Good Practice - Project
Bikers for a stronger local community
LEADER funds help set up a bikers’ centre providing social activities and services in a rural community.
General information
RDP Priority
- P6. Social inclusion and local development
RDP Focus Area
- 6B: Local development
RDP Measure
- M19: LEADER/CLLD
Summary
The local project of the Baisogala Motorcyclists’ Association was financed by the ‘Radviliškio lyderis’ Local Action Group. In the framework of the project, a social enterprise was launched to provide community-centre programmes and services around the theme of motorcycling and motorbike maintenance. The project revitalised a historic manor house estate to be used for providing educational workshops, events and accommodation services for residents in Baisogala and surrounding elderships, as well as visitors from further afield. The project created some paid work as well as volunteering opportunities for local people.
Results
- The project contributes to the social integration of the residents of Baisogala and surrounding elderships by providing residents - including local children - with events and educational activities that strengthen the community.
- The equivalent of two new full-time jobs have been created by the project.
Ressourcen
Documents
Context
Pakiršinis village and the entire Baisogala Eldership in Lithuania are geographically distant from larger residential areas. For this reason, there are limited employment opportunities and a lack of available public services, which makes the area less attractive to live and work in.
The village has a number of unique resources that are currently under-utilised. One of them is the Manor of Pakiršinis, which could attract visitors and serve as a hub for local community projects and services.
The local Baisogala Motorcyclists’ Association wanted to take action but they were in a poor financial situation, being dependant on external and voluntary support. They decided to launch a social enterprise to bring the community together in search of solutions that would give them access to the services they need to improve their quality of life.
Objectives
The aim of this LEADER project was to enable the Baisogala Motorcyclists’ Association to deliver a programme of motorcycling-themed activities at the Pakiršinis Manor that would tackle social exclusion in Baisogala and the surrounding neighbourhoods. An added focus on providing activities for children would increase the attractiveness of the rural area for families.
Activities
The implementation of the project involved:
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The adaptation of the premises necessary for the provision of events and services.
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The purchase of equipment for the provision of events and services:
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A set of sound and lighting equipment necessary for the organisation of the events;
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An equipment kit for delivering motorcycle maintenance and repair training to school-age children;
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A kitchen equipment set to enable the on-site provision of food and accommodation services;
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Furniture for events and overnight accommodation on-site;
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An industrial washing machine, drying machine and ironing system to support the provision of overnight accommodation and events (bedding, tablecloths, etc.); and
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The installation of a heat pump system for heating and cooling the property.
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Receiving the required authorisations, certificates for the provision of events and services.
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Developing six basic programmes and services: one-day workshops for school-aged children and adults; a longer-term working group for school-age children; maintenance and repair services for motorcycles; accommodation services; food production and supply for events; organisation of events.
Five volunteers contributed to the project’s activities, sharing functions according to their own areas of expertise. The project partners were Radviliškis District Municipality Administration and Baisogala Gymnasium in Radviliškis (both budgetary institutions):
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The Radviliškis District Municipality contributed to the implementation of the project by a cash contribution of up to 5% of the total eligible project costs, without which it would have been impossible to implement the planned project and finance the ineligible VAT.
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The Baisogala gymnasium contributed to the project implementation and helped to organise the educational activities.
Main results
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The project tackles isolation and contributes to social connectivity amongst the residents of Baisogala and the surrounding elderships by transforming the Pakiršinis Manor into a local activity hub for motorcycling and motorbike maintenance.
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The educational programmes for school-age children seek to increase employment prospects through training in motorcycle maintenance and through an introduction to motorcycling culture.
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The project has created new, paid part-time jobs: activities organiser, motorcycle service manager/education manager, cook/kitchen manager and support worker.
Key lessons and recommendations
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The most difficult aspects of this endeavour were raising co-financing funds (5%) and reimbursing VAT. Without municipal support, the Association would not have been able to implement the project.
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Job creation was a challenging project deliverable because it added extra costs and risks to what is usually implemented as a ‘start-up’ venture. It takes time to grow a sustainable business and having to pay employment taxes from day one was a challenge for the project holders.