Orkney Dance and Fitness is a social enterprise providing accessible fitness and exercise programmes to the local community, improving physical fitness and mental wellbeing and reducing social isolation. They first got in touch with VAO in 2022 to talk about setting up a bank account. Since then, they have regularly contacted us for advice.

In 2023 they were looking to build on their success and expand their operations by applying to First Port for funding. We assisted throughout the process helping them to develop a robust business plan and giving advice on the application.

On the news they had been awarded a grant by First Port, Donna their founder, director and instructor said:

The community is at the heart of all we do, and this funding will enable me to invest in training and developing new staff to expand what we offer into more areas of rural Orkney.

When I first spoke with First Port, they helped me to identify the structure of my business, and it was then that I realised I had been operating as a social enterprise for some time.

The funding will be used for salaries, and any profit we make will be reinvested back into the community by providing work, developing new classes and training staff. We hope to train 1-2 new instructors and employ an administrator. We have already put an advert out for the administrative role which will free up much needed time for myself to focus on mentoring the next generation of instructors and teachers as well as building relationships with the NHS and other clients.

Together, with her team the funding will allow Donna to help more people in the Orkney community to become fitter, live longer and make friends. She said:

One of our main objectives is to combat social isolation. This is the UK’s biggest killer and with a fast-growing older population everywhere, and a huge lack of resources this is where a social enterprise like Orkney Dance and Fitness can step in to fill a void or build a bridge. We also aim to get people moving more and feeling better both physically and mentally - combine these 2 aims and we have a thriving and growing community of all ages.

Dance and fitness is my background. I have always enjoyed teaching and helping people discover that exercise can benefit them in so many ways, but this (Orkney Dance and Fitness) was never something I intentionally set out to do - 1 minute I am teaching a class a week and the next I am running a company which has a massive positive impact on people's lives.

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