St Neots Initiative Advances Towards Charitable Incorporated Association at Annual General Meeting

01 Jun St Neots Initiative Advances Towards Charitable Incorporated Association at Annual General Meeting

St Neots, Cambridgeshire – 25th May 2023 – St Neots Initiative (SNI) successfully held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Wednesday, 24th May 2023, at Art and Soul Café in St Neots. The event saw a strong turnout and sparked engaging discussions among attendees.

During this significant meeting, SNI announced its plans to restructure and transition into a Charitable Incorporated Association (CIO), following valuable legal advice. The decision to propose this change was driven by the challenges associated with the current association structure which limited its potential to scale.

At the AGM, a large majority of voting members supported the proposed changes, including the approval of a revised temporary constitution to align with the new structure and to allow the formal transition into a CIO. These decisions mark a significant milestone for SNI as it continues its journey towards greater impact and effectiveness.

The leadership team also underwent important changes, with Alex Hughes being re-elected as Chair and Daniel Dodson elected to the role of Vice Chair. The Initiative expressed deep appreciation to Gordon Round, the former Vice Chair, for his invaluable contributions throughout the years as both Chair and Vice Chair. Additionally, Gordon stepped down from his
position as Chair of the Promotion and Tourism Group, with Liz Davies taking on the role of Chair and Charlie O’Brien appointed as Vice Chair.

Reflecting on the achievements of the past year, Alex Hughes stated, “We can all take pride in what we have accomplished. From the successful relaunch of SNI in March 2023 to the recognition of outstanding citizens through our Awards program, and most notably, the upcoming opening of the Citizen Hub in June 2023.”

In collaboration with eVolve Your Future, the Citizen Hub will be situated at the former Elsie May’s Electric Lounge, a location that holds historical significance as the former Job Centre. eVolve Your Future, an independent training provider with 17 years of experience supporting individuals in the East Midlands, expressed their excitement about this collaborative endeavour with St Neots Initiative. The Citizen Hub aims to foster a new era of collaboration in the town, offering a wide range of skills training for both citizens and organisations, thereby enhancing the local job market and employment prospects. Whilst working with the Initiative, that has operated in the town for almost three decades, all parties hope to see this thrive with the support of the community to become a beacon for how other market towns can be creative with how they support themselves.

Furthermore, SNI announced the launch of its Job Finder, which will operate from the Citizen Hub starting this summer. This initiative seeks to address the pressing employment crisis faced by the local economy, primarily caused by the lack of infrastructure connecting local businesses with the town’s talented citizens.

SNI proudly revealed its sponsorship of the St Neots Festival, scheduled to take place on 23rd and 24th June 2023 at Priory Park in St Neots. As a sponsor, SNI will be associated with one of the stages, aptly named The Future Stage, adding to the excitement and positive experiences of festival-goers.

Residents interested in becoming citizen members of St Neots Initiative are encouraged to sign up for free via the organisation’s website: www.stneotsinitiative.org.uk

For all media enquiries, please contact Debbie Phillips (St Neots Initiative Secretary) on secretary@stneotsinitiative.org.uk.

About St Neots Initiative

St Neots Initiative (SNI) is at the heart of the beautiful market town of St Neots in Cambridgeshire. The independent organisation works with the local community, businesses, and authorities to make real change; promoting and further developing St Neots to be a great place to live, work and play.

Previously known as the St Neots Town Centre Initiative, the group was formed in late 1996 and was funded to support the Town Centre Manager. Now, the SNI is run by volunteers and relies on membership fees from local companies to fulfil its strategy based on the four pillars of focus;

• What quality of life do we wish to see over the next 10 years?
• What qualities of place are required for this quality of life?
• What are the qualities of a ‘good economy’ to support our aspirations?
• What is the message we want to send to the rest of the UK?

As an independent organisation, St Neots Initiative work alongside everyone in St Neots – individual residents, businesses and charitable organisations – towards these shared goals.