Social enterprise hit by 'disaster' as thief swipes £5,000 worth of equipment
A rural Stirling social enterprise was left reeling this week after a brazen thief stole equipment worth £5,000.
Green Aspirations is a social enterprise dedicated to reconnecting people with their environment, operating from woodlands based at the Cardross Estate, Port of Menteith.
The enterprise was established by Paul Cookson, who now manages the company alongside his partner Jo Edwards.
They were devastated to find that several crucial tools had been pinched upon their return from holiday last weekend.
Green Aspirations offers workshops, kids holiday clubs, events, products (charcoal, traditional games, other small items), volunteering opportunities, and sustainable woodland management – all focused on imparting traditional rural skills, such as green woodworking and blacksmithing. The emphasis is on teaching people to create things themselves and encouraging them to consider the origins and manufacturing processes of items.
The enterprise has been operational since 2013.
An online fundraiser has now been launched to help the group replace the stolen items.
Jo told the Stirling Observer: "We had around £5,000 of equipment stolen that's really essential in what we do, so it's been a real blow, but at the same time, people are being really generous with their donations and offers of help, which has been amazing."
Among the stolen items were two chainsaws – a STIHL 231 and a STIHL 661 , am Alaskan chainsaw mill, a generator, a circular saw, and various hand tools.
Jo added: "The chainsaws are an integral part of the charcoal side of the business, and we're probably the second biggest charcoal producer in Scotland, so losing them is a bit of a disaster.
"We buy our charcoal wood from the Cambusbarron Development Trust, and then process it on our site, so we've had to borrow a chainsaw this week to keep that going.
"The chainsaw mill is used for preparing materials for workshops, so we've had to postpone the workshop we had planned for this weekend, as we can't get the pieces ready. While we've not cancelled, it does mean that the weekend we've moved it to now can't be used for any other workshops.
"The other tools are also used for workshop prep, as well as helping us make the traditional games – stocked in Made in Stirling, so we'll have to find another way to keep that going while we sort things out."
Regarding financial struggles, Jo added: "We're around 90 per cent supported through income we generate ourselves, rather than through grant funding, so all of this means that if we don't generate the income, then we can't pay our bills, or our one member of staff who works with us a couple of days a week.
"We rarely pay ourselves as it is, although we were nearly at that point before this happened, so [this is] just another frustration."
The Crowdfunder page states: "As a social enterprise, we operate on a pretty tight budget. So when something like this happens – the theft of a number of pretty expensive bits of kit – it really sets you back. We're looking for various sources of funding to help us replace what's been taken, but we're looking at all the avenues we can. So we're hoping you can help!".
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