VEG FEST11 months ago
Delivered 4 February 2022
Impact data and claims within this report are provided by the project creator and have not been independently verified by Spacehive.
We're creating a grocery shop with a big heart & community at its core at 170 High Street West. Health & well-being provide a framework for a friendly, inclusive & accessible shop and community area.
Create a new vibrant and inclusive shopping and cultural experience to the High Street. Celebrating the multi-cultural nature of our City through food and drink.We aim to create a thriving community using food, health & well-being as the unifying, driving elements. More than just a grocery store, Sunshine Co-operative Shop will be a community-driven hub within a larger complex of social enterprises in the 'Pop Recs' building. Bringing our community on the journey and fulfilling the needs as defined by them, our passion is for creating positive change in the city we love. We'll be collaborating with other social enterprises to measure our community's success through improved health & well-being! We will offer the finest food & drink the North East producers can provide and will also create an eco-conscious refill station, encouraging the 'reuse and reduce' model of shopping. We'll have an accessible room available for community use. See any other details for additional benefits.
What we'll deliver:
Why it's a great idea:
Our aim is to use the community shop and food co-op as a vehicle to address disadvantage and poverty in an area of acute, multiple deprivation. Our aims is to create: a new vibrant and inclusive shopping and cultural experience to the High Street, celebrating the multi-cultural nature of our City through food and drink. in-house training opportunities to young people, those with English as a second language and those who feel they need experience in retail. a community space for community activities - available to local residents, community groups etc. to develop wider community use and engagement to promote health and well-being . Our proposal is about making a real, beneficial difference. We have a robust system of reporting in place to determine the impact of the shop on the individuals we engage. Accountability will be key in running a community shop and impact will be measured under the following headings: Financial, Community engagement, Health & Well-Being and Environmental.
Steps to get it done:
We'll use the shop to provide training for young people and those with English as a second language. As well as providing jobs in-house, we wish to help others in the journey to employment. Community Engagement and demonstrating value We are in the process of setting up a Friends of Sunshine Co-operative group which will be a great platform to gain insights of the effectiveness of what we do. We will work with the community organisations and social enterprises in the Pop Recs building to share insights and feedback, and possibly collaborate on joint initiatives to increase our social impact We are also work with the North East Business and Innovation Centre, a Regional Enterprise Agency, to help us embrace the appropriate social impact measurement tools so that we can effectively demonstrate the difference we will make to the lives of some of the most vulnerable in our society. We're installing a ramp & disabled toilet, ensuring access to those with limited mobility.
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An update from our last report. We have changed the dates of the Moroccan Cooking Workshops. Please see below for dates and times. As Nadia’s Cookery Workshops proved to be so popular in September, we are back with three new varieties of Moroccan cuisine All events are held at Sunshine Corner Community Room, 170-171 High Street West, Sunniside, Sunderland, SR1 1UP, 0191 3400123 Hareera (Soup) Family Workshop – Saturday 6th Nov 1.00 – 2.30 pm Using seasonal veg – squash, with the Moroccan aromas of the spice market in Marrakech. At this family Moroccan cooking workshop, you will learn how to make a healthy and very popular Moroccan soup (Hareera) using different herbs and spices. Nadia will also give you tips and some knowledge about the food and the culture in Morocco too! Moroccan Healthy Eating Family Workshop – Saturday 27th Nov 1.00 – 2.30 pm Join us for a family masterclass healthy eating workshop where you will learn how to make a healthy and very popular Moroccan dish, Sharmoola, using the jars Nadia produces and different herbs and spices. Nadia will also give you tips and some knowledge about the food and the culture in Morocco in a social, fun and friendly environment. Moroccan Sweet Treats Family Workshop – Saturday 18th Dec 1.00 – 2.30 pm A wonderful way to taste Moroccan heritage food – join us for a family baking workshop where you will learn how to make some edible gifts (biscuits) and learn about the spices and nuts also learn some tips about the Moroccan baking in a safe and friendly environment. The biscuits will be wrapped in a Xmas box so you may give them as a gift. Book online www.sunshinecooperative.co.uk/shop/ or call us on the number above. Adults - £5 per ticket Children - £3 per ticket (all children from 5 – q6 must be accompanied by an adult with a ticket.
While we're waiting on some finishing touches to our storeroom so we can fully open, (we're so so close - the renovating side of things has been very tough and this is the last work to complete) we have been opening on Saturdays with smaller array of products and have had very successful Cooking Workshops. So, back by popular demand, Nadia will be back next week with two Cooking Master Classes - both on Friday 29th October. The daytime session from 1.00 - 2.30 pm - Halloween Hareera (Soup) is a family friendly workshop, so children are welcome, although they must be accompanied by an adult. The evening class on the same date, from 5.00 - 6.30pm is Couscous a la Marocaine. Both amazing value at £5 per ticket (£3 for children) and subsidised by ourselves.
We're almost there! We're waiting on works to be complete on our storage area which had some interesting features that need to be removed and preserved. As the original Backhouse family bank, we have two bank vaults - one in the basement (where the cash was kept - it's not now!) and an area in the back of the building which was used to store documents. This area is steel lined in order to be fire proof so it is quite a feat to deal with. We've begun to open on Saturdays, when no workmen are present and to coincide with Open Heritage Open Days. From the photo you will see we have put on some events around food heritage and healthy eating. Last Saturday, All Things Piccalilli and Healthy Eating, The Moroccan Way were very successful and we have the same Moroccan event happening today as it proved so popular. Allan and Paul from Sunderland Regenerative Culture Garden ran an Adopt a Salad Box event which was fabulous and once the Edible Heritage displays are taken down from our windows, we'll be showcasing one of these amazing boxes there. Check out our social media pages for opening times and we'll let you know when we fully launch. Thanks for your patience!
So, although we're not open yet, work is progressing. This is a mock up of the front sign and shop name. We thought Sunshine Corner was a warm and inviting place to visit and we want the most positive experience possible for people to visit - whether it's to buy, chat or use the community room. Apart from some short term use as a venue by Pop Recs CIC and a meeting place for We Love Culture CIC, the building hasn't been used for approximately 30 years so it's very much a process of waking her up. It's been a slow process with lots of factors, including not being able to get a hold of necessary supplies or trades people in a timely manner and we're still waiting for phone/internet lines to be installed - I won't bore you with the details but the issue should (fingers crossed) be sorted out by the end of July. We'd then look at a slow opening in August so we can see what works best and be ready for the beginning of September. We'll also be running a Training Academy in the shop - giving retail and sustainable business practice training to those needing to fill skill gaps to get into full time work. Delayed yes, but exciting times ahead!
We're excited to have eventually started work on 170 High street West. As you can see from the photos, we've begun to build the accessibility ramp and platform and have built the partition wall for the community room. Unavoidable delays on building works, due to the Covid situation has meant we are further behind than we had imagined when we begun the crowd funder, but as you can see we are getting there. There are still some fundamental issues, such as not having a full roof on the back area yet, but we have been promised that this will be complete within a matter of days. We wouldn't be here without you, so a huge thanks to all that donated. Once opened, we'll be in touch with your discount card. We've had interest from a few groups about using the community room. We will post photos once it is finished. If you are interested in using the community room, or know anyone who is, please get in touch at info@sunshinecooperative.co.uk * please note, the photo is a collage of 3 images
Brilliant news, thanks everyone!
How will the money be spent?Total £11,010
Costs Breakdown
This shows how money raised for the project will be spent. These costs have been confirmed by the project's Delivery Manager and verified.
Total £11,010
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VolunteerNever, for a moment, did we think Sunshine Co-operative would be a frontline service, helping to get necessary supplies to members of our community in the middle of a crisis. But that is where we have found ourselves. So before you read further and find out more about us, we want to offer our deeply felt gratitude for the rallying support, kind words and offers of help which have spurred us on. When this is all over and the shop is up and running, please come on in, introduce yourselves, so we can thank you personally.
Sunshine Co-operative Community Interest Company was created to be part of a solution in our area of the world.Our goal is to help our community thrive using food, health & well-being as the unifying, driving elements. We believe growth should be measured by well-being not GDP. We're passionate about promoting the best our region has to offer and believe in including our community in our journey. We use #CreatingSunshine to emphasize our positive impact and our friendly customer service.
We currently operate as an online shop with a weekly delivery service - delivering in Sunderland and other areas of the North East. We are passionate about promoting other small businesses in the North East food & drink sector.
We are running this campaign because we received lots of feedback that a physical shop would be a great compliment to the work we do and will truly believe it will help us to have a greater impact in delivering our social values. We want our community to benefit from health & well-being activities we can deliver on site as well as the great local healthy food on offer. We'll be offering volunteering opportunities, training and creating jobs! We love to connect with other like-minded people and organisations and have strong relationships with our suppliers. We are also currently working in partnership with Brewlab, Sunderland College, Action Language, The NorthEast BIC Innovate for Good programme, the Natwest Accelerator programme, The Northumbria Business Clinic, Climate Change North and looking forward to collaborating with Pop Recs and We Make Culture when we're in the building.
Project Owner: Sunshine Co-operative CIC The Project Owner takes legal responsibility for receiving and spending the funds raised and ensuring the project is delivered.
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