As part of the Sovini Trade Supplies ‘Rising Stars Programme’, Sovini Trade Supplies and Sovini Property Services have joined forces by providing materials and donating their time and knowhow to redecorate a volunteer-run community café – the Kindfulness Coffee Club, in Bootle.

Providing vital support to the local area, the Kindfulness Coffee Club offer a number of essential services, ranging from a charity shop to a baby bank, mental health support services and much more.

The Sovini Group has long supported the Kindfulness Coffee Club, offering services, materials and donations throughout the years. On this longstanding relationship, Mandy, Well-being Manager at the Kindfulness Coffee Club, commented:

“We’re like a big family. We survive off volunteers – we don’t have much money and that’s why Sovini are fabulous in supporting us. This isn’t the first time they’ve supported us and they’re always there to support us when they can, which is great.”

The importance of the complete facelift that Sovini has given the café area is that having a nice environment makes the people that come here feel valued, feel important and makes them feel cared for and not forgotten about.”

Kelly Gerry, Administrative Assistant at Sovini Trade Supplies Eccles and member of the Rising Stars Programme, said:

“Kindfulness Coffee Club is a small local charity, and their vision is of a community connected by kindness. They strive to improve mental health and well-being and aim to reduce loneliness and social isolation with groups such as mother & baby, drop-in sessions, mental health support, plus much more.

When it came to choosing a charity for our project, their vision really stood out to us. With recent events of covid and lockdowns, it’s really highlighted how important these charities are and how they can bring people and communities together to feel supported.

For a small charity, they have a big impact and really are changing lives, which fits in with our vision and values at Sovini of ‘Creating Opportunities & Changing Lives.’

In the short time we were there, we really got to see first-hand how crucial this charity is to so many people.”

Assistant Branch Manager at Sovini Trade Supplies Aintree, Stephen Edwards, added:

“Its a charity I was really happy to be helping. I’m also from Bootle, and it really is a one of a kind in the area. Being able to offer help to people in some small way that I may have been in previous contact with, without know some of the struggles or hardships they have been through really makes me feel proud to be a part of this project.”

Rising Stars

The Sovini Trade Supplies Rising Stars programme is an employee scheme which looks to develop employee skills and knowledge and aims to provide the tools to progress into more senior roles, with the value of ‘promotion from within’ being at the core of the project.

Stevan Cilic, Warehouse Assistant at Sovini Trade Supplies Eccles, commented the following on the Rising Stars programme:

“The Rising Stars programme started last year and is for anybody within Sovini Trade Supplies team who would like to learn more with the aim of progressing through the company. The programme provides you with the skills you need to learn more, know more and to push yourself on projects you otherwise might not get involved in.”