John Wilberforce recently joined Homeshare UK as the UK Social Franchise Manager. In 2021 Homeshare UK secured a 1.2 million pound grant to support the scale up of Homeshare across the UK. A part of this grant will be used to launch our franchise model that will be suitable for delivery in smaller towns and rural locations, to make Homeshare more accessible throughout the UK.
My background has been almost entirely in the Social Care sector, and I have spent the last 8-10 years in Operations Management and Regional Management roles – primarily with Franchisors in the private sector. Combining challenges of business growth and a sector that I have felt passionately attached to for my whole professional life has been extremely enjoyable. With the exception of 8 months doing voluntary work in India (another story, entirely!), Social Care has been “my” sector all the way through.
This new role affords me the chance to challenge myself in a couple of distinct ways:
- Firstly, the exciting opportunity to work for a Charity for the very first time, delivering value and results for a stated common aim. I have done voluntary work throughout my professional life (and I will continue to do so with regards to causes that matter most to me), but this will be the first time a Charity has been my Employer.
- Secondly, the role itself gives me the chance to widen the take up of a truly innovative development in our community. I will return to this theme in a future blog post.
There is a huge amount of work involved, but my colleagues are wonderful people, and we are all passionate about making this project a massive success for all concerned. The chance to work with local entrepreneurs, social activists and to help society develop; it’s a thrill to be a part of this journey!
If you would like to discuss any aspect of our planned franchise model, especially if you want to get involved, please contact me. As a Franchise opportunity, we are going to be offering something entirely unique – so if you are looking for the chance to “take a leap of faith” and make a tangible contribution, let’s talk soon.
Take care.
John Wilberforce, UK Social Franchise Manager
john.wilberforce@sharedlivesplus.org.uk | 07825 956514