Top of the Town

Corinne is an accredited psychotherapist and an artist. She has previously worked in NHS secondary mental health care services and has run therapeutic workshops and group art activities.

Corinne came to Action Hampshire, one of the Inspiring Enterprise partner organisations, to get support to develop Top of the Town (TotT), an art therapy enterprise based in Basingstoke, Hampshire.

TotT will offer art workshops and group activities for vulnerable members of the community who might not otherwise get the opportunity to engage with arts activities. It will also offer services to the general public to generate income that can then be used to fund workshop spaces for people unable to pay.

The artwork that results from the workshops will be displayed online and, eventually, at TotT’s premises which Corinne hopes will house both a studio and a gallery space.

How has the IE programme helped?

I can’t fault the support I’ve received. It guided me through an important development process and encouraged me to look at some fundamentals of building an enterprise that I would have not been aware of. E.g. articulating the vision, mission and values. I felt totally supported thanks to the team’s willingness to listen and stay in touch, especially when things got tough.

What have been your highlights of the programme?

Getting Top of the Town set up as a Community Interest Company would have been way beyond my capabilities and it’s only with the support of the team that I have now been able to do that.

Also, the team signposted me to government support called Access to Work, which I was eligible to receive as I am dyslexic. It has been amazing to have found this support that I wouldn’t have otherwise known about.

What would you say to someone else who is considering joining the programme?

Get on the case! You don’t need to have a completely informed idea as the team will help you from the very beginning so that your idea evolves into something realistic

For more information about Top of the Town CIC go to basingstoketopofthetown@gmail.com

About Inspiring Enterprise

The Inspiring Enterprise Programme, funded by The National Lottery community Fund and European Social Fund,
aims to give individuals who are not in earned income to have the opportunity of finding out
how to set up a social enterprise with a view of starting their own business, go on to further
training or gain more confidence in order to get a job.

Do you have a dream of setting up your own social enterprise? Contact Alison Bridge at alison.bridge@actionhampshire.org, or call 01962 854971