Bridging the Gap: Free Programme Helps Community Champions Formalise Their Impact

May 21, 2025

Allia today launches Start Strong, a free six-week programme to help Cambridgeshire and Peterborough residents register socially motivated organisations.

Allia, a pioneering charitable organisation with 25 years’ experience supporting social enterprises, is launching ‘Start Strong’, a programme designed to bridge the gap between informal community work and registered social enterprises. The initiative will harness the power of social enterprise by offering local changemakers and community groups an expert-led path to registering a social enterprise by 31st August 2025.

The programme, which begins on 16th June, will run cohorts in Papworth and Peterborough with a hybrid format allowing flexible participation.
Start Strong is part of a wider impact and business growth programme for the social enterprise and third sector in Cambridgeshire, funded by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and managed by Social Enterprise East of England (SEEE).

“Social enterprises are pivotal to growing a fairer economy,” says Deb Lee, Managing Director of Social Enterprise East of England. “Many passionate changemakers struggle to navigate the final hurdle of formally establishing their enterprises. Allia’s Start Strong programme directly addresses this by providing that crucial combination of expert knowledge, practical tools, and personal mentorship that turns great ideas into registered, operational social businesses or charities.”

Start Strong includes a built-in timeline for legal registration. Each cohort works through the registration steps during the six-week course to help them work out what structure their new social enterprise should be (CIC, Ltd, CIO, co-op or equivalent).

“We’ve designed Start Strong with a specific outcome in mind – turning purpose-driven ideas into registered, operational enterprises,” says Umesh Kumar, Head of Venture Support at Allia. “Unlike regular business support programmes, we are looking for people who are ready to register their social or environmental initiative – whether as a CIC, charity, limited company, or co-op – and help them choose the structure that fits best. We’ll be pairing each participant with a dedicated mentor to guide them through every stage of the process.”

Start Strong is specifically designed for individuals who:
• Live in Cambridgeshire or Peterborough
• Have a clear idea for a social or community enterprise
• Have not yet registered as a business or charity
• Are committed to taking decisive action by August

Past participants of Allia’s programmes have praised the quality and impact of the training:
“A brilliant course to help you learn how to develop your business/charity to stabilise, grow and flourish. Invaluable experienced tutors and speakers with a wealth of industry knowledge and experience are all on tap to support,” said one previous programme attendee.

Applications for Start Strong are now open. Interested individuals from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough can apply or ask questions at futurebusinesscentre.co.uk/programmes/start-strong