At Wellington Place, we’re proud to support our local community.
In this blog, we’re introducing you to some of the incredible social enterprises we’ve collaborated with in Leeds, shining a spotlight on the brilliant work they do and the positive impact they make in people’s lives across the city.
Ahead Partnership
Ahead Partnership helps businesses and public sector partners to deliver impactful social value projects. The aim? To promote opportunities for young people, strengthen social mobility and combat inequality.
Every year Wellington Place partners with the Ahead Partnership to deliver our Women of the Future and Enrichment Festival events, which invite young people from schools across Leeds to Wellington Place. These innovative days, powered by volunteers, are designed to raise aspirations, teach valuable life skills and showcase career options.
Megan Lipp, Head of Development at Ahead Partnership, told us: “Working with Wellington Place has enabled us to offer meaningful, often life-changing experiences to students no matter their background, offering an opportunity to visit and learn about an aspirational place of work that they wouldn’t get to otherwise have.”
Our next event together will be Women of the Future, held on International Women’s Day on Wednesday 8 March. If you’d like to find out more about volunteering for this event, please email katie.harris@aheadpartnership.org.uk.
Mediorite
At the heart of video production company, Mediorite is a desire to create films that both look good and do good. This social enterprise at once tackles youth unemployment while creating paid avenues into media production for passionate young people.
In fact, Mediorite recently produced a showreel of all the exciting things taking place at Wellington Place. This included a behind-the-scenes look at the construction of 11 & 12 Wellington Place – two of the most sustainable buildings in Yorkshire.
Verity Sudlow, Head of Business Development at Mediorite, said: “Thanks to the partnership, we were able to offer a paid work placement to Ryan, a student at Leeds Beckett University so that he could get first-hand production experience. What’s more, from the funds raised we could deliver a two-day film session at CATCH, a youth organisation based in Harehills.”
Watch their video below:
Shine
Shine is a Leeds-based conference, catering and events space with a difference.
Bally Afzal, Operations and Social Impact Manager at Shine, explains: “We reinvest our profits for projects including supporting women ex-offenders to help them rebuild their lives and get into employment, as well as inspiring local children in Harehills on topics like healthy eating. Our social and economic mission, to raise aspirations and create opportunities for a variety of disadvantaged people, is only possible when we connect with places like Wellington Place.”
Shine caters for meetings, conferences and events. Their signature food is typically made from scratch and sourced locally. Colourful, flavourful and created with a focus on sustainability, during Wellington Place events we’ve enjoyed everything from their fresh salad boxes to deluxe canapes and would highly recommend giving them a try!
Child Friendly Leeds
Child Friendly Leeds’ ambition is simple: to make Leeds the best city in the UK for children and young people to grow up in. How? By addressing the social and economic issues that often prevent them from realising their full potential.
Wellington Place has been proud ambassadors and supporters of the Child Friendly Leeds scheme since 2019.
Sadiya Salim, Engagement Officer for Child Friendly Leeds at Leeds City Council, said: “Child Friendly Leeds is a city-wide ambition and partnership is key! We regularly host ambassador events, with representatives from Wellington Place often joining us. This gives our network the chance to share ideas and projects on how we can develop a child-friendly city centre, as well as hear from young people themselves on the challenges they experience, from wellbeing to climate change.”
Phoenix Health and Wellbeing
Both a charity and a social enterprise, Phoenix Health and Wellbeing offers counselling, acupuncture and massage therapies to people with chronic health issues, and are on low incomes. Often, individuals are referred to Phoenix by their doctors or social care professionals.
Not only have we welcomed Phoenix to our summer markets, but we’ve also hosted their pop-up massage sessions in receptions and at Wellington Central. You get a welcome dose of self-care and Phoenix Health and Wellbeing raises money to continue its valuable work. Win-win!
Director Gill Trevor told us: “Working with Wellington Place gives us great opportunities to meet people who can help spread the word about our service, as well as increasing awareness of health and wellbeing issues. The money we raise goes towards important initiatives such as our weekly support group for men with prostate cancer who are receiving hormone therapy, which offers peer support, relaxation and ear acupuncture all of which are proven to help with the side effects of this treatment.”
Smart Works
Smart Works Leeds opened its doors to the women of Yorkshire in 2019 and provides a deceptively simple service: offering confidence-boosting free interview coaching and clothing support for any unemployed woman.
Supporting Smart Works is in essence supporting women to access the world of employment. The simple service can be truly transformative: 72% of clients get the job within a month of their appointment, changing their lives and the lives of their families.
Wellington Place is delighted to be working with Smart Works this year – watch this space for upcoming events!
