Safe Productions and Arty Pants

Stepclever is helping a successful Bootle-based social enterprise to mount a major new business development drive. With the help of South Sefton Development Trust, arts organisation Safe Productions is looking to expand its operations in to the health sector, building on its impressive track record in education and regeneration. The business, which has its HQ in St Mary's Complex on Waverley Road in Linacre ward, helps clients across the country to develop large-scale new public art projects by harnessing the skills of local people.

Recent successes on Merseyside have ranged from the Plant Life sculpture trail along the Leeds-Liverpool canal in south Sefton to a new mosaic to mark the completion of a major facelift for Horrocks Avenue in Garston. Both projects were created with the help of children from local primary schools, helping Safe Productions to achieve its twin aims of contributing to the physical improvement of an area and creating a sense of ownership and achievment amongst local people.

After being rewarded a 50,000 Stepclever expansion grant, the company is seeking to win new business from health and social care organisations. A new Development Manager is working to understand the key priorities of the sector with the aim of helping Safe Productions to land new contracts from the Department of Health and other commissioners. In addition, Safe Productions also provide artists studios and office space to creative individuals at the St Mary's Complex. Part of the expansion grant will also be used to develop a new creative hub for south Sefton.

Brian Dawe, the company's Managing Director commented, "we are very grateful for the funding from Stepclever and the advice and support we have received from South Sefton Development Trust. This heralds the start of an exciting new era in the company's history."

Development Trust Business Development Manager Eve Money added "we are delighted to have been able to support Safe Production's expansion plans. They are one of the jewels in the crown of the social enterprise sector in south Sefton."

3 mums from the Waterloo and Crosby area have used their experience with children to create an exciting new social enterprise in Linacre ward. Faith Withers, Jo Mitchell and Stephanie Butler - who have six youngsters between them, have set up Arty Pants in Bootle with the help of a 10,000 Stepclever start-up investment award.

The company, which has received advice and support from South Sefton Development Trust, provides fun and creative arts-based workshops for children and other groups in a range of settings including after-school clubs and private parties. The Arty Pants workshops have been designed to be topical, seasonal and also educational. They include references to artists, art movements and the art and design national curriculum.

The workshops have been running very successfully and now the company has landed a contract to provide them on behalf of Sefton Council's Extended School Service.

The 3 Arty Pants partners are also determined to give something back to the community in which they are based. They have made a commitment to provide subsidised places at every local workshop that they run, and new jobs could also be created for local people as the company expands and needs new staff to handle additional bookings.

South Sefton Development Trust Business Development Manager Eve Money commented "it's been very satisfying to help Arty Pants set up and to see the business doing so well. It's a very good example of a social enterprise that has created jobs and is providing a service that benefits the local community." Faith Withers of Arty Pants added "the funding from Stepclever and the support of South Sefton Development Trust has made all the difference to us. It's great to be up and running successfully and now all 3 of us are looking forward to growing the business."