Our Story The Story of Treasure Seekers, So Far! 2012 For many years, the now-directors of Treasure Seekers, had been involved in running social activities, like Treasure Seekers Discos, for adults with learning disabilities. They had also been getting to know some of the most vulnerable people in Gloucester, through parents’ groups and other community activities. Here a vision was born: the vision to see people become the best versions of themselves! Social activities for people were creating a great sense of community for many otherwise quite lonely. But, we wanted more for the people in our community. Through countless relationships with people in really difficult circumstances, we could see that there were many aspects to their lives that were all connected. We saw that each person’s social life, happiness, work opportunities and health are actually all closely related. But people were not getting help in these areas, because they had little trust for services, or the services were not very accommodating to them. We needed to form a community, where people felt safe, which would allow them to grow in all these different areas... So in May 2012, our Social Enterprise was born: Kingfisher Treasure Seekers. That year we started a shop, to go alongside the community activities we were doing. Here people could volunteer and grow in lots of skills that affect their lives, like: mood management, employment skills and relating to other people. But, our small shop front on College Street was to be the start of something much bigger! 2014 In this year, our vision grew from one shop and the social groups, to a whole community space. One of the things people desire most is a space to belong. Treasure Seekers needed to go from a social club and shop, to a community building - where people could find community and get the support they need all day, every day. So we scraped together and asked around, and got enough money to purchase our 3 storey community hub at 52 Westgate Street! We changed a flooded basement into a youth venue; a bedroom into a stock room; and an abandoned kitchen into an art room! It was hard work, but it was worth it! We had launched a space that would pave the way to building an inclusive community, where all people would be welcomed, valued, and discover their full potential! 2015 In 2015, The Cavern was born! Some young people had seen something in the flooded basement of the community building we had bought. We had seen a renovation challenge, but they had seen something so much more! With their help and vision, we launched a coffee shop in the basement of 52 Westgate Street: The Cavern. But now, the Cavern is more than just a coffee shop: it is a home to a whole community of people from every walk of life. The Cavern is a place where young people hone their music skills for the first time - with it being a rare evening alcohol-free venue, providing a space for under 18's to do this. The Cavern brings together people with learning disabilities, mental health issues, young people and coffee lovers to come and get to know each other. The Cavern provides a competitive selection of drinks and cakes, but more importantly, it also provides a space for barriers to be broken down and a truly inclusive community formed. 2016 This was a massive year for us! In 2016, we launched Support at The Cavern. For the first time, people in Gloucester could come to a non-clinical, community space and get support with their mental health. We knew that people faced real challenges in their mental health, that were a barrier to them becoming the best versions of themselves; and we knew that too many people were suffering after hours with nowhere to go. Now that we were open over 12 hours a day, we were able to be a constant source of community, encouragement and growth for the now hundreds of people we meet every day. 2017 And another building!! As we were growing and growing, we needed even more space! Our small shop was growing into a thriving Fair Trade Gift Shop, giving employment training opportunities to people who wanted to get into paid work. We worked hard, transforming yet another old space on Westgate Street, into something that would make a real difference to Gloucester and the community. Since then, the shop has also gone from strength to strength as a business, and continues to grow in sales each year with its unique ethical identity and handmade products. We had also been running training courses for many years, in everything from parenting to budgeting; and from hygiene to leadership skills. Now, above the shop, we had a brand new training space: the wellbeing room. Here we could continue to help people grow in a wide range of health and social skills that would change their lives for the better. We also opened the Hub in 2017, an art space for people to come and do make and take workshops. We were excited to bring more creativity to more people, at an accessible price. The Hub also spread our reach to meet countless families in Gloucester, and make our community even more inclusive and diverse. 2018 In this year we partnered with charity Wiggly Worm. We were now well established as a force for good in Gloucester, and we were excited to extend our reach through this partnership. We again set to work transforming building spaces, and turned our old Art Room into a Community Kitchen. Here people of every background would be able to receive fun, accessible training in how to cook healthy and affordable meals. This year, we also launched The Lighthouse! Having worked with hundreds of people with learning disabilities, for many years, we wanted to start a day centre with a difference: one that put our community centred approach, and tailored focus for each individual, right to the centre. And beyond… We are committed to being a place where people in Gloucester become the best versions of themselves! And we are here for the long term! Thank you for your support!