Helping Others

Our commitment to the community.

We are great believers in having a positive influence on those around us, not just our clients, not just those with whom we have a professional relationship but those in and around our communities.

A great deal of good work undertaken by charities and similar organisations often slips ‘under the radar’ and is invariably underfunded. In the main, the commitment of the people involved is to be admired.

Blue Sky’s whole focus is on improving well-being for our clients but when we extend this into the wider community and raise money for good causes, it is equally fulfilling.

Our Social Enterprise Venture

A coffee lounge and a local epicentre for professional advice.

Gary Neild, the owner of Blue Sky, has always felt that there is a real knowledge gap across communities surrounding financial, legal and tax matters. If information and advice is not accessible, this can create real anxiety and impact negatively on people’s lives and behaviours.

Gary also knows that for many, inertia is the name of the game. Often fuelled by a reluctance to seek advice because people don’t know who to talk to, are not sure who they can trust and have a fear over how much advice will cost.

So the Epicentre was created… A cosy coffee shop with a lovely ambience. But its not just any normal coffee shop!

A facility by which locals in and around West Moors can seek advice on a whole range of professional matters.

The business has been established as a Community Interest Company with all profits going back into local good causes, voted for by customers.

A very friendly welcome awaits all who visit and most of the time it’s all about the coffee, the scrumptious cakes and the delicious chocolates. There are monthly ‘drop in clinics’ held by our preferred business partners, with initial guidance offered free of charge.

All this would not be possible without our professional supporters:

HGW Solicitors,Paget Reid York and the team at Blue Sky Financial Planning

See www.localepicentre.co.uk for more details.

The education system, in its simplest form, is about preparing young people to function effectively and efficiently in adult society.

An understanding of money has to be a basic requirement but all too often it is not taught in any coordinated way in schools which leaves many floundering in early adulthood – making mistakes which could otherwise be avoided.

One of our passions is to empower young people to take more control of their finances and understand how sound money management can lead to greater independence and more choices.

We have worked with many young people and have held talks and workshops in the following local schools:

• Dorchester Middle School (filmed on BBC South today)
• Baden Powell (St Peters) Middle School in Poole
• Oakhurst Middle School in West Moors
• Emmanuel Middle School in Verwood
• Bournemouth School
• Bournemouth & Poole College
• Wimborne School

We have also raised money with a charity concert in April 2015, some of which (£3,000) was used to create a financial education programme for young people.

We have worked closely with Daniel Britton, the Peter Jones Academy Enterprise Tutor of the Year 2013 and author of Financial Fairy Tales, to help children’s financial understanding across the age ranges.

Frankly, it’s not easy trying to integrate financial education into schools with there being such a strong emphasis on the curriculum and exams. Arguably until financial acumen is an examinable subject in its own right perhaps we are ‘pushing water uphill’ but our passion remains to help young people understand more about money.

Other Community Support

Below is a list of the organisations we have worked with:

Dorset Blind Association

• Sponsorship of their 10km run
• Assisting with their Christmas ‘Big Give Challenge’

Pink Champagne Breast Cancer Charity

• Charity concert in March 2015 raised £5,000 to support their inspiring work – click here for video!

Wooden Spoon Rugby Charity

• Support for their High 5 Five Peak Challenge

Diverse Abilities

• Regular support with events and fund raising

International Community – AquaAid

• Ongoing support through the purchase of bottled water

Having used Aqua Aid to provide our water coolers for several years, we were offered the opportunity to sponsor an Elephant Pump. These are based on a 2000 year-old Chinese design that was adapted to make it stronger, more durable and built using materials that are locally available in remote rural sub-Saharan African communities.

“When more than a billion people live without access to clean drinking water in the world today, it is hard to imagine a better cause than this”.