Sober Butterfly is an alcohol free community dedicated to combating social isolation and raising awareness of social anxiety through empowering people to make authentic connections without alcohol. The Collective is run by a team of over 50 volunteers called Butterfly Buddies who help facilitate regional flutters through Whatsapp groups and organising local meet-ups across the UK from London to Glasgow! Members are encouraged to connect with other like-minded individuals and plan their own social events to create genuine and authentic connections – minus the hangovers!
Sober Butterfly Collective was founded by Hannah Taylor, after she decided to break free from a cycle of glorified binge drinking in 2019, that had defined her lifestyle while working in the hospitality industry. Realising that alcohol was only filling a void and holding her back, she was determined to maintain her social life without it. Embracing her transformation, Hannah found her “flutter” and set out to help others find theirs too!
- This was a passion project that evolved into something more and we needed help to decide whether to be a charity or a CIC so that we could move forward
- Our motto is ‘Friendship is free’ and so we didn’t want to charge a membership fee, but we needed to come up with an income generation strategy that would cover our costs, time and admin.
- We wanted to explore things like sponsorship, merchandising, fundraising and paid events and grant funding in order to become self-sufficient and sustainable.
- We’re not a recovery service but are now getting interest from social prescribers, GPs and alcohol services as our support is available in the evenings and at weekends.
‘SBC has been so important to my alcohol free journey, I’ve made some truly wonderful friends and enjoyed so many exciting experiences!’
They needed help from BFGWY to:
- Find the clarity and confidence to choose the right legal structure (after worrying for 2 years about becoming ‘official’ and having to ask people to become directors or trustees)
- Set up a Community Interest Company
- Identify the right directors with key entrepreneurial and complementary skills
- Explore options for income generation
The help they received was:
- 1-1, face to face coaching
‘Katherine helped me realise that I knew a lot of the answers to my issues already, and she helped me identify what was holding me back.’
Hannah’s Top Tips:
- Stay true to your values – for us ‘friendship is free’ is a non-negotiable
- Be led by your heart and let things evolve naturally and organically
- It can be tricky making the transition from a passion project to something more official, but if your idea takes off, at some point you’ll need to give it more time and get more support
Find out more:
- Website: Sober Butterfly CIC
- Facebook: Sober Butterfly Community | Facebook
