The Touchwood Project

This evening I’m working on the “Vision, Mission, Objectives” part of the business plan. I discovered I had actually taken out our vision in the most recent version of the plan, I think because I felt a bit bashful about wearing my heart so openly on my sleeve. What’s a vision and why should we have one? As Social Business Consulting explains in their post about Vision and Mission: Writing your vision is your… Read the rest of this article >>

Mr. Calcifer Touchwood. That would be the name of my business if he (and for some reason, he’s definitely a “he”) were a person. Let me explain. I came to this by reading the blog for social enterprises by Rob Greenland of Social Business Consulting, based in Leeds. Steadily working on the business plan, I thought it’d be fun to do some more thinking about how we want our guests to feel when they come to… Read the rest of this article >>

Here’s how I describe us in 30 seconds: The Touchwood Project helps people who want a more sustainable lifestyle but don’t have the skills, time or energy to do it all on their own. We run holidays and courses that give you the know-how, confidence and people to make changes in your life and the world. We’re based in the Orkney Islands in Scotland, but plan to open several centres worldwide, each  with a… Read the rest of this article >>

[Update: Well, RBS has turned us down. It's not a complete surprise, but it would have been nice if it hadn't taken 4 weeks to find out. So now we're on to Social Investment Scotland, who offer loans only to social enterprises in Scotland who have been turned down by commercial banks. We've sent our business plan and financial projections, and filled out a pretty comprehensive application form. So here's... Read the rest of this article >>

Malcolm and I are developing 4 different themes for our week-long holidays here in Orkney (and perhaps also in Perthshire): Eco Technology at Home Traditional Crafts and Culture Bushcraft and Outdoor Skills and Detox for Your Health The Detox for Your Health course is the one we have the least developed, because neither of us are health professionals. But I believe having a 5-day holiday where people… Read the rest of this article >>