Dragons Den Update
At the Liverpool and UK Learning Community back in May the participating groups were each invited to put a bid together and pitch it to the Kx Dragons. The winners were:
£1000 for Journey Communities, Bicester Bicycle promoting a new community coffee shop. “£1,000 to buy a coffee trike, as well as the equipment and product needed, to go throughout our estate meeting our neighbours, offering free coffee, and telling them about the new coffee shop.”
£500 for Wirral Christian Centre Church, “‘Night Church’ for Birkenhead. This would be a safe and welcoming Christian space of spiritual enquiry and encounter.”
£250 for Salvation Army, Stonycroft community meal for a recently formed community.
Here is an update from all the projects involved:
1st place: Journey Communities, Bicester
“As we pitched, we used the money to buy a coffee trike. We had to invest a few hundred more to complete the project, but we couldn’t have done it without the Dragons. So, again, huge
thanks to them for their generosity.
We used it back in July at a school fete, but then waited for the shop to begin constructions before we took it out again. Last weekend we took it out around our neighbourhood and had
numerous conversations with people about the new coffee shop, served them free coffee, and even had two people ask for jobs. We plan to go out a lot more in the next few weeks as we
continue to promote the shop and meet our neighbours.”
2nd Place: Wirral Christian Centre Church
“As part of our development toward a sustainable Night Church, I’ve had conversations with the Wirral Street Pastors coordinator, who is supportive and keen to partner with us. I’ve also had
conversations regarding a launch venue, which is ready to go. Our youth pastor has also worked with some of our youth team and some of our 1619s to develop an ‘After Hours’ youth venue for those who are transitioning out of youth clubs and need a space/community for the next stage of life. This launches September, and will be a bridging community for launching the Night Church.
Lastly, I’ve a meeting with some of our student and young adults in a week, when we’ll get planning to launch the Night Church, so will keep you posted. ”
3rd place: Salvation Army, Stonycroft
I’m pleased to say we spent the money we won from the Dragons’ Den on Saturday, going out for a meal with the group of recovering addicts we went to a place called the Brink in town which is a dry restaurant and bar everyone had a great time”
Want to find out more about Kx learning communities? Click here.
“Our church, Journey Communities, is opening a specialty coffee shop as a business as mission. FLTR Coffee will be at the heart of one of the residential neighbourhoods in Bicester. At the core of this new coffee shop is a missional community with a vision for people to encounter life on earth as it is in heaven, and journey towards full life through relationships with God, his extended family, and their neighbours.
A coffee trike will also allow us to promote the new shop at other local events leading up to its opening and be used to serve as another source of income that we can reinvest back into Kingdom mission.” –
This MC has been running for 8 months now and during this time we have averaged around 18 – 20 men and women coming to every meeting. During this time it has been amazing to see how relationships have been developing, but one thing that has become apparent to us is the lack of safe social space for people in recovery to access. This is mainly because of the fact that alcohol is available in so many social spaces and the issue that most people in recovery find it difficult to make the time for safe social space because of attending AA support meetings nearly every day. Also due to the chaotic lives of many of the attendees, they are not able to organise something by themselves, at least at this point in their journeys.
“The dream is see Christian young people energised as a community to make a substantial and sustainable difference among 17-30s in Birkenhead. For the young people of Wirral Christian Centre in particular to be doing life together not solely for their own benefit, but to be growing as disciples who make disciples, radically changing the culture of the town and enabling young adults to journey into amazing futures with God.