Small Charity Week is an annual celebration of the small charities making a huge difference to communities across the U.K. The campaign aims to amplify the messages and impact of small charities, support them in their invaluable work, and connect small charities with those who can strengthen them. When small charities are stronger, the communities they support are stronger too.
In the spirit of Small Charity Week, we are delighted to highlight the brilliant work of small charities in Bath & North East Somerset, by featuring several individual charity spotlights across the week of June 24th - 28th. By sharing their stories, we hope to support further recognition for the vital role small charities play, empower our members to have their voices heard, and celebrate their magnificent efforts.
Kicking off Small Charity Week, we are pleased to introduce Bath Gateway Out & About!
Can you tell us a little bit about your small charity?
We support 60 adults with learning disabilities to partake in social and leisure activities, that would otherwise be inaccessible for them. The founder Becky Morgan started this up after working many years with children with learning disabilities and recognising that when a child turned 18 years of age there were no provisions for them.
There are always projects in the pipeline and our priority for the near future is to have a pop-up charity shop. This will satisfy three aims; giving work experience skills for our members , raising awareness and raising vital funding to continue our work.
Have there been any accomplishments your charity is particularly proud of that you'd like to share?
We are proud of every achievement our members make. One of our members ran and completed the Bath half Marathon and another member performed with Music man at the Royal Albert Hall, absolutely fantastic !
Other than volunteering and donating, what other ways can local people help support your charity's great work?
Local people can help us by signposting local events, venues, opening contacts for us within our community, raising awareness, we are very open to consider all options that come our way. Friendly smiles also welcome !
What are the benefits of being a small charity?
By being a small charity our members have become like an extended family. Everyone knows one another, fantastic friendships have been formed, and we manage to retain our personal level support. We are present !
What do you think are the main challenges facing small charities, and what could be done better to tackle these?
The main challenge is costs . We are 100 percent self funding and unfortunately everything has a price. It is also very hard to find openings, such as chosen charity opportunities with local businesses, help to secure an empty premise for a pop up shop, help to get discounted entrance rates . Help to write funding applications, help finding volunteers. Charitable discounts could be more freely available and negotiable and bid writing simplified and expedited.
As a small charity, what is your favourite thing about being a 3SG member?
Involvement, networking opportunities, signposting, lovely staff and invaluable offers!
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Check out the Bath Gateway Out & About website here to learn more about what they do!
Find out more about Small Charity Week here: https://www.smallcharityweek.com/
Small Charity Week defines a small charity as a voluntary organisation with a social or charitable purpose with an annual income of less than £1 million. This includes registered charities, community groups, community interest companies (CICs) and other structures.
If your small charity would like to become a 3SG member, you can find more information here. Alternatively, please get in touch and we'd be happy to have a chat - contact@3sg.org.uk
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