within the DWP for their support to make this happen.

Speaking of creativity, this month saw our first ever Wildlife Photography Exhibition take place. It was an amazing evening with such a great buzz about the photos and wildlife in general. A huge thanks to Niche Frames for sponsoring the event and providing the frames with sustainability in mind and a massive thank you to representatives from Avon Wildlife Trust and Wildscreen for their brilliant presentations.

Here’s to the buzziness continuing into our summer schedule which will see us launch the One City Sustainable Business Awards at our Festival of Sustainable Business Gala Dinner on 16th June 2022. This will be a great opportunity for organisations doing “business unusual” to get recognition for their efforts. If your organisation is doing impressive stuff around Sustainable Buildings, Communicating the Climate and Ecological Emergency, The Natural Environment, Sustainable Travel and Transport or Reduction of Waste and Consumption, you still have time to apply. Deadline for applications is 12pm 4th April and winners will receive a complimentary invite to the Gala Dinner, a physical award (made sustainably from wasted plastic) and a year’s membership to the Future Leap Network. More info can be found here.

So here’s to more new beginnings as we welcome in the spring!

Very best wishes

Katherine

Head of Partnerships and Sustainability at Future Leap