After 24 years at the helm, and as a youthful 74-year-old, Mark Powell is retiring as Executive Director of Yes2Ventures at the end of September 23 to pursue other interests.
Here at Sheffield City Council we are really sorry to be losing Mark, who has been a fantastic champion for the disabled and disadvantaged citizens of our city. Mark’s extensive experience in the voluntary community sector, wealth of knowledge and passion for the clients that Yes2Ventures supports will be difficult to replace. We would like to thank Mark for his tireless hard work over the years in supporting the residents of Sheffield, and we sincerely wish him the best of luck in this next chapter of his life.
Mark founded Yes2Ventures in 1999 is looking for the best way to hand on a social enterprise that is much loved by the many hundreds of people who have benefited over the years from its inclusive approach to disadvantage and disability.
Yes2Ventures (Y2V) is a Sheffield based registered charity that grew out of Mark’s work with Reclaim, the plastics reclamation business of the 90s and 00s , and has developed many enterprises of its own.
In 2023, Y2V is a Travel Support Service, an Employment Support Service and a microbrewery. Going forward, each element of Y2V can stand on its own or form part of a wider development of social enterprise.
The Travel Support Service pays more than 20 driver/support workers a living wage to get up to 130 people with a learning disability to where they want to go every day. It could do much more.
The Employment Support Service has three contracts with Sheffield City Council that help Y2V get people with learning disabilities, health conditions and autism into employment. It offers practical workshops in woodwork and crafts, social confidence building sessions and a bespoke job finding service. It could do much more.
The microbrewery – ‘brewSocial’ has won a reputation for brewing excellent real ales that are sold to outlets in Sheffield, Derby, Nottingham and across Yorkshire. It could do much more.
Please contact Yes2Ventures (rebecca.reed@yes2ventures.org.uk) if you are an individual or an organisation that would like to know more about taking forward part or all of Y2V’s work, or contact Mark direct at mark.powell@yes2ventures.org.uk (07904 586584).
Mark wants to hear from potential investors, advisers, social entrepreneurs and anyone who cares about the work he and his colleagues have been doing.
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