Step Up with Orkney Dance & Fitness
Donna Cuthbertson founded Orkney Dance & Fitness in 2021, driven by a passion for providing accessible exercise classes to rural and island communities across Orkney. Through her social enterprise, she aims to reduce social isolation, improve wellbeing, and help people connect through fitness and movement.
Making fitness accessible for all across Orkney’s rural communities
Orkney Dance & Fitness (ODAF) is a thriving social enterprise which boosts physical and mental wellbeing across Orkney by making dance and fitness accessible to all ages, abilities, and locations. Through membership and pay as you go options, ODAF give opportunities for people to participate in fitness that are not otherwise available on the West Mainland.
As a social enterprise, ODAF support their sustainability by hosting private functions such as birthday parties and team-building days, helping them reach more people across the islands.
ODAF currently run projects funded and supported by the Scottish Government, the Local Community Led Development fund, and Parkinson’s UK. This funding has allowed ODAF to run classes combined with social cafes which help attendees to build friendships, increase social interaction and reduce feelings of isolation. Long-term movement can also contribute to better health outcomes, reducing pressure on the NHS.
ODAF’s mobile delivery model brings inclusive fitness classes and equipment directly to rural locations and local community halls.
After first receiving a Start It grant from us back in 2022, ODAF have gone on to receive Build It to support their growth, followed by investment-readiness support from LaunchMe and most recently, a £30,000 Step Up loan.
But wait, what is Step Up?
Step Up is one of our loan products, which has very flexible payment terms. Social enterprises can use a Step Up loan to invest in concepts, products or services they’ve previously piloted or run, which have helped to grow their business.
Step Up loans are 0% interest free, which means borrowers repay the same amount they borrowed. It’s really flexible, in terms of repayments – we let applicants propose to us (within certain parameters) what loan repayments might look like (in terms of loan duration and the level of monthly repayments).
We aim to make funding decisions within three weeks of an application being made, so it’s a really quick process too.
So how is Step Up helping Orkney Dance & Fitness?
The Step Up loan has allowed ODAF to invest in:
- a mobile outreach van
- digital equipment
- increasing staff
The van has enabled them to reach even more communities who wouldn’t otherwise have access to this type of fitness and movement class due to Orkney’s geography and limited public transport. Now, ODAF can reach more remote locations to deliver their weekly classes.
The van also supports brand recognition, strengthening partnerships with community associations, schools, charities, development trusts, and health-related organisations. And it has supported ODAF’s longer-term plans to develop a central wellbeing hub by increasing reach and engagement.
As well as improving the quality of their online and livestream classes, their investment in digital equipment has also improved inclusion and reach. They can now stream and record sessions from a variety of locations. This extends their classes to people who are unable to attend physically due to health, mobility, caring responsibilities, or location.
ODAF now have part-time virtual administration support. This has helped them to provide excellent customer communication support and improve booking processes for their classes. It has also given Donna more time to focus on income generation, partnerships, and growing her business.
When talking about Step Up, Donna said:
“Step Up has helped us turn plans into practical support for people across Orkney. Investing in our outreach van, digital equipment and additional staff means we can reach more rural and island communities, include people who cannot attend in person, and build a more sustainable service for the future. The flexible, interest-free support gave us the confidence and capacity to grow without losing sight of our social purpose.”
Lauren Scott, Firstport Investment Manager added:
“It was clear to us that supporting Orkney Dance & Fitness to fund the purchase of another vehicle and to scale up their delivery of online classes would allow them to expand their services and deliver greater social impact – so for us it was an easy decision to offer a Step Up loan. We can’t wait to see what’s next, and to continue to offer guidance and support, as they develop their community venue in Dounby.”
Follow Orkney Dance & Fitness for the latest updates on their website, or on their Facebook or Instagram pages.
Want to know more about Step Up?
If the Step Up webpage or Step Up FAQs don’t answer your question, book a drop-in chat with Renae, our Social Investment Relationship Manager.
If you want to find out more about social investment and repayable finance more generally, download our handy guide!
Orkney events
We are also hosting two free events at St Magnus Centre, Kirkwall for anyone interested in social enterprise:
Good Ideas Start Here on Wednesday 30 September from 11.00 AM-3.00 PM will focus on how a social enterprise idea could become a reality, with opportunities to learn about funding, connect with local experts and build new networks. You’ll even hear from Donna from Orkney Dance & Fitness at this event!
Business for Good on Thursday 1 October 10.00 AM-12.00 PM will showcase how social enterprises are creating lasting benefits in communities, offering practical insights, real-life examples, opportunities to meet local organisations, and space to share ideas and ask questions.
Both events provide opportunities to learn, connect and be inspired by what’s possible locally.
For any questions, please email info@firstport.org.uk.