Kickstart Trust  

Rotary Partnership and Service in the Community

For the past 15 years, the Rotary Club of Bishop's Stortford has been engaged in a community project in partnership with the local Methodist Church.  That project is the Kickstart Trust (Bishop's Stortford) Ltd.  Kickstart was founded initially by the partnership in 1994 as an informal meeting place where individuals could share problems related to redundancy and lack of work and talk through possible changes in career.  It has since become a registered charity, respected far and wide for its professionalism, and has achieved a considerable degree of success.

Kickstart Trust (Bishop's Stortford) Ltd., better known as Stortford Kickstart, was set up to help unemployed people (18-65 year old) in its area with their job search and eventual return to work.  All guidance and help is provided free by the twelve volunteer staff who have various professional backgrounds.

In the partnership the church provides the premises free and the Rotary Club the initial necessary start-up capital, some subsequent funding when required and personnel.  Stortford Kickstart is open two mornings a week throughout the year.  Its volunteer staff comprises a number of Stortford Rotarians, together with other members of the community mostly from the Methodist and Baptist churches in the town.  Its founding Director, Peter Scarlett, is the current President of the Rotary Club of Bishop's Stortford.  The office is to the rear of the Methodist Church in South Street and has the advantage of its own entrance, separate from the main church. 

In addition to the Rotary Club, partnership funding has been sought from and provided by, among others, the Bishop's Stortford Town Council, East Herts Council, the Bank of England, Herts. Community Foundation, and BAA Stansted.   Just recently a large donation was received from the Bishop's Stortford Young Professionals, one or two members of which have since shown interest in becoming Rotarians.

To date there have been nearly 6000 attendances by some 1300 clients.  The average client is male or female between 40-55, has a management, supervisory or technical background and comes from a radius of about 10 miles of Bishop's Stortford.  By definition there are many outside those criteria.  The client who has travelled furthest comes from Brisbane, Australia.  Another travelled from Tuscany.  He was visiting Bishop's Stortford and popped in to practice his English having seen the advertising board outside.  After a chat and a cup of coffee, and a further journey from Italy, his CV was re-written, which led to a job interview from which he was selected as a senior technical manager in a large Bulgarian engineering firm.  He suggested that a 'Kickstart' be set up in Italy as similar help is not available there. 

Most of Stortford Kickstart's clients require help and guidance with the preparation of CVs and Job Interview techniques: identifying transferable skills plays a large part in the work.  Assistance also is given with career guidance and, if required, basic computer skills.  Local newspapers are available, supplied free by the Herts. and Essex Observer Newspaper Group, another of the Trust's supporters, as well as national newspapers, 3 PCs (1 with an Internet facility) and a printer purchased from donations.   There is also a small, but comprehensive, library of reference books.  Free use of the church's copying machine is available also.  Tea and Coffee is provided at a modest cost- and free if the person is short of funds.

Stortford Kickstart is a hands-on, user-friendly service: not a box-ticking bureaucracy.  It does not chase its clients but, from those who take the trouble to report back and from feedback from the Jobcentres, there is a very good success rate.  Although it is never claimed that it is the only reason for a successful return to work, Stortford Kickstart undoubtedly plays a significant part in that success.

Most referrals come from the Jobcentre.  Unfortunately, that support has reduced since the office was moved to Hertford.  But that is being rectified, with the help of the local MP.

Although, at present, unemployment in the area is only about 1% (c/f 6.7% in 1994 when Stortford Kickstart first opened its doors) there is still a steady stream of clients each day, averaging about 4-5 at present