about us
So what do we do?
What are we trying to achieve?
A social purpose?
What do we do with our profits?
Why do we do it?
What facilities do we have? (scroll to bottom of page!)
Improving community wellbeing
the self centre is a special type of business. On a practical level we share many problems and factors for success with business in general. But we are more than that.
Our distinctiveness comes from the reasons we have been set up, the needs we meet, and the principles by which we work. This gives the self centre core values that most traditional businesses lack.
There is acceptance now that much of today’s dis-ease and illness is a direct result of our frantic modern way of life. the self centre provides a wide choice of stress relieving and health promoting activities and therapies – a place of sanctuary.
the self centre is motivated by social goals of employment creation, provision of quality local services and improving the health and wellbeing of our community.
So what do we do?
the self centre is a welcoming retreat where you can, relax, unwind and discover more about yourself.
We provide an environment:
- To learn and practice yoga, pilates, tai chi and gi gong.
- For people of all ages to develop new skills and awareness.
- To experience health-promoting and stress relieving complementary therapies.
- Providing holistic hair and beauty treatments.
- Offering a range of equipment and gifts from local and fair trade suppliers.
- To enjoy the herb and spice café specialising in healthy and organic food.
the self centre is a business with primarily social objectives - any profits we make are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners.
And what are we trying to achieve?
To be recognised as a leading enterprise providing health and wellbeing services in a truly welcoming environment that is:
- Inclusive and caring
- Nurturing and healing
- Developing and empowering
Simply, the self centre is a place to help everyone look after themselves.
A social purpose
We are an organisation that trades in the market for a social purpose. One phrase that you will often hear about social enterprise is the notion of the ‘‘triple bottom line”. This is used to describe the triple aims of the enterprise to meet its financial, social and environmental goals. This approach is key to any social enterprise.
the self centre regularly undertakes a ‘social review’ to help evaluate our performance against our own targets, against staff and customer expectations, and against our impact on the environment.
Crucially, social enterprises like the self centre compete in the marketplace like any other business, but they use their business skills to achieve social aims. Social enterprises are part of the broader social economy but see trading as a significant and defining part of their business.
Using the term ‘non-profit’ when referring to social enterprises is misleading. Social enterprises aim to sustain their business and make profits – it is what the self centre and others do with these profits that make us different. |
 |
What do we do with our profits?
All the profits made by the self centre are reinvested back into the business to:
- Allow a greater range of affordable services to be provided.
- Help fund low cost out-reach programs for health and wellbeing education.
- Minimise our impact on the environment through the use and promotion of eco- responsible and fair trade products.
- Provide a welcoming and inclusive environment for our staff and centre users.
- Maintain a sustainable and self supporting business for the long term.
Why do we do it?
The motivation behind the self centre and social entrepreneurs like Carole Baker, Director of the self centre, is often a stumbling block for people trying to understand the sector. It is sometimes difficult to take at face value the claim that an individual or organisation is driven by the wish to ‘do good’, or to ‘change things’, especially if they are competing to win business in the market against other organisations.
But for us it is simple…
the self centre has been established to help make a difference to peoples lives – to the people that work here, the people that use the centre and the people in the community in which we operate
And Carole’s personal motivation…
“I am passionate about self help – giving everyone the knowledge and opportunity to help themselves live a healthy and fulfilling life. I believe we all have the right to influence our own wellbeing and to have a place to retreat away from the ‘must have’ society.
the self centre and it’s out-reach programs are our way of helping individuals of all ages and abilities just be themselves in an environment of acceptance, inclusion and non-judgement.”
Our facilities
We have a range of fully air conditioned studios, therapy and small meeting rooms each with flexible seating style arrangements. A break-out and relaxation area and an on-site health food cafe help make the self centre a unique place of sanctuary.
|
|
