Social Investment support reaches Inverness
New Start Highland, a charity sustainably supporting people in crisis, has received a social investment award of £102,000 to contribute to a £500,000 project to build the country’s first ‘Training and Reuse Village'.
Social investment provides financial support to charities, social enterprises, and mission-driven businesses to deliver positive social impact that addresses local issues and needs. Unlike traditional grants, social investment funding is repaid over time at an affordable rate, which means the same money can be recycled and used again to help others.
Our social investment is a bit different, with 25% grant and 75% loan, meaning that only a portion of our investment is repayable. In this way, we can use funds not just to give support, but to grow it.
One of our most recent awards – and our first in Inverness – was to New Start Highland, which was founded as a charity in 2000, supplying homeware starter packs to people exiting homelessness. The charity steadily began expanding its services, with furniture provision, employability training and housing support. In 2008, New Start Highland evolved into a social enterprise, launching a range of community-wide services, including retail, removals, storage, house clearances and fulfilment, which fund its charitable aims of alleviating poverty, homelessness, social isolation and long-term unemployment in the Highlands. Re-use is core to its mission and to date, it has diverted over 10,000 tonnes of furniture from landfill.
Now, marking its 25th year, the social enterprise continues to support 1,500 individuals and families annually who are facing crisis including poverty, housing insecurity, social inequality and long-term unemployment, as sustainably as possible.
Providing a range of services including tailored housing support, employability training, mentoring, and the provision of high quality pre-loved furniture, New Start Highland helps people to not only get back on their feet but to stay on their feet. It exists to support people in rebuilding their foundations and ensure that their life remains stable and safe.
Our social investment award of £102,000 will contribute to a £500,000 project to build the country’s first ‘Training and Reuse Village’, which is currently under construction and will open in Carsegate in Inverness in the coming months.
What is a training and reuse village?
The village is a longstanding vision of New Start Highland founder and Chief Executive James Dunbar. Against the backdrop of the cost-of-living crisis and child poverty, the village will be a multi-source of community support.
The new premises will feature pre-loved retail outlets, including children’s clothing, a bike repair hub, a tool library, and a cafe. The cafe will offer training opportunities in the kitchen as well as front of house, and will also offer learning sessions to support people to make healthy, delicious food for themselves. The project is expected to create up to 40 new trainee and employment opportunities each year.
James Dunbar, Founder and Chief Executive of New Start Highland, said:
“The opening of the training and reuse village represents a pivotal point in our journey and will provide an environment where people can learn, thrive and build confidence and skills that pave the way to a brighter future. Currently, 24% of children in Scotland live in poverty. We need more training opportunities open to parents so they can be supported to lift themselves out of crisis and give their children better lives, and that address critical issues such as poverty and homelessness. Beyond this, we strive to foster a cultural shift from disposability to ethical reuse. The New Start Highland training and reuse village is a testament to this mission.”
James also believes that each of us has the power to make a meaningful difference in the spaces we inhabit - not only environmentally, but socially and personally as well. For James, making a difference means seeing people for who they are, beyond the circumstances they've faced. At the heart of the village lies a commitment to recognising potential, creating opportunities, and bringing stability to uncertainty.
Patrick Mills, who spent six years serving in the army, came to New Start Highland as a volunteer to work in the upholstery workshop after suffering PTSD.
“I was referred to New Start Highland through the NHS when life had become difficult, and I had nowhere else to turn. I knew going into mainstream employment would not be possible and through the volunteer programme I was able to pick an area to learn and work in at my own pace. Having been previously taught to sew by my mum, I was drawn to upholstery and with the unwavering support of the team, I have now grown my confidence, skills and feel like I have purpose and that life has structure again.”