BORDER LINKS  - A COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE

WORKING WITH AND FOR LOCAL PEOPLE

Border Links develops new and exciting opportunities to support social and economic inclusion for people with learning disabilities - enabling them to play a part, gain in confidence and get the most out of life in their own community.

"We believe that all people with learning disabilities should have the chance to work, and that they can and should enjoy the full benefits of life in their own community"  

Melanie Deans - Director of Border Links

A LITTLE HISTORY

Border Links is a community enterprise company, founded in January 2006 with start-up grants from DEFRA. Our main aim is to provide local opportunities to support social and economic inclusion for adults with learning disabilities - to enable local people to play a part in the life of their community and experience "real" work opportunities and skills development. To achieve this aim Border Links develops locally based activities and community projects to foster community integration and enhance life and work opportunities for our participants.

In March 2006, working with two local people with learning disabilities, we opened our first Community Club in the Village Hall at Cornhill on Tweed, North Northumberland. Following demand and replication, Border links now works with over 50 people at sites based in Cornhill, Berwick upon Tweed, Amble in Northumberland and Kelso in the Scottish Borders.

In 2006, the Enterprise Team at Cornhill developed a successful vegetable delivery scheme. This trading enterprise was replicated at all of our sites and at one stage delivered baskets of healthy fruit and vegetables to around 70 households in North Northumberland and the Scottish Borders. The project provided innovative opportunities to work, and develop skills in a supportive context that was real and had relevance. It also raised the profile of adults with learning disabilities by enabling their delivery of a community service that supported the local economy and was greatly valued by our customers. 

Unfortunately our veggie basket enterprise, like many other ventures, fell foul to the Covid pandemic.  As our customers decreased it became an unsustainable project. We have given our members the opportunity to identify and develop new ways to support local communities with their own social enterprise scheme.  Each venue will create their own unique project to develop, some have already started and are extremely successful such as the Cornhill monthly coffee mornings hosted by the members who select local charities to receive the proceeds.  Kelso group have devised monthly Sip and Sing session and again all proceeds are donated to local charities and it's such an innovative way to raise not just funds but also spirits.

As our enterprise has grown, so too have the work experience and personal development opportunities that we can offer to participants, for example, the increased need for administration support and marketing activity has generated new opportunities for people with learning disabilities to work as members of our Admin Team and our Marketing Group.

Border Links sessions are delivered in a small and local group context. The local nature of the project fosters sustainable friendships, and also provides a visible and positive presence for disabled people within their own communities. While the small group size allows members the time to "get to know each other", and also helps us to deliver highly personalised approaches at all levels of our service. Because we know and listen to our members, we are able to develop and deliver a range of educational and leisure courses, classes and activities to enhance personal independence and respond to personal interests and aspirations.