Ian Cawley left school with no qualifications.

“I was working as a labourer at 16, then at 18, went to sign on the dole. It was raining, so I went into the army career’s office to get a cup of tea because I was early, and ended up joining the army.”

After serving in Ireland, the Falklands, Africa, Cyprus, and America, he left aged 23, when faced with being sent back to Northern Ireland: “I’d just done too many tours, I wanted to do different things.”

He worked in construction. Then his daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, aged five.

His wife worked for the fire brigade, so he decided to change his life to fit around her hospital appointments.
“In the army, the last time I went to Londonderry it was 1993. We started working on the hearts and minds campaign with local communities and I could see the difference it made. That was my first insight into working with people and communities in a positive manner.”

He moved into community work in a 12-month role. Locality (which supports community organisations) offered to match-fund his own community project.

“The main issues people had revolved around health, so we came up with the concept for the Big League.”
In the heart of Hartlepool – one of the top 1% most deprived areas – the Big League revolved around healthy living and weight loss.

An opportunity then came up to take over Burbank Community Centre that had been closed for a few years.
Then the pandemic hit.

“We ended up doing something like 1600 meals a week with 200 volunteers, 17 vehicles and 35,000 food parcels. It just had a massive impact on the town, which got us really well known.”

Out of a population of 90,000, 30,000 follow them on social media: “If we need anything, we have the public backing.”
Ian then heard a major building in Hartlepool, Bovis House, was empty.

“I enquired during the pandemic – during that time there were a lot of people sat about twiddling their thumbs – so we took over Bovis House.”

The business centre consisted of 14 offices. With only £70k they were able to double capacity, creating another 14 offices and saving millions compared to other similar local projects.

Bovis House also has a large shop on the ground floor, which they use to sell pre-loved or surplus clothes, white goods, furniture, and food. It also acts as a social hub for communities.

“The last few months we’ve given away £30k worth of furniture to people who are struggling. And we work with other organisations. It’s quite a hub of activity. All the businesses in Bovis House are on board with what we do and how we do it.”

The income it generates supports the community work.
It also operates a waste removal service, which in turn supports its furniture sales.

“The waste removal was to help people get rid of rubbish during Covid. We got a lot of house clearances, which meant we had a lot of furniture, so rather than dumping it we recycled it in our shop.”

In 2022, the team took over another community centre – the Salaam centre. It hosts multi-cultural activities and supports asylum seekers and refugees as a ‘first port of call,’ with an education hub, IT and training suite, and low-cost supermarket.

Now, with two community centres, two retail premises, and the incubator business centre, they deliver a range of support with a focus on poverty, education, training, and employment.

“We have lots and lots of things going on – learning and education, knit and natter, song, dance, art – everything a community centre should have. All that’s paid for through either Bovis House, or our waste removal service.”

It continues to offer free meals and discounted groceries; Ian estimates hundreds of thousands of pounds worth.
Around 300 people use the community centres each week. The Big League can have up to 100 volunteers at any one point, with 15 employees.

But rent for Bovis House rocketed from £5k in the pandemic to £35k by Year Three.

Key Fund provided a £90k loan and £60k grant to purchase the lease in 2023.

“The business model stacked up for us.”

They now also benefit from leaseholders – a café and pub – in the building.

Turnover is around £600,000. Before the pandemic it was £60,000.

“Need is massive. It was massive before but went through the roof with the pandemic. Now it’s gone up again with the current financial situation in the country. Homelessness is going up; people are going without food.”

Once, they distributed a donation of 50,000 pies.

“Imagine what 50,000 pies look like! We got them stored and frozen to extend their shelf life, and got them all out to the public where they needed to be.”

Ian adds: “It’s been a struggle. We spend money as it comes in. What we’ve got, we use to help people. We run lots of small projects and support other organisations and CICs in the town. Every member of staff is looking at how we support people. It’s a proper team effort.”

He says: “We’ve just got on with it. If we’ve seen the need, or someone asks for help, we try our best to say yes. We know what we can do, what we’re good it, and how we fit in. We’re just trying to help. That’s it.”

Key Fund investment secures the future of Bovis House, which stood empty for 15 years, and represents about 60% of the CIC’s income.

Ian says: “It’s the main building in Hartlepool. It’s brought all these businesses to the High Street, which is run down and needs massive investment. Key Fund has helped secure that.”

The team is now looking at solar panels, and new windows: “We’re working on making sure it lasts as a strong positive building in the town.”

Key Fund, Ian said, are ‘absolutely remarkable’: “They knew us as a business. We meet them regularly; we talk about our issues and how they can support us going forward. You’ve got to remember, I have no education, and all of a sudden, I have all these staff. Key Fund support me to implement the right processes for the business in HR and accounts, so it gives us a platform to grow. Hand on heart, they’re not just a lender – that’s just a part of what they do.”

Geralyn Recio, 39, volunteer Geralyn came to the UK from the Philippines on a student visa in 2009; she has lived in the UK for 17 years.

“I studied NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care, and was living in London and worked with the elderly before my son was born in 2018.”

She says: “Before I had my child, it was fine. I could work and look after myself. When I was pregnant my life completely changed. Everything changed.”
At the same time as falling pregnant, Geralyn’s visa ran out.

“The landlord didn’t allow me to live in the house with a child. I’m a single mum so don’t have anyone to help me, so I went to the Home Office and asked for help.”
In 2018, when her boy was three months old, the Home Office moved her up north.

“They put me in a hostel with other asylum seekers. There were eight mums with their children on the first floor. We shared the kitchen and bathroom, and we bought our own food as they gave you an allowance each week. You live with people you don’t know, different nationalities, different cultures. You don’t have a choice.”

They lived in the refuge in Leeds, before being moved to Stockton, then Hartlepool in 2020, just before the pandemic.
“That situation was really depressing. Wherever they place you, you have to go. Moving to a place where you don’t know anyone, it’s really hard to adjust with a small child, with no one around you to help you. I didn’t know anybody, or have friends. So, it’s really hard, honestly. You can’t work, so you don’t have money apart from what they give you for yourself and your child.”

All her family are in the Philippines – they haven’t met her son; she hasn’t seen them for 17 years.

“Job-wise, going back at my age isn’t an option as earning money will be difficult. Even though it’s hard for me with my son, I’ll manage somehow. There’s more opportunity for him with education here.”

He has autism. “Now my visa is sorted, I’m allowed to work, but his autism stops me working fulltime, as I need to work around his school. He gets upset, and his moods change, so that makes it difficult for him to stay in the classroom. The main bridge for me was to get my visa sorted. When my son is a little bit older, I can go and find a job. I feel hopeful for that.”

The Home Office helped to sort her own accommodation in Hartlepool.

“I came into the Big League shop a few times as I needed some things for my house, and they helped me. Then, I came back again asking about work to freshen up my CV; being unable to work because of the visa issue left a gap on my CV. I asked the manager if I could help, and started doing voluntary work.”

Geralyn serves customers, sorts out donations, and deliveries.

Geralyn says she’s the latter.

As the Big League helped her, she says she feels happy to help others: “The things have been gifted to us, and we gift them on…I’m more connected, I don’t feel isolated anymore. Coming here, helping, it’s like a medicine for me. It’s healed me mentally. I was in a situation where I was isolated, and didn’t know anyone. Here, I feel like one of the family; they treat me like one of the family.”