Funding & Impact (2017–2026)
A Positive Start CIC is a community interest company working to increase access to trauma-informed counselling, prevention programmes, and emotional wellbeing support across the Scottish Borders. Much of our work depends on external funding. When funding is available, we can offer services free of charge to people on low or no income. When funding is unavailable, we continue to provide support through reduced-cost options wherever possible so that access does not stop altogether.
All funding received by A Positive Start CIC has been project-specific and time-limited rather than core organisational funding.
We share this timeline openly to:
+ Explain when services are fully funded
+ Show what funding has supported in the past
+ Clarify what is currently available
+ Highlight where gaps remain
+ Demonstrate the impact of investment in community mental health support
This page helps both clients and funders understand how services grow — and why funding makes such a difference locally.
The timeline below shows how A Positive Start CIC has been funded over time, what each award supported, and how community contributions helped sustain services between grants. Community fundraising initiatives — including Handmade in the Scottish Borders and our local community thrift shop — played an important role in maintaining premises and supporting service delivery during key stages of the organisation’s development.
Between 2017–2019
Funding secured: £0
Multiple applications submitted: Not successful during this period
During the early development years (2017–2019), a local volunteer supported A Positive Start CIC by hand-knitting high-quality babywear through a small community initiative called Made in the Scottish Borders. Although these items were sold at modest prices well below their true value, the project generated essential early income that helped keep the organisation running during a period of uncertainty while formal funding applications were still unsuccessful. This volunteer contribution reflects the strong community belief in the vision of A Positive Start CIC from its earliest beginnings.
Between 2019–2021
Funding secured: £5,000 (early-stage development support)
Multiple additional applications submitted: Not successful during this period
Between 2019 and 2021, A Positive Start CIC continued to operate primarily through voluntary effort, lived-experience leadership, and community engagement while building the foundations for later programme delivery.
Small early-stage development awards from 2019–2021 helped support this groundwork, including:
£1,000 from Circular Economy Scotland (2020)
£1,000 from Scottish Borders Social Enterprise Chamber (2021)
£3,000 Seed-corn Funding from Scottish Borders Social Enterprise Chamber (2019–2020) supporting pilot delivery of STAND – Parents as Protectors
Alongside these early contributions, several additional funding applications were submitted but were unsuccessful during this period.
This stage included the early development of:
STAND – Parents as Protectors
Trauma Informed TRUST
Early Thrift Shop Ideas (Pre-Wear)
Community trauma-informed workshop models
Student placement pathways
Early prevention-focused support approaches
These foundations later enabled A Positive Start CIC to secure larger programme funding from 2022 onwards and expand access to trauma-informed support across the Scottish Borders.
Since 2017, A Positive Start CIC has grown from a small, lived-experience initiative supported by volunteers and community belief into a recognised provider of trauma-informed counselling, prevention programmes, and training across the Scottish Borders.
Every stage of this journey has been shaped by the people who trusted us, supported us, and walked alongside us.
We are still here.
And now, as we move to Harestanes and begin the next stage of our development, we are building a sustainable wellbeing community designed to support people for many years to come.
Thank you to everyone who has helped make this possible — and to those who will be part of what comes next.
Funding Timeline (2019–2026)
| Year | Funder | Amount | Purpose | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025–2026 | Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund | £9,000 (£18,000 requested) | Delivery of Reconnect & Regulate | Supporting emotional regulation, connection and early intervention across the Scottish Borders (delivery beginning summer 2026 at Harestanes) |
| 2025 | Susan & Scott Drummond | £100 | Service delivery support | Community contribution helping sustain access to trauma-informed support |
| 2024 | Scottish Borders Council – Hawick Common Good Fund | £3,000 | Premises and running costs | Helped maintain a stable base for counselling and wellbeing services |
| 2024–2025 | Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund | £18,117.23 (£22,000 requested) | Counselling, family sessions, groups, placements | Delivered approx. 1,740 hours of support to 125 people and enabled River Room sessions, STAND development, and student placements |
| 2023–2024 | Cycling for Mental Health Programme | £16,660 | Cycles, equipment, storage and delivery costs | Supported movement-based wellbeing activity and outdoor regulation opportunities across the Borders |
| 2023 | Former Client Donation | £200 | Counselling support costs | Helped sustain accessible local support |
| 2023 | Anonymous Thrift Shop Customer | £50 | Service delivery support | Community contribution supporting continuity of provision |
| 2023 | Hawick Rotary Club | £125 | Service delivery support | Local investment in community wellbeing access |
| 2022–2024 | Self Discovery for Recovery Programme | £81,250 | Premises, staffing, delivery, training and placements | Enabled all services to be free to end users during this period and established A Positive Start CIC’s current service model |
| 2021 | Christine Kyle | £30 | Service delivery support | Early community support helping sustain provision |
| 2021 | Scottish Borders Social Enterprise Chamber | £1,000 | Organisational development support | Contributed to early-stage development of A Positive Start CIC’s trauma-informed community support model during its foundation phase |
| 2019–2020 | Scottish Borders Social Enterprise Chamber – Seedcorn Funding | £3,000 | Development of STAND – Parents as Protectors | Supported pilot workshops and safeguarding programme development |
| 2019-2020 | Circular Economy Scotland | £1,000 | Early organisational support | Supported the early development of A Positive Start CIC as a community-based social enterprise working to increase access to wellbeing support in the Scottish Borders |
The True Cost of Providing Community Support
Although external funding has enabled many of our services to be delivered free of charge in the past, the ongoing cost of running A Positive Start CIC is approximately £4,000 per month (around £48,000 per year) before staffing costs are fully met.
If core practitioner roles and administrative support were funded at sustainable levels, the true annual cost of delivering our services would be closer to £120,000 per year.
Alongside funded delivery, our work is supported by:
- approximately 700 volunteer hours each year
- supervised student counsellor placements
- unpaid leadership time
- personal financial contribution from the director
This combination allows us to continue providing accessible trauma-informed support across the Scottish Borders even when funding is limited.
Leadership Contribution and Sustainability
Since founding A Positive Start CIC in 2017, the organisation has been developed alongside employed roles undertaken by the founder and Managing Director to sustain both the service and personal income. During this period, external funding was prioritised for programme delivery, premises, and supporting practitioners rather than leadership salary.
Alongside building A Positive Start CIC, the founder and Managing Director worked in roles including Shelter (2017–2018), Just Cycle (2018–2024), school-based support (2024–2025), and Borders College (2026) while continuing to develop and deliver trauma-informed community support through the organisation.
This approach allowed early funding — including the Self Discovery for Recovery project — to be used directly for community benefit and workforce development rather than organisational leadership costs.
As A Positive Start CIC continues to grow and respond to increasing demand across the Scottish Borders, the organisation is now moving towards a more sustainable structure that includes permanent leadership capacity. Supporting this transition will help ensure continuity, stability, and long-term access to trauma-informed support locally.
This marks an important stage in moving from a founder-led voluntary infrastructure towards a sustainable community mental health organisation for the Scottish Borders.
Current Unfunded Areas (2026)
| Service Area | Funding Status |
|---|---|
| Counselling with qualified practitioners | £0 available |
| Student counsellor-funded places | £0 available |
| STAND – Parents as Protectors | £0 available |
When funding becomes available, these services are prioritised for people on low or no income. Updates are shared on our website as funding changes.
Funding Applications in Progress (2026)
| Funder | Project | Status | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| CashBack for Communities (with Burnfoot Hub) | Trauma-informed youth work programme | Award confirmed – allocation pending (April 2026) | Delivery of emotional regulation activities for young people using Reconnect & Regulate and the River Room Songbook |
| Awards for All | Accessible counselling through supervised student placements at Harestanes | Application in discussion | Expanding low-cost counselling access for people on low and no incomes |
| Community Led Local Development (CLLD) | Harestanes Wellbeing Community coordination and delivery capacity | Expression of Interest submitted | Supporting staffing, coordination and infrastructure required to establish the Harestanes Wellbeing Community as a sustainable rural wellbeing hub |
| Stephen Lloyd Awards | Rural wellbeing access pilot (community transport and preventative access model) | Application submitted | Testing a replicable rural model improving access to preventative emotional wellbeing support in rural communities |
| Laughology | River Room Songbook learning resources | Application submitted | Printing River Room Songbooks, stickers and supporting materials for children’s emotional regulation learning in schools and community settings |
Alongside our current funded work, A Positive Start CIC continues to apply for funding to increase access to counselling, prevention programmes, and community wellbeing activity across the Scottish Borders.
These applications reflect our commitment to strengthening early-intervention support, reducing isolation, and improving access to trauma-informed services in rural communities.
Why We Share Applications in Progress
Demand for counselling and community wellbeing support in the Scottish Borders continues to grow. Sharing funding applications in progress helps explain:
- why some services are currently full or limited
- why free counselling places are not always available
- how we are working to expand support sustainably
- where future provision may become available
Updates will be shared here as decisions are received.
Community Fundraising Support
Alongside grant funding and donations, community fundraising has played an important role in sustaining A Positive Start CIC at key stages of its development.
The Handmade in the Scottish Borders initiative generated approximately £1,000 through the sale of volunteer-created hand-knitted babywear during the organisation’s early years.
Between 2023 and 2025, a small community thrift shop operated to help cover essential premises costs, contributing regular income during a period of high demand when funding remained project-specific and time-limited.
These community-led efforts reflect the strong local support that has helped A Positive Start CIC continue delivering trauma-informed services across the Scottish Borders.
Total Investment into A Positive Start CIC Since 2017
£139,532.23
This reflects the combined support of national funders, local organisations, seed funding partners, individual community members, those who have contributed personally by paying for counselling and workshops, and community fundraising initiatives including Handmade in the Scottish Borders (2017–2018) and the community thrift shop (June 2023 – January 2025).
Together, these contributions helped sustain premises and service delivery during key stages of the organisation’s development.
This represents an average investment of approximately:
£15,503 per year
Much of this work has also been delivered alongside significant voluntary leadership time and community contribution, extending the impact of every funding award.
All funding received by A Positive Start CIC has been project-specific and time-limited rather than core funding. This means services can be offered free of charge while funding is active, but may return to low-cost or donation-supported delivery once those funding periods end.
Community Impact Since 2017
Since 2017, A Positive Start CIC has supported individuals, families and communities across the Scottish Borders through trauma-informed counselling, prevention programmes, safeguarding education, student placements and community wellbeing initiatives. Impact is reflected not only in individual experiences of support but also in the wider strengthening of emotional awareness, connection, and early-intervention opportunities across the community.
Our work has contributed to:
- increased access to local trauma-informed counselling
- early emotional regulation support before crisis escalation
- safeguarding awareness for parents, professionals and communities
- development of future trauma-informed practitioners through student placements
- community-based prevention programmes such as Reconnect & Regulate, STAND – Parents as Protectors, and the River Room Songbook
- partnership working with schools, NHS services, Whole Family Support, Children & Families, DWP and third-sector organisations
- reducing isolation by creating safe relational spaces for reflection and connection
Testimonials provide one window into this work, but the full impact is reflected in sustained demand for services, continued referrals from statutory partners, and the growth of community-led wellbeing activity across the region.
We are grateful to everyone who has contributed to this journey — including funders, partner organisations, past and present board members and team members, volunteers, student counsellors, community supporters, customers of our thrift shop, donors, and those who chose to pay for counselling or attend workshops. Every contribution has helped make trauma-informed support more accessible across the Scottish Borders.
As We Approach Our 10th Anniversary
As we approach ten years since becoming a Community Interest Company in 2017 — and nearly two decades since the original idea began in 2008 — this page shares the story of how A Positive Start CIC has grown.
It began as an idea in 2008. It took until 2017 for that idea to become a Community Interest Company. From there, despite uncertainty, setbacks, and challenges, we kept going — because positive outcomes begin with a positive start.
What exists today has been built step by step with community support, lived experience, and a deep commitment to creating safer spaces for people to reconnect and regulate. The move to Harestanes marks the next stage of this journey. There is still a long way to go, but the foundations are strong.
From a place of surviving domestic violence, living with complex post-traumatic stress, moving from place to place as a single parent, and rebuilding life from uncertainty — I am still standing. And so is A Positive Start CIC.
As we often remind the people we support:
Ask not what is wrong with you, or even what happened to you — ask how you survived?
A Positive Start CIC is how this survival became a source of support for others. The work continues.
If you would like to help us continue providing accessible trauma-informed support across the Scottish Borders, donations of any size make a real difference. Donations help us provide counselling to people on low or no income when project funding is not available.