Two Bath and North East Somerset Council-commissioned services, Community Catalysts and business consultancy Cool Ventures, are joining forces to provide information and support to residents interested in launching care and support businesses.

They are hosting a free event, called ‘Starting a Business Supporting People in Their Homes or the Community’, at the Hollies in Midsomer Norton on June 26 between 9.30am and 2.30pm. The event is for anyone wanting to make a living from making a difference in the lives of older and disabled people.

With or without a background in professional care, if you have a passion to work with people and want to be your own boss, the event aims to provide resources to support that.

More than 20 people have already joined the free programme, generating an income from offers such as Nordic walking and falls prevention advice, to support with getting washed and dressed, or cooking a favourite meal at home.

Michael Auton, who is leading the project at Community Catalysts, said: “For over ten years Community Catalysts has supported lots of people across the UK to get set up offering creative and flexible care and support options. Now we are looking for passionate people in B&NES who want to help their community, work flexibly, choose their own hours, set a fair rate of pay and run a quality service.

“We are very excited to be working with Cool Ventures to provide complete wrap around support for people wanting to run their own care focused business.”

Sue Marchant, managing director for Cool Ventures, said: “As the chosen provider of Business Support for Bath & North East Somerset Council, Cool Ventures is thrilled to partner with Community Catalysts for this event. This collaboration brings a unique opportunity for participants to benefit from the combined expertise, support, and advice of both organisations.

“We are proud to work together on this project and anticipate that it will be the first in a series of events aimed at assisting those aspiring to establish a small business in the care and help at home sector. By providing this essential help and support, we aim to make a significant positive impact on our local community.”

If you are interested in signing up for the ‘Starting a Business Supporting People in Their Homes or the Community’ event, please visit: https://bit.ly/start-a-business-supporting-people. The event is free but signing up will help the organisers to know how many attendees to expect.

For more information about Community Catalysts, contact Michael Auton, B&NES Community Catalyst via email: [email protected], tel 07443 191851, or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CommCatsBANES

For more information about Cool Ventures and the support they can provide new businesses, visit https://coolventures.co.uk/ or call 08000418293.

This workshop is hosted as part of the Bath & North East Somerset Business Support Service, a West of England Combined Authority initiative, fully funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.