Bolton social enterprise Starts with you celebrates six years of positive change

Starts with you, a Bolton social enterprise, is marking its sixth anniversary with a celebration of the impact it has made in Bolton and surrounding areas.

Over the past five years, the organisation has supported thousands of individuals, helping them into work and fostering positive change within the community.

To celebrate the milestone, Starts with you have unveiled a brand refresh and the launch of a new website.

Hayley Hulme, Managing Director of Starts with you, reflects on the milestone: "Our sixth anniversary marks a crucial point in our journey. In our relatively short life, we have grown to employ 46 employees, supported over 7,000 customers, helped over 160 people into work, and delivered more than £2 million in financial gains to local people. We've evolved and matured but remain committed to creating positive change. Our brand refresh embodies this evolution, and our new website will further highlight our services and vision of a kinder, fairer, and more prosperous society."

Starts with you offer a range of property services to ethical landlords in the housing sector and beyond, including building safety, caretaking, voids clearance and handypersons. The profits the organisation makes are either retained in the business to support their core purpose or donated to charity. This business model enables Starts with you to deliver programmes that break down barriers, build confidence and empower people to reach their full potential.

As a Real Living Wage employer and Member of the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter, Starts with you helps people in Bolton access quality employment. More than a third of its employees were out of work when recruited. In line with their commitment to creating positive change, Starts with you continues to work towards reducing barriers and improving access to good jobs, improving social, digital and financial inclusion, and positively impacting the communities of Bolton.

The brand refresh and website redesign were delivered collaboratively with Maxmedia, an award-winning marketing and communications agency specialising in sectors with purpose. Both organisations are subsidiaries of Bolton at Home.  

Lance Plachciak, Marketing and Partnerships Manager at Maxmedia, said: "We loved working with Starts with you on this project. It was an exciting challenge to deliver a brand refresh that reflects Starts with you’s growth, commercial vision, and their unwavering commitment to positive change. We believe the new website provides a robust platform for them to showcase their remarkable work and all the good they do to make Bolton and the wider world a better place.”