Bolster Community

⭐Client Testimonial⭐ Check out this snapshot of our Bolster Buddies proudly delivering their handmade gifts to Southern Regional College! 🙌 Here’s what SRC had to say about the experience: “We are delighted to support Bolster Community by ordering our corporate gifts from their Acorn social enterprise. Some of the Bolster Buddies attended the SRC as students, so it is great to be able to continue our support - we know that Acorn provides the Buddies with opportunity and community outreach, and it is so lovely to see how proud they are of their candles. And rightly so, the gift hampers and candles we have received are gorgeous!!” Sarah-Jane McCann, Senior Marketing, Communications & Student Recruitment Officer, Southern Regional College. A huge thank you to SRC for using your purchasing power to spread inclusivity and support meaningful gifts. Looking for something special for your next corporate event? Get in touch with us – we’d love to help make your gifting meaningful too! 📧 acorn@bolstercommunity.org 📞 028 3083 5764 #ScentsOfAchievement #CorporateGifts

Look who’s featured in Ireland's Homes Interiors & Living Magazine! A huge thanks to IHIL Magazine for showcasing our Scents of Home candle range in the 'Made in Ireland' section. Inspired by the Mourne Gullion Strangford Geopark, this range celebrates home and marks our upcoming 20th anniversary. It’s also a lovely testament to all those involved – our talented team of young adults with mixed abilities, our incredible disability support staff, the brilliant artist Majukooo, and the talented Lavender Line Photography. A creative candle with a cause, supporting such meaningful work. We’re so proud to share this with you! Take a look and shop the range here: https://lnkd.in/eY7SZq8Q #ScentsOfHome #ScentsOfAchievement #MagazineFeature #SocialEnterprise Jacinta Linden Allison Slater Emma McFarline NMD Business (Newry, Mourne and Down District Council) Social Enterprise Northern Ireland

The trophy has arrived! A huge thank you again to Newry Chamber for recognising Bolster Community with the 'Best Social Enterprise Team' award. It truly takes a dedicated team to sustain and expand our social enterprise activities, and we’re incredibly proud of our passionate staff who are at the heart of our success. From our award-winning Acorn candles, soaps, and diffusers—handcrafted by adults with mixed abilities—to our evidence-based programmes like Friends Resilience products, which help reduce anxiety in children, and the Bolster Buddy Sessions, we’re committed to making a difference. These initiatives not only provide essential services but also generate income that supports our mission to improve the well-being of individuals and communities. We couldn’t do this without the continued support of amazing customers and collaborators like you. By purchasing Acorn candles or supporting the services above, you're directly contributing to creating opportunities for adults with learning disabilities and helping us sustain our work across the community. Learn more about our social enterprise activities in the following article: https://lnkd.in/e7EHM5xB Check out our #CorporateGifts with purpose here: https://lnkd.in/endr_i-A #SocialEnterprise #SupportingCommunity #AwardWinning

Wednesday’s 'Meet the Broker' event at Girdwood Community Hub, organised by the Strategic Investment Board was a powerful reminder of how social value can transform communities. Case studies from CAN Group, Heron Bros and others showcased the profound impact that’s possible when social value is embedded in procurement—not as a tick-box exercise to win contracts, but as a core principle that enhances both public and private sector outcomes. By integrating social value into procurement, we ensure that contracts not only meet their objectives but also generate lasting, positive ripple effects that benefit society as a whole. It was lovely to reconnect with familiar faces Valencia Yeo and Lisa Beers and a real pleasure to meet Fiona Anderson from Start360 (photo credits to Fiona - thank you!) If you’re a public or private sector organisation looking to meet your social value goals, reach out to us at Bolster Community. Working with us can not only help you achieve your targets but also create meaningful, rewarding outcomes for everyone involved.

Our Autism Connect service has officially expanded from Newry to Armagh & Banbridge, with our two new locations now officially up and running as of this week!!🎉 We couldn't be more proud of our staff, Newry members & parents for making Autism Connect what it is, and we look forward to seeing our new groups flourish in the same way 😍 For any groups or individuals interested in finding out more, do not hesitate to reach out to us!💜 Below, you'll find our interview with our brilliant Autism Connect Lead & Mentor, Orla Flinnighin 😎   Orla, who is Autism Connect for? Autism Connect is for individuals who have or are awaiting an autism-only diagnosis over the age of 18yrs+. It's a safe place to make new friends and experience new adventures. Sometimes we brew a cuppa and chat over boardgames, sometimes we go bowling, sometimes we have a movie night or themed party! We've had everything from Animation Workshops to Archery to music-making! What would you say to anyone who may be unsure or 'sitting on the fence' about whether they should sign up? It's all about what you make of it. What you put into Autism Connect, you get back. Our staff will be there to support you, give you opportunities & help you grow, but it's up to you to show up! It's a group setting that is different for everyone but the commonalities are always friendship, connection and fun. We have been running Autism Connect for over 2 years in Newry now... what have been some of the highlights for you so far, & what do you hope for in the future? Watching our members grow is my pride & joy! When we received The National Lottery Community Funding and celebrated with a trip to Stormont, it felt absolutely surreal. I hope to see more and more adults with autism finding themselves & discovering their passions.   For more details, follow the link below to the full blog👇 👇 👇 https://lnkd.in/dSmhMZxZ  #AutismAwareness #AutismAcceptance #Growth #Expansion #SocialEnterprise #CommunitySupport #BeKindToDifferentMinds 🌸

Thanks again to Newry Chamber for awarding Bolster Community 'Best Social Enterprise Team' - it does take a team to keep our Social Enterprise endeavours going, and growing! - and our passionate staff are at the core of both our Acorn Candles social enterprise and our evidence-based programmes (also part of our social enterprise) - but we also need your support and would love to see more local businesses give back to our community by supporting us... For e.g... your Business could sponsor a Friends For Life programme to run in a local school... you could help a whole class or year group with positive mental health & resilience! Earlier this year we were able to offer a Fun Friends programme to children who came to us via family support hub referrals thanks to Health Matters: Health & Safety Training - and with more direct sponsorship/support, we could offer more!!! #socialvalueinaction Businesses can also help us do more by choosing Acorn Candles for any Corporate or Christmas gifts. We've had much valued long-term support from both Kehoe Kars and Best Property Services and of course warmly welcome others who want to help us do their bit for the community. 🙌 Thanks to Board members Eamonn Connolly (Chair) and Paul Slevin for collecting our award from Sponsors Jack Murphy Jewellers (who incidentally are also much appreciated supporters of Acorn Candles!!). Thank you all. 👏

Thank you Fleur Anderson for highlighting the strength of the community & voluntary sector in NI at the recent Labour Party Conference event hosted by NICVA (Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action) & particularly for mentioning the work of Bolster. It’s been a super busy and successful week for us as we were also awarded the Social Enterprise winner at the Newry Chamber awards last night in Newry

Time For Me/#BuildingFutures (NMD) event recap! ✨ Glorious weather at the fabulous Ti Chulainn venue in Mullaghbawn set the scene yesterday morning (19.09). Our registered ladies took a chance on us and bravely turned up... we had a room of women all new to the programme, looking to engage and figure out a new pathway for themselves.👏 We had a wonderful intro from our CEO Jacinta Linden who spoke to women of a certain age, finally doing something for themselves... and an inspirational panel of ladies who have already participated in our BF's programme sharing their personal stories and just how much the programme has helped them. Powerful stuff that reaffirmed just how important programmes like this really are, and how we all should just take the chance more often!! #wisewomen 🥰 We had our charity partners Wood Innovations Ltd. and team from Jobs & Benefits Northern Ireland (Newry), supporting the women in the room, sharing advice and opportunities on offer!! 🙌 Words we heard included... ✨Liberating... ✨Positive progress... ✨A turning point... ✨Transformed... ✨Friendships made... ✨Nothing to lose... ✨I wish I'd done it 40yrs ago!!! Thank you all for making it a fantastic morning!!! 💜 Alongside our programme partners WOMEN'STEC and Women in Business NI, we now look forward to getting the latest term started!! 🔥🥰🙌 #womensupportingwomen

We had an incredible time at the NI Chamber Festival of Business today! It was a pleasure to connect with so many inspiring organisations and explore opportunities for collaboration and partnerships that drive forward the #BuySocial movement. A big thank you to Social Enterprise Northern Ireland for having us! We’re excited about the future and look forward to seeing our social enterprise, Acorn spread across Belfast and beyond, helping people shop with purpose. 🙌 #ScentsOfAchievement #CandlesWithCause #CorproateGifting #Collaboration

We are getting ready to launch our new term of the Building Futures programme – designed by ourselves and partners WOMEN'STEC and Women in Business NI - the programme has been designed to help women who have been out of the work force for some time, help them rediscover who they are, get back some confidence and look at what options might work for them moving forward - and ultimately, help them get there! They are the mums who have been busy raising a family, the daughters who have had caring duties, or those who have needed time out for any myriad of reasons – but now have a little time to refocus on themselves. We can’t underestimate how difficult it is for women who have been out of the workplace for a significant period of time… most know what it is like to have had a break between jobs and what that can do to your overall confidence levels, especially when applying for jobs and going for interviews. So this is a great opportunity for women who are ready to look, but just don't know where to start! We have had some amazing success stories so far. Over 200 women have been engaged in our NMD programme alone, with some already forging new career paths or taking on 3rd level study, and others already in new jobs – incredible results – and especially moving when we see some of the testimonials coming in and understand just how difficult it has been for some women out there. Just one example below... "I came across the Building Futures programme in Bolster community by accident, but it changed by life! I’m 45 years old, and as a result of surgery, I have been left with nerve damage and chronic pain. I had to give up work this just totally destroyed me. I had no purpose and no structure, I was lost. Then I saw the advert for the classroom assistant course and thought it would give me an insight into the job. This course has been brilliant… I now have a focus, I feel I’m getting some control back. This Building Futures Programme has brought light back into my life and a new career path...” (Classroom Assistant Participant). 💜 We want to make sure we are engaging with and helping as many women as possible in/around the Greater Newry and Downpatrick area’s (in Newry we have a focus on the rural locations of Slieve Gullion and Mayobridge). So if you personally know any women for whom this programme would benefit, please do forward them the image below (just copy the link to the post) or screenshot it to share… we’d be delighted to talk to them. We are also hosting a Time For Me BF's info morning next Thursday 19th September at Ti Chulainn Mullaghbawn (10am-12.30pm), and would warmly encourage any women able to travel there to reach out and register to attend. For any Building Futures related enquires please contact Tracy on 028 3083 5764. Or see link to FB post here: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eCTSmHMx #buildingfutures #womensupportingwomen