£3 million programme announced for disabled entrepreneurs

Howard Lake | 3 September 2006 | News

Disability charity Leonard Cheshire and Barclays have created a £3 million initiative to assist 600 disabled people over three years to start their own businesses. “Ready to Start” will be introduced in 27 towns and cities across England and Wales and the first Ready to Start project will be launched in Wandsworth in October 2006.

Each client will be linked with a “Barclays Buddy” and given a tailored support programme enabling them to produce an effective business plan, test ideas, and get their businesses off the ground.

Ready to Start’s tailored training packages will cover key modules such as keeping accounts, marketing and developing a business plan and the Barclays Buddies will help support clients to gain the extra confidence they need to make their businesses a success.

Rachael Barber, Head of Global Community Investment at Barclays, said: “It’s a great opportunity for our best and brightest to use their professional skills to help in a good cause. Our employees are looking to use their know-how to make a real difference to the lives of hundreds of potential entrepreneurs.”

The partnership complements similar initiatives that Barclays announced earlier this year with Help the Aged and NCH to promote financial literacy and debt advice. A total of over £5 million in funding will be provided to all three programmes and thousands of Barclays volunteers will be involved.

Two further Ready to Start projects are due to be launched in Derby and Newcastle by the end of 2006 and all 27 projects will be rolled out by the end of 2007.

About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale. He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.