Crest of a wave; Winning boosts a recycling company.

Byline: DAVID JONES 

IF you want to find out how to transform a social enterprise solely reliant on grant funding to one with a strong business plan and growing streams of revenue then you could do a lot worse than look at Crest Co-operative. In fact, that's exactly what an increasing number of charity-type organisations are doing.

The Llandudno Junction-based recycler has refocused its business over the past couple of years to concentrate on environmental sustainability.

It has launched four successful social enterprise businesses, one of them since hived off to the local community, and has seen its turnover jump from pounds 260, 000 last year to pounds 423, 000 this year.

Just as importantly, it has not abandoned its core social enterprise principles and it continues to work with unemployed people to increase their self-esteem and confidence by improving their skills, giving them work experience and helping them to secure employment.

Two awards helped cement Crest Co-operative's business and social enterprise credentials. Last year it won the Community Award sponsored in the Daily Post's Achievement Wales Business Awards by North Wales Police.

The company also found itself listed among the top 50 fastest growing companies in Wales.

Sharon Jones, Crest's development manager, said: ``I think the Achievement Wales win definitely raised Crest's profile. We have certainly used it a lot in our publicity and it has helped to redefine our image.

``We are a community or social business and up until last year people in the business community did not take us particularly seriously. Now we are seen as one of the bigger employers in Conwy and we are taken a lot more seriously than we were before. ''

As for the individual business enterprise projects run under the Crest umbrella, the Community Recycling scheme collects green waste from hundreds of households for composting while Trash and Carry, based at Kinmel Bay, recycles waste materials such as paper, textiles, glassware and ceramics from businesses for use by colleges, community groups and individuals. A new enterprise, Against the Grain, has been started this year.

Mrs Jones said: ``It has been open a couple of months but is already exceeding our expectations. We collect wood from building contactors, charging them competitive rates, and bring it back to our premises in Llandudno Junction where it is sorted before going on sale to the public.

``We have taken on four new employees as a result of that business and we have also been awarded our third Intermediary Labour Market contract for that enterprise. We now have three ILM contracts. ''

ILM involves taking on unemployed people and working with them to help find them permanent jobs. It gives them work experience and provides them with training.

Crest has 20 people working with it through ILM.

Total employment in Crest is 26 but 50 or more people -- some on training courses, others volunteers, some teenagers excluded from school and the ILM referrals -- can work alongside its permanent staff at any one time.

Chain Reaction, an operation which renovated hundreds of bicycles every year, has been moved out into the community.

``We are just about to start delivering NVQ work-based training for adults. That will see our workforce increase again. We will continue to expand all three business, '' said Mrs Jones.

``We have also started to do consultancy work. We are getting a lot of people, mainly community enterprises, who are looking at what we have achieved with a view to replicating it in other parts of Wales and the UK.

``A lot of charities are moving from grant dependency -- particularly on Objective One grants -- to income generation as the way to go. They are looking at people like us who have already managed to do that. ''

North Wales Police is again sponsoring the Community Award this year. The award is aimed at encouraging and rewarding businesses, individuals and organisations who make a committed and pro active contribution to the enhancement and benefit of their local community. The judges will also seek evidence of how good business management has helped attain that goal.

Tom O'Donnell, North Wales Police director of finance and resources, said: ``In our work, we have the great privilege of seeing and experiencing at first hand, what is being achieved by very many individuals and groups, to improve the quality of life in our communities. This does not always receive the recognition it deserves.

``North Wales Police is delighted to have the opportunity, in a small way, to provide some recognition by sponsoring the Community Award. ''

The Welsh Development Agency and HSBC Bank again join the Daily Post this year as main sponsors of the Achievement Wales Awards which recognise and celebrate excellence in companies of all sizes across North and mid Wales.

The competition culminates in a dinner and awards ceremony at the Prichard Jones Hall, University of Wales, Bangor, on November 19. TV personality Sian Lloyd will host the evening and speakers include comedian and author Tony Hawks.

There are 10 categories covering Business Start-up, Small Business, Medium Business, Large Business, Employer of the Year, Community Award, Export Award, e-Commerce, Bilingual Business/Busnes Ddwyieithog and Business Person of the Year.

Category sponsors are Finance Wales, WDA, HSBC, DLA, Careers Wales, North Wales Police, Wales Trade International, Opportunity Wales, Welsh Language Board/Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg and the University of Wales, Bangor, respectively.

CAPTION(S):

Sharon Jones and Jay Martin of Crest Co-operative with their Community Award sponsored by North Wales Police