On Tuesday 11th May mcch showcased its social enterprises and officially opened its new office at Hermitage Court, Maidstone. Vice-President (and one of the founding members of mcch ) Ken Brush did the official opening, with help from Mark and Simon (both have accessed services at Tuck by Truck).
mcch believes that with the right support, anybody can enter into voluntary or paid work. Our 11 social enterprises enable people with disabilities to learn work-related skills, gain confidence, build up work experience and progress to mainstream work. During the day, these enterprises were able to talk about their service, with first-hand accounts from the people who use the services.
Tuck by Truck : Aylesford, Herne Bay, Colchester & Erith: provides usherette-sized snack trays to offices - Growing Concern : Staplehurst: garden maintenance, weekly watering of office plants
- Really Good Films : Belvedere: filming, editing, production of keyrings
- Creative Cards : Belvedere: hand-made cards delivered to offices for sale
- mcch enterprises: Braintree and Harlow: garden maintenance, PAT testing, picture framing, assembly of medical supply parts
- mcch garden project: Belvedere: horticultural training project
- Working with Words : Woolwich: making information accessible
Only 17% of people with learning disabilities, who are of working age, have a paid job (National Statistics & NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre, 2004). According to the National Autistic Society, only 15% of adults with autism in England are in full-time paid employment.
Mark (pictured right) now works part-time, thanks to Tuck by Truck Herne Bay. Tuck by Truck continues to support him whilst in his job, but most things he can do by himself. Mark stood up in front of a captive audience to talk about his experiences within Tuck by Truck and to explain more about his new job. “When I got my first pay, it was such a good feeling.” Mark's fully story featured in the first issue of our social enterprise newsletter - to download a copy, click here.
Justin was another of the speakers on the day and did a fantastic job of talking about his experiences at Tuck by Truck Colchester and explained how he has grown in confidence over the past year. Justin's main role at the service cold-calling - persuading companies to take a Tuck by Truck snack tray. "At first it was nerve-racking - completely out of my comfort zone, but soon I got better at it and my confidence has really grown."
We'd like to thank the people within our services and support staff for all their assistance in making this day a success.
If you would like to find out more about our social enterprises, please contact us today: contactus@mcch.co.uk.
