Tell us who you are?
Reaching CIC (known as Reaching North Staffs) is a local non-profit organisation that supports vulnerable and disabled adults across Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire to improve their physical, emotional and financial health and wellbeing. Reaching started out in April 2021 as a Local Authority funded project working as part of a local charity and delivering outreach support to people struggling with issues such as with social isolation and mental health. When funding came to an end, the team, led by founder and CEO Georgina Salt decided to continue their work and establish as a CIC in its own right.
What services or products do you offer?
Our free services have grown from a dedicated outreach programme to include a housing and benefits clinic, and group support in multiple locations across the city. We also offer bespoke paid-for packages of support for people with longer term needs, as well as delivering a vital service, Recovering Homes that works with people with Hoarding Disorder. Our work reaches a ‘hidden community’ of people needing support. Since our launch in April 2023, referrals for our services have been increasing and we are now operating a waiting list across all our programmes.
How many team members are currently employed – who are they and what do they do?
We started as our original team of 6 – all of our staff who worked on our previous project took a leap of faith and helped to develop and shape our new service. We have recently employed another 2 team members. Georgina is our Founder and CEO and has overall responsibility for the day to day running of the organisation. Kaz looks after our social media, marketing, events, funding and fundraising. Jax runs our free and paid for support services, and her specialty is working with people with Hoarding Disorder. Paula and Gill are our fantastic, dedicated support workers who also work within that team. Michelle is developing and running our free group provision – our groups are based in Leek, Hanley, Biddulph, Longton and Newcastle. Tracey delivers our free housing and benefit advice programme. Charlie started life with us on a college work placement and she now support us part time with admin and marketing. We have a really talented team that is creating something very special in Reaching!
Why was Trent House chosen as a location / how long have you been here?
As we are a community based service we initially worked from a variety of venues. It soon became clear that we needed an admin hub, and George came across Trent House. One visit later and we decided it was a perfect fit for Reaching. Its location was a big draw for us as our staff are located all across the city, so it’s easy for us all to access. We were lucky to receive funding for the office rental as part of a grant from a local organisation. We’ve been made to feel very welcome and we’ve settled in well.
Are you planning anything exciting in the near future… personal or business?
We started Reaching with £0 in the bank, and no experience of running a non-profit, just the passion for the services we provide and the belief that, as a unique project, the people of North Staffs needed Reaching and its services. From the very first moment we established in November 2022, our team have thrown themselves into learning all of the skills needed – linking up with other organisations for support, learning how to research and write grants, how to design and implement social media and marketing campaigns….. all on top of doing our day to day work of supporting people who are in desperate need of help with food/fuel poverty, support to access mental health services, adults struggling with loneliness and social isolation, people who don’t know how to access benefits or register for housing.
It’s been a year of learning, and personal growth for all of the team, who believed in Reaching so much that they all worked their first month for free whilst we were seeking funding! We are incredibly proud of how far we have come in such a short space of time – we have received referrals for over 150 individuals since April 2023. We have been awarded 10 grants to help with the cost of running our programmes. We have raised over £15,000 in donations and sponsorships, including an epic climb up Snowdon with around 40 supporters. Reaching truly is a forward-thinking organisation, with a massive vision and determination to improve the lives of vulnerable and disabled adults locally.
The team is already expanding, and we are looking for support from local businesses, organisations and individuals who can help with funding and fundraising to support our vital work. We are developing valuable connections in local communities: all our groups take place in independent café’s, which means our clients can access these venues when our service is closed, and we are in turn supporting small, local business. We are also looking for volunteers who could donate time or skills to support with our group activities – no matter what your skill set, we can find a role for you!!!
Find out more information about Reaching North Staffs:
Visit our Facebook page
Visit our website
Email us at info@reaching.org.uk
Call us on 07851 091862
Based in BusinessLode Stoke, our team is available Monday through Thursday to assist you with any inquiries you may have about our services. Our friendly staff is always here to help.