Rooted in Hull, which brings the concept of a ‘farm in a box’ directly into the centre of Hull, has worked extensively with the local business community, including Bonus Electrical.
Business Case Study: Rooted in Hull and Bonus Electrical
Rooted in Hull, which brings the concept of a ‘farm in a box’ directly into the centre of Hull, has worked extensively with the local business community, including Bonus Electrical.
Sited on a derelict piece of land in the city, the project aims to revolutionise how the local community view, eat and celebrate fresh food. The farm is being built on free-standing platforms - shipping containers, planters, moveable boxes – the idea being that if the land they are situated on changes use, the farm can literally up and move to another unused piece of land in the city.
From the outset this project has sought the support of the local business community. Project founders met early on in the process with the City Leadership Board, a group of local businesses that work with the council to advise on plans that will have economic viability for the city. They met Rooted in Hull’s proposals with enthusiasm.
Rooted is not just about ‘greening the city’ or tackling food poverty, it is centred around education, employment and creating a more robust workforce. Local businesses are interested in investing in the health and wellbeing of potential local employees, as well as economic stability and a big part of tackling this is to get more people back into work or onto new career paths.
Gaining support from the business community from the very beginning has proved really beneficial to Rooted. One of their principal supporters has been Bonus Electrical, an electric wholesaler, retailer and renewable energy specialist. Bonus is a big employer in the area, with a solid reputation of corporate social responsibility.
When they heard about Rooted, felt they had to get involved. What appealed in particular was that the project was unique and involved local people working for the good of their community which chimed with Bonus Electrical’s core beliefs. The company is also located very close to the Rooted site, meaning staff would benefit from a local community hub, especially if it served fresh, local food at lunch time!
Their first offer of support to Rooted came in the form of heavily-discounted electrical light fittings – everything from sockets, plugs and light fittings, which was hugely appreciated.
Rooted hasn’t been shy in approaching other corporate supporters and several local businesses have embraced the project. They now count organisations such as construction firm Hobson and Porter and Hudgell Solicitors as principal supporters. National building supplier Jewson is also helping out in the construction phase, donating much needed materials to the project where they can and providing a healthy discount when they can’t.
Rooted sees its relationship with business as fundamental to its long-term success and foresees a future where corporate supporters will be able to pop over to the community café on site for lunch and also partake in growing and cooking or other activities.
Visit the Rooted in Hull website
You can download and share this case study by clicking on the Download Resource button below.