After 25 years working in third sector roles in Dumfries and Galloway, Joyce Harkness has retired from her role as Social Enterprise Manager at SHAX.
Joyce has enjoyed a varied career within the sector and has made a considerable impact along the way.
After graduating from The University of Glasgow in 1980, Joyce honed her management skills working for several large retailers before moving to Dumfries and Galloway in 1992 to bring up her young family.
1999 marked the start of Joyce’s career in the third sector when she was appointed as the first Project Coordinator for Annandale Transport Initiative (now ACTS), before becoming the Development Officer for The Accessible Transport Forum from 2001 to 2003. Securing funding, setting up partnership projects and developing multiple new community transport initiatives were among her achievements.
From 2003 to 2007, Joyce managed Annandale and Eskdale Council of Voluntary Service providing direct support to community groups and charities on funding, governance and good practice. During this time Joyce also set up the HandyVan project, with the assistance of Help the Aged, which is still in operation today as independent charity.
Representing the interests of the third sector on community planning working groups and partnerships; supporting regional and national voluntary organisations and developing and supporting regional third sector networks was her focus from 2007 to 2010 when she worked for Dumfries and Galloway Federation of CVS (DGFedCVS). From 2010 to 2013, Joyce was Chief Executive Officer of The Bridge D&G (a merger of DGFedCVS and Wigtown CVS) before being appointed as the Operations Manager for Third Sector First – the Third Sector Regional interface for Dumfries and Galloway.
In 2014, Joyce commenced her 10-year journey with SHAX, which at the time was run by volunteers. That all changed thanks to funding received from Big Lottery, which enabled SHAX to establish a small team of 2.5. 10 years on and SHAX is now an award-winning charity employing 12 members of staff (9 who have successfully progressed from volunteering or work placement roles).
SHAX is a homeless support charity established in 2012 and located at The Crichton in Dumfries. They support individuals and families, who have, or are, facing crisis due to poverty and/or homelessness in Dumfries and Galloway. They also meet the increasing demand for Emergency Starter Packs containing home essentials for those who find themselves homeless or in temporary accommodation.
SHAX is largely self-funded through the sale of quality pre-loved furniture, household items and clothing. They therefore rely heavily on donations and on volunteer support to reduce their costs and to generate income. As a social enterprise, every penny they make is reinvested in the organisation to ensure they can continue to offer this much-needed service in Dumfries and Galloway.
For the past 10 years, Joyce and her team have generated a very impressive list of achievements, which includes supporting over 3,500 local people in crisis to move on from homelessness, provided experience and qualifications to 240 volunteers and work placements, of which 50 moved on to employment and 10 transitioned into other positive destinations. They have also diverted over 750 tonnes of waste from landfill through various reuse, recycle and repurpose initiatives.
To achieve this, Joyce has successfully brought in almost £885,000 in grant funding and £226,662 in employability funding. She has also facilitated a growth in donations and retail sales which equates to £1.075 million, all of which helps ensure a sustainable future for SHAX.
Joyce’s commitment to the Community Jobs Scotland and Kickstart initiatives, has also provided over 30 placements for those who were unemployed, many of them young people, to help them gain valuable work skills. This resulted in 19 of them moving into employment and 3 moving on to other positive destinations including volunteering roles.
Among Joyce’s many achievements at SHAX, was being the first organisation in the region to achieve the Volunteer Friendly Award, which was awarded in 2019. More recently, SHAX achieved the prestigious Investing in Volunteers accreditation, which is testament to Joyce’s ongoing commitment to volunteering.
It goes without saying, that Joyce has transformed SHAX over the past 10 years and has been instrumental in establishing a successful and sustainable charity where people really matter.
Ian Callander, Chair of SHAX said: “Joyce has decided to retire, and while we can’t imagine life without her, we are exceptionally grateful for her dedication to the third sector over the years, and particularly thankful for her unwavering drive and commitment to SHAX and to everyone who works, or has worked or volunteered here, and to the many more people who have benefited from SHAX services in their time of need.
“What Joyce has accomplished in her career is remarkable and we, the staff and Trustees, would like to thank her for her hard work and determination to make SHAX the success that it is today. We will undoubtedly miss Joyce, and we wish her all the very best for whatever comes next. I am also delighted to welcome Colin Callander-Bone to the team as our new manager and we look forward to working with Colin in his new role.”
To find out more about SHAX visit Dumfries SHAX Charity Shop or call 01387 245358.