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Dragons' Den - 26 November 2009

The bi-monthly BEST Dragons’ Den took place on 26 November at the Orange Studio in the City Centre.

The Dragons on the panel in the morning were: Richard Billingham – Head of Organisational Development and Learning, Chris Gibbs – Assistant Director of Revenues & Benefits, Trevor Vaughan – People Matters and Resourcing Director for Service Birmingham and Claire Varley – Generation BEST Project Officer.

First to face the dragons were BEST Leader Dave Rose and his colleague Tracey Hewitt from Selly Oak Constituency Office in the Housing & Constituencies Directorate. Dave and Tracey were hoping to raise funds to set up and hold a constituency awards ceremony, where staff and local residents can be rewarded in front of their peers for the work they do in the local community. They gave an innovative and humorous presentation detailing why their scheme would make a difference not only to staff but those living and volunteering within the constituency. The dragons thought the concept and presentation were great and were happy to support it with some conditions. They wanted Dave to provide costings and look into sponsorship to help the project continue after the first year.

Next up in front of the BEST dragons were the Clearance Team from within the Housing & Constituencies Directorate. The team, led by Sue Jones & James Knapp were hoping to secure funding for a paint balling team building away day. The away day would be a bonding experience and would include 20 staff from across 3 departments. The dragons felt that whilst the cost per head was relatively small there were ways of having a team building day with the same outcomes with much less or zero cost. Dragon Richard Billingham offered to help the team source something that was suitable for their needs.

The team from Sheldon Country Park, in the Environment & Culture Directorate, were next to brave the dragons. Manager Kenroy Edwards stood in for their BEST Leader who was unwell and unable to attend. Ken gave a passionate, energetic and enthusiastic presentation, speaking confidently about the role of the park within the community and how a simple spruce up would make the world of difference to staff morale and the impression and enjoyment of service users. Funding would be used to purchase materials such as paint, brushes and overalls, in addition to this, refreshments would be made available to the staff, junior rangers and volunteers who would work in their own time during a weekend to accomplish the project. The dragons felt that this was an excellent idea and a great way of team building, they were more than happy to support the project.

Last to pitch their funding request to the dragons in the morning were the Erdington Home Care Team from the Adults & Communities Directorate, led by manager Caroline Rhoden. The team were looking for funding for a photocopier and fax machine that would both fit in their limited office space and deal with the volume of paperwork that would be generated. The team set the scene very well and gave a compelling argument for their request. The dragons were unable to grant funding for this request. However, dragon Trevor Vaughan from Service Birmingham committed to finding a suitable solution for the team.

The afternoon session saw a change of dragons on the panel: Mirza Ahmad – Corporate Director of Governance, Jen Walton – Head Of Organisation & Management Support & BEST Sponsor for the Chief Executive’s Directorate, Andrew Potter – Directorate Engagement Manager for Development, Environment & Culture and Teresa Evans –BEST Programme Officer for Housing & Constituencies.

Pauline Woodward, BEST Leader at Charles House Children's Home in the Children Young People & Families Directorate, applied to the Dragons' Den to help them decorate the bedrooms in an "around the world" theme. Pauline, her colleague Doreen and two service users, both named James, put their case to the panel. They detailed how the bedrooms are in total need of refurbishment from walls to décor and need some love and attention due to continual use and wear and tear. The team have already started the work and have rooms decorated using themes such as Egypt and Africa and would like to continue this process throughout the whole home. The young people have requested to take part in the design and decoration, this will give a real feeling of ownership and pride in their surroundings. The dragons were bowled over by their presentation and not only awarded them the funding they were looking for but dragon Mirza Ahmad personally pledged extra funding to help create an Olympic themed communal area.

Last to face the dragons for the day were the team from Connexions Central, based in the city centre, who have begun to produce bi-monthly newsletters for young people who are not engaged in education, employment or training (NEET). Connexions youth advisors have contributed with their suggestions but are looking to stimulate ideas from those who the newsletter is aimed at, in the hope of making it a more useful and relevant read for their service users. The team are also looking to increase attendance at NEET events and obtain feedback about them to ensure that activities reflect their needs and contribute to ECM outcomes. BEST Leader, Lorell Akins, and her colleague approached the BEST Dragons' Den for funding to help provide incentives to reward those whose suggestions are used. The dragons were very happy to support this idea.

If you would like to apply for Dragons’ Den or would like further information please contact Lucy L Kenny on 0121 675 1579 or email BEST. You can also check out the Dragons' Den section on this website for more information.