2023 is already flying by, and we hosted our first SOUP of the year on 9th February. It was a record-breaking night with over one-hundred attendees. And, thanks to their donations, we raised our largest fund to date! We heard from three fantastic pitchers, as well as lots of other great projects from around Liverpool. Here’s a recap:
Meet the pitchers...
Autism Friendly Barber
To kick-off the evening, we hear from Charlene who’s been running an ‘Autism Friendly’ barbershop. This began as a service for neurodiverse children who found getting a haircut challenging. But it has grown into a space that welcomes everybody who needs it.
Charlene is incredibly busy, but she wants to make sure as many people as possible can benefit from an Autism Friendly haircut. To do this, she is creating a training course for parents and carers. This way, they’ll be able to cut their own child’s hair when it is difficult to get to a barber shop.
Get in touch with Charlene if you can support the creation of this course, or help with marketing/printing.
Instagram: instagram.com/peace_barbers_charlene
Find out more: Liverpool Echo article
Wirral MakeFest
Next-up, we heard from Wirral MakeFest. It’s a celebration of arts, crafts, engineering, and science! This one-day festival wants to give people in Birkenhead free, hands-on experiences that will inspire the next generation of artists, inventors, and innovators.
Wirral MakeFest would love to hear from local businesses and community organisations to help fundraise for this event, spread the word, or offer other in-kind support. Volunteers to help at the festival are welcome too!
Website: wirralmakefest.org
Facebook: facebook.com/wirralmakefest
Twitter: twitter.com/WirralMakeFest
Instagram: instagram.com/wirralmakefest
Meet the winning project
…and the winning project was R-SPACE, taking away an awe-inspiring £1,878. Thanks to everybody who voted and donated. You’ve made a huge difference in the community!
R-SPACE
R-SPACE supports people recovering from addiction. Everybody at R-SPACE is on a different journey. Members arrive through Liverpool Community Alcohol Service, the BRINK, Transforming Choice, RISE, SHARP - and beyond. No story is the same, because no addiction is the same. But what everybody at R-SPACE has in common, is a shared aim to support each other and enjoy a great quality of life.
R-SPACE helps people feel less lonely and more connected by organising historical, cultural, and physical trips/activities. They encourage anyone in recovery to enjoy the amazing things our city has to offer and seek out new experiences. The micro-fund will help them keep doing just that. Congratulations to the whole R-SPACE team!
More inspiring stuff across Liverpool
In addition to our three pitches, we had time for a number of guest-speaking spots throughout the evening. Starting with the return of the winning pitch from November 2022!
Urban Grow
Urban Grow encourages people to grow food in their own homes. They provide start-up gardening packs to support local people as they begin their home-grown adventures. The results are healthier, cheaper food and less waste! Urban Grow won the SOUP micro-fund last year, and returned to share their progress with everyone. They said,
“[The micro-fund] changed our charity's life. We got insurance to run our workshops and invest in things we can use year on year. We encourage anybody with an idea to apply [to Liverpool SOUP]. What have you got to lose? It's incredible!”
Instagram: instagram.com/urban_grow_liverpool
Sixty-second Soapbox
We also invited members of the audience on stage to share any other community-driven events and projects they wanted to shout about. In case you missed any, here’s a reminder:
Be Free Campaign - befreecampaign.org/
The Be Free Campaign is a mental health charity that aims to give people the tools they need to look after their mental health.
Crochet Club - instagram.com/craftyfoxcrochetclub
Try out crochet (or meet some fellow crochet-veterans) at this fun and friendly meet-up. It’s free to attend, with snacks and drinks available to buy at the venue.
Saving Ron’s Place - ronsplace.co.uk
A fundraising campaign to save Ron’s Place from going to auction. This colourful and creative property is a much-loved part of Birkenhead. Visit it for yourself, and help save it if you can!
A festival of brilliant cover bands, raising donations (both money and food) to support independent community food spaces across Liverpool on Saturday 1st April 2023.
Liverpool Tool Library - liverpooltoollibrary.org.uk
The average drill, used at home by a non-professional, will only be used for around 13 minutes throughout its entire lifetime! The Liverpool Tool Library lets you borrow over 800 different tools, which is great for your wallet and the planet.
The Veteran’s Green Energy Forum - greenenergyforum.org
A networking group to bring together the renewable energy sector and tackle employment inequality within it.
Mersey Green Network Map - transitionliverpool.org/mersey-green-network-map
A project mapping all the green enterprises within the Mersey region. Put yourself on the map!
DOES Liverpool - doesliverpool.com
An independent makerspace, co-working space, and education hub. It’s an affordable way for anybody to try out laser-cutters, 3D printers, and unlock access to creativity.
Don’t forget
A final shout-out to Ben Pavely who returned to SOUP with another magical musical performance. Support Ben on Instagram at: instagram.com/benpaveley
And join our mailing list to keep up with the latest event news or apply to pitch your own project next time!
Mailing list: liverpoolsoup.co.uk/mailing-list
FAQs: liverpoolsoup.co.uk/faqs
