At this time of year, it’s easy to be focused on Christmas and to look no further. However, it’s also the time to focus on the new year and how to start as you mean to go on in the new year. Here’s your guide to making the most of the new year for your team, your outreach, and your community.

Inspiring your volunteers and attracting new ones

New Year is the time when many take stock, reflect, and look ahead. It’s a natural moment to reset and refresh, and you can harness that to add momentum to your community work and outreach.

Your existing volunteers may be thinking about doing more in the new year, and members of your wider community may be thinking of getting involved for the first time, so strike while the iron is hot and:

• Announce new initiatives for people to take part in
• Send out calls for volunteers to express interest taking roles or staffing events
• Arrange brainstorming sessions and teambuilding events to consolidate your team and build momentum

Help people with their new year’s resolutions

Come January, there will be a lot of people hoping to learn new skills, develop new disciplines, and build new habits. Your kitchen could be the perfect tool to help you earn more revenue and even grow your community.

You can run classes for things like cookery or crafts, or rent out your kitchen or hall space to external instructors or groups who teach skills and lead activities. Of course, that requires the right culinary equipment and facilities, or the means to offer refreshments to groups, and a kitchen that can withstand the impact of heavier usage.

How your kitchen can best support your community group in the new year

Another way to inspire your team into working more with the kitchen is to make it a better-equipped and more pleasant space. A New Year renovation is the perfect way to excite people, and it will also make it a more attractive and practical space for classes and external groups.

The best choice for hygiene and durability is a Zintec polyester powder-coated mild steel carcass from Steelplan, completed with a stainless-steel work surface. It is wipe-clean, and endures heavy use with ease. The design also eliminates classic bacterial hotspots in sealant by including a recessed and seamless-welded sink, and a folded rear upstand at wall abutments.

Alternatively, you could opt for a wooden kitchen design, but for a shared semi-commercial environment like a church or community centre kitchen, that design must be certified for heavy use by the Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA), or you cannot be confident that the kitchen will last. Woodplan Kitchens use a tongue and groove system along all assembled sides, eliminating the vulnerable points that screw fastenings create.

Both the Steelplan and Woodplan kitchen ranges offer a range of colours that suit your community and make the kitchen a welcoming space.

To discuss the options for your kitchen renovation, including the best design for your space and your budget, get in touch with one of the friendly Steelplan design team on 020 8254 0900, or email [email protected].