Bognor firm reaps top award for helping community

Frame of Mind, which produces a wide range of picture frames and digital prints for public and commercial clients, has been praised for its work in helping dozens of adults.

This community interest company on the Arun Business Park in Shripney Road, provides vocational training for 17 people.

These trainees have varying degrees of mental health issues and they are taught a wide range of valuable social and business skills.

The firm, which operates in partnership with the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation, is the first in West Sussex to receive the Social Enterprise Award.

This aims to highlight ethically trading firms which have a strong emphasis on actively benefiting the community and the environment.

The company's training manager Ian Bates said of the award: "We're very pleased to have been given the award.

"We have been here three years now and it came about after my wife Theresa received mental health services treatment for depression.

"We realised the provision of care could have been better.

'This realisation made us determined to set up our own company.

'Theresa now runs the day-to-day business which she really enjoys,"

Ian, whose company has already received several Arun business awards, praised the environment

"We have a specific social purpose in providing training and work-experience of socially excluded adults, who are aged between 17 and 66.

"It's a very supportive environment.

"However, we also challenge them to do things that they never thought they can do and to produce products that are the match of anything on the high street.

"It gives you a buzz to know that you are helping people in the community and have helped a lot of the trainees learn computer skills including picture program Photoshop.

"Several of them have gone on to full-time employment after finishing here," added Ian of the company.

One of its trainees, 36-year-old Craig Humphrey of Hatherleigh Close, North Bersted, believed his traineeship proved invaluable.

So much so that he has returned to work there again and is enjoying every minute of it.

He said: "This is a great place to come and work and get on well with everyone here, everyone loves it here because people who get our pictures often cannot believe how good it makes them look.

"The trainees feel proud to be working here and to have achieved something.

"Once I finished my training I then got a call from my social worker wondering whether I'd like to come back and work here '“ and it has been great."

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