This Case study was created by The Executive Office (TEO).
Established in 1991, Footprints Women’s Centre supports the delivery of positive change in the lives of women and children in the Colin area of Belfast, from an inclusive and friendly, award-winning facility . The Centre is the largest community employer in the area, with a team of 24, the majority of which are local women. They operate a social enterprise approach to their work, opening a Daycare facility in 1997, café/deli, social supermarket and the newly launched community kitchen.
Sustainable living is a core focus, developing innovative projects including the installation of solar panels, generating thirty per cent of the centre’s electricity, kitchen gardens, social supermarket and community kitchen. They gained a Green Flag award in 2022 and 2023 for outstanding environmental management of their outdoor gardens and spaces.
Urban Villages
The Urban Villages Initiative is one of the headline actions within the NI Executive’s Together: Building a United Community Strategy. It is designed to improve good relations outcomes and develop thriving places where there has been a history of deprivation and community tension.
Since 2016, Urban Villages have been supporting the Footprints Women’s Centre as part of a collaborative capacity building programme in the Colin area, and also with over £100K in capital funding provided. The funding has enabled the modernisation and development of a social supermarket, the creation of a new office and meeting space for use in a range of purposes including private counselling.
Through the Urban Villages initiative, Business in the Community, The Responsible Business Network were introduced to the five Urban Village areas, aligning the corporate social responsibility focus of the Business in the Community network with the Initiative.
The Footprints Women’s Centre quickly became one of PwC’s charity partners and over the following 4 years, the partnership flourished along with an understanding of the challenges and opportunities.
The activities where PwC have supported the Footprints Women’s Centre since 2019 include:
- Strategic Review - Strategic review of the organisation’s operations and helped them develop a strategy for the next 5 years.
- Centre Modernization - As a result of PwC moving to a new office at Merchant Square, they were able to modernise the facilities at the Centre by replacing all the existing office furniture with that of the old PwC office at the Waterfront Plaza.
- Commercial Kitchen – PwC donated their commercial kitchen from Waterfront Plaza - ovens, fridges, freezers, hot plates, mixers and even the kitchen sink. The kitchen was installed in the annex building at the Centre and has enabled a range of ambitious plans, including the development of a social enterprise, providing an NVQ course in catering and, providing meals for the People’s Kitchen Meals on Wheels service.
- IT support – This year the Centre received funding for a person to manage their digital media, website etc. She was a single parent who put herself through university, but she needed support as this was her first ever job. As she had to design and build a new website, PwC provided her with technical support and a personal mentor, to collaborate with her throughout the year.
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