Share in ending child poverty in Moray
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A brand new approach to combatting child poverty is gaining momentum in Moray.
R-evolution for Good, which has been set up by Debi Weir from Craigellachie, has launched a share offer.
It's a business deal with a difference.
People can invest between £25 for one share in the social enterprise, up to a maximum of £4,000 which will gain them 160 shares.
So far the share offer has succeeded in attracting more than £11,000 of investment to tackle the cycle of hardship that prevents some Moray families from getting themselves on even keel.
R-evolution for Good's aim is to raise £40,000.
That money will be used to deliver a range of training and development courses to businesses, including food safety, manual handling and customer services.
Then 100% of the profits from this will go towards providing one-to-one support to local families.
Debi, who is a senior youth worker with Moray Council, said: "It's a relatively new concept but it's a very exciting one.
"The investors get 3% interest every year on their cash.
"Meanwhile, families receive help from what's known as a progression coach.
"That's someone who will be able to work shoulder to shoulder with them and allow them to fill their potential."
Before moving up to Moray from the central belt Debi worked with the homeless charity Crisis.
She said that, sometimes when folk get into difficulties, they need help to identify and tackle the root cause of their problems.
Once that's done, all their other issues start to resolve themselves.
She gives the examples of 'Kevin' who, following a mental breakdown, found himself homeless and jobless.
It turned out that the root of his problems were his feelings of guilt for turning off the life support machine of his child.
With the help of Debi and others Kevin has been able to completely turn his life around.
Debi, who also runs the Moray School Bank, said: "The analogy I use is that we sit in the driver's seat, while the client is the passenger seat.
"However, they are the ones navigating and deciding in which direction we're going.
"Then, when they feel able, we swap seats and they also take over the driving while we look on as passengers.
"Eventually we get out of the car and they are left to carry on the journey by themselves."
Find out much more about R-evolution for Good and its share offer here
