Waveney Mow & Grow- cutting grass, cutting crime and cultivating futures
March 2009
Futurebuilders invested £50,000 in Waveney Mow & Grow to expand its gardening service provision – ‘Cutting Grass, cutting crime and cultivating futures’
It’s all about the people of Mow & Grow and the product has to stand up for itself. What Futurebuilders has done is given us that tool on an executive level that enables us to invest in those people who make it a success. I’m really proud of everyone here; they’re all integral parts of the business.
Audio
Listen to Waveney Mow & Grow CEO Trevor Lynn talk about commissioning its investment from Futurebuilders (1.27 minutes)
Download transcript (Word) | Download mp3
About the organisation
Founded in 2006, Waveney Mow & Grow was established to provide a sustainable gardening service in Waveney and surrounding areas. In partnership with local authorities, county councils and social services Mow & Grow helps vulnerable people with gardening while offering a series of horticultural qualifications to its employees. Its unique model of service delivery benefits the elderly, those disadvantaged in the labour market, the environment and the community in general.
Mow & Grow also works in partnership with Norfolk Probation in support of the community payback programme, whereby it supervises over 5,000 hours of unpaid work by offenders in the local community. This initiative has proven to be a huge success; the reoffending rate in Norwich and its surrounding areas has reduced by 20% since 2007- effectively helping reduce crime and antisocial behavior through knowledge, support and training.
Mow & Grow has expanded beyond all expectations, encompassing four new satellite trade arms – Trade & Grow, Catering & Grow, Clean & Grow and Learn & Grow. Founder and CEO Trevor Lynn explains that they now have over 100 volunteers; “We invest in them through time and qualifications and they reciprocate with passion and quality service - it’s not just gardens that benefit from our services, Mow & Grow the brand is synonymous with developing people”.
How Futurebuilders helped
Futurebuilders invested £50,000 in Waveney Mow & Grow in the form of two Tender Fund loans. The first of the two loans was used to buy in additional professional skills to make tenders and bids and carry out the face to face negotiations on contracts with statutory providers. These skills and professional know how were used to train both CEO Trevor Lynn and HR Director Alex Cosgrove in the art of bidding for future contracts. The second loan enabled them to put these skills to practice, by paying for the cost of their two posts for six months, creating the time and sole focus on pursuing and winning contracts – effectively building Mow & Grow’s capacity.
Mow & Grow appears to have found a successful formula which meets a number of social needs as well as providing a service which statutory purchaser want to buy. This success is reflected in the amount of awards hanging on its walls, including The Nolfolk Waste Partnership Award 2009 and the prestigious High Sherriff Award for cutting crime.
Trevor explains that their success is built on their product and the people, “it’s all about the people of Mow & Grow and the product has to stand up for itself. What Futurebuilders has done is given us that tool on an executive level that enables us to invest in those people who make it a success. I’m really proud of everyone here; they’re all integral parts of the business”.
Increasing confidence among commissioners
Mow & Grow have proven that a little thing called a recession can’t hold them back, in fact they have prospered. Trevor puts this down to quality service at reduced rates; “the beauty of this scheme has been that at the moment everybody is doom and gloom and is cutting costs and we’ve seen this as a really good opportunity to promote an alternative to paying private contractors ridiculous amounts of money”.
“We are opening the eyes of purchasers to look for best value and in doing so are we’re having a marked effect on social enterprise, because if we get it right we instill confidence and pave the way for others like us and their relationships with councils and local authorities”.
Achieving sustainability with the help of Futurebuilders
Mow & Grow are now replicating and franchising their model across the UK – they are currently in negotiations for contracts in 19 counties and project that in the next three years, 6,000 - 12,000 people will benefit from Mow & Grow’s services.
Trevor asserts that “Futurebuilders has been an amazing tool in our arsenal, it enabled us to go for work that we would be too busy to do otherwise. We have built in confidence and built in our capacity and all of a sudden the world is our oyster – watch out UK!”
Considering an investment from Futurebuilders?
If you are a third sector organisation delivering public services, or planning to deliver public services, you could be eligible for an investment from us.
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