USP logo USP CICUnified Supporting Projects
Not-for-profit Community Interest Company

Bringing community to individuals

USP CIC delivers lived-experience programmes that reduce harm and open doors: in schools and pupil referral units, with youth offending teams, in prisons across the country, and at our home on Hicca Farm in Hertfordshire.

Become a sponsor See what we offer

Unified Supporting Projects CIC · Registered in England & Wales, no. 14640243

A mentor guides a young person using a drill in a workshop
Participants practising CPR on training manikins
A USP Family community project lead talking with people at an outdoor event
Working in partnership with Bedfordshire Police Office of the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner University of Bedfordshire HM Prison & Probation Service National Lottery Community Fund
USP at a glance

Small, specialist and built on lived experience

2023founded as a not-for-profit CIC
40+ yearsof combined outreach experience behind our founders
2 countiespartnerships across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
Nationwideprison outreach through The Heist
52life-skill workshops, one for every card in the CardsOfLife deck
What we offer

Programmes that meet people where they are

Every programme is designed with, or delivered by, people who have lived it, alongside qualified professionals.

Street First Aid scenario training
Schools · community · adults

Street First Aid

Emergency skills for real situations, including stab wounds and suspected overdose.
Young people · adults

Entrepreneurial Development Academy

From first idea to pitch: building the skills to start and run a business.

 Speakers presenting to an audience
Schools · PRUs · adults

I Present

Finding your voice: presenting, pitching and speaking with confidence.

 A facilitator talking with a group
Everyone

Confidence & Motivation

Building self-belief, setting goals and keeping going when it gets hard.

 The Cards of Life deck fanned out
With CardsOfLife

Cards of Life workshops

A workshop for every card in the deck across four suits, from Sleep and Confidence to Stress Management and Financial Education.

 FWD Unfiltered cover
Ages 9–16 · schools

FWD Unfiltered

An eight-week identity and positive-influence programme for young people.

 Mastermind Sessions: Bank Heist cover
Prisons · nationwide

The Heist

Crews plan a fictional bank job, then discover every skill they used is what it takes to start a legitimate business.

 A visitor smiling in the workshop
Open to anyone · hybrid

Life coaching & coach training

Coaching for anyone ready for change, and training for those who want to coach others.
Schools · PRUs · adults

Sustainability & animal welfare

Animal care, food growing, biodiversity and carbon literacy at Hicca Farm.
Who we serve

From the classroom to the cell, and back into the community

  • Schools and pupil referral units: early intervention, identity and practical skills
  • Youth offending services: diversion, mentoring and positive activity
  • Adult rehabilitation and reform: in custody, through the gate and on probation
  • Anyone: life coaching and coach training, online or in person
How we work with you
A young person sanding wood alongside a mentor
Under development

Hicca Farm: a home for USP

We are building a provision at Hicca Farm in Ickleford that brings animal welfare and outdoor learning together with classroom programmes like life coaching, Street First Aid and sustainability. Founding partners can help shape it.

See the plansShop UnStable Clothing
Animals
Animal welfare
Rare-breed Suffolk horses, alpacas and sheep
Classroom
Programmes on site
Life coaching, Street First Aid, sustainability
Outdoors
Growing & nature
Food growing, horticulture and biodiversity
Our success

What people say about USP

To have the opportunity to work with Ben and Hannah is an amazing resource. I would highly recommend that anyone who wants to step away from crime grabs the opportunity with both hands.
Person on probation
I have seen a side to my students that I never have before: working together, listening, understanding and showing empathy. So grateful to be able to work with USP.
Alternative education provider, Bedfordshire
See our impact
Corporate sponsorship

Put your business behind second chances

Fund a programme, help build Hicca Farm or partner on an event, with clear social value reporting for your organisation.

Explore sponsorship
About USP CIC

Unified Supporting Projects

USP CIC is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company founded in 2023 by Ben Sturge and Hannah Patrick. Between them they had delivered more than 40 years of outreach through employers and charity partners, and they set up USP to create wider impact.

▶ Watch: a USP journey so far
A lived experience panel speaking to an audience in a university lecture theatre

Why USP exists

As a small, specialist VCSE organisation, we can make agile decisions and deliver flexibly. That lets us respond quickly to need and offer creative solutions to big issues.

We work collaboratively to reduce the risk of harm to self or others through early intervention, reduce offending behaviour, and promote self-worth, skills, purposeful activity, employment and entrepreneurship.

We help create good neighbours, guided by genuine lived experience, and help people find and articulate their own USP: the strengths that make them who they are.

How we work

  • Lived experience alongside professional expertise in education, reform, social value and coaching
  • Partnership working with schools, PRUs, youth justice, police, prisons and probation
  • Human-centred programmes for all abilities, needs and backgrounds
  • Safeguarding built into every activity
  • Any surplus reinvested in our community purpose, as a CIC
Founders

The people behind USP

Ben Sturge

Ben Sturge

Co-founder. Entrepreneur, reform consultant, trainer and life coach. Ben brings his own lived experience of the justice system to everything USP delivers, and founded CardsOfLife.

Hannah Patrick

Hannah Patrick

Co-founder. Hannah brings years of outreach delivery with employers and charity partners, and leads on partnerships and programme delivery.

Our programme family

Where our programmes come from

Several of USP’s programmes were created by our co-founder, Ben Sturge, through his other ventures, CardsOfLife and FWD Unfiltered. USP CIC is the not-for-profit that brings them to the schools, prisons and communities that need them.

We’re open about these links: Ben founded or co-founded all three, and each one has a different job.

Founded by Ben Sturge

CardsOfLife

Ben’s coaching company. It created the Cards of Life framework, the 52 Cards of Life workshops and the coach training, and co-created FWD Unfiltered. Coaching is available to anyone, online or in person.

cardsoflifecoaching.com ↗
Founded by Ben Sturge

FWD Unfiltered

Ben’s identity and positive-influence programme for young people aged 9 to 16, delivered in schools through USP.

fwd-unfiltered.com ↗
What we offer

Our programmes

Delivered at Hicca Farm, at your setting, in custody or online. Each one can be shaped around your group and outcomes.

ProgrammeWho it’s forWhereDelivered with
Street First AidYoung people, schools, PRUs, community groups, adults, professionalsYour setting or Hicca FarmUSP
Entrepreneurial Development AcademyYoung people and adults, including people in and leaving custodyHicca Farm, your setting or onlineUSP
I PresentSchools, PRUs, youth justice and adultsYour setting or Hicca FarmUSP
Confidence & MotivationEveryoneYour setting, Hicca Farm or onlineUSP
Cards of Life workshopsSchools, PRUs, youth justice, adults, organisationsYour setting, Hicca Farm or onlineCardsOfLife
FWD UnfilteredAges 9–16 in schools and PRUsIn schoolCardsOfLife · FWD Unfiltered
The HeistPeople in custody with strong entrepreneurial traitsPrisons nationwideUSP · CardsOfLife
Life coaching & coach trainingAnyoneOnline or in personCardsOfLife
Sustainability & animal welfareSchools, PRUs, youth justice, adultsHicca FarmUSP
Street First Aid logo

Street First Aid

Practical training in what to do in a real emergency on the street: CPR, the recovery position, catastrophic bleeding including stab wounds, and suspected overdose.

Who
Young people, schools, PRUs, youth justice, community groups, adults and professionals
Where
At your setting, our hub, or Hicca Farm
Format
Hands-on sessions with scenario practice
Book Street First Aid
Participants practising CPR on manikins
CPR practice
Trainers guiding a participant into the recovery position
Recovery position
A trainer checking a casualty during a scenario
Scenario training
A group practising first aid on mats
Group session
Launching with partners

Entrepreneurial Development Academy

Turning ideas, skills and lived experience into income. The Academy takes participants from a first idea to a tested business plan and a pitch, with mentoring from people who have built businesses from scratch.

  • Finding your idea and your market
  • Money basics: pricing, costs and cash flow
  • Branding, selling and social media
  • Pitching to real audiences
  • Ongoing mentoring after the course
Who
Young people and adults, including people in and leaving custody
Format
Workshops plus one-to-one mentoring
Register interestSponsor the Academy
Visitors at the converted horse box serving counter

Real builds, real customers: our horse box conversion started life as a hub project.

Launching with partners

I Present

A programme that helps people find their voice. Participants learn to tell their story, present ideas and speak up with confidence, in the classroom, at interview and in front of a room.

  • Structuring a talk or pitch
  • Body language, voice and handling nerves
  • Telling your own story safely and with purpose
  • A final presentation to an invited audience
Who
Schools, PRUs, youth justice and adults
Format
Group workshops ending in a live presentation
Register interest
A panel speaking to an audience in a lecture theatre
Available now

Confidence & Motivation

Practical coaching that builds self-belief and momentum. Participants recognise their strengths, set goals that matter to them and learn how to keep going through setbacks.

  • Recognising strengths and finding your USP
  • Goal setting and small wins
  • Managing setbacks and self-talk
  • Planning next steps into learning or work
Who
Young people and adults
Format
Group sessions or one-to-one, in person or online
Book a programme
A facilitator talking with a seated group
With CardsOfLife

Cards of Life workshops

A standalone workshop for every one of the 52 cards in the Cards of Life deck. Each card is a life skill, so settings can pick a single topic, build a term-long series, or work through the whole deck.

  • Four suits: Physical Well-being, Interpersonal Skills & Relationships, Emotional & Mental Health, and Intellectual Growth
  • Choose one card, a whole suit, or all 52
  • Works as a one-off session, a weekly programme or alongside other USP programmes
Who
Schools, PRUs, youth justice, adults and workplaces
Where
Your setting, Hicca Farm or online
Choose your cardscardsoflifecoaching.com ↗
The Cards of Life deck fanned out, showing cards from all four suits

52 workshops, one for every card in the deck

All 52 workshops

ClubsPhysical Well-being
  • Balance & Reset
  • Physical Fitness
  • Addiction
  • Sleep
  • Nutrition & Hydration
  • Anger Management
  • Weight Management
  • Health Checkups & Underlying Issues
  • Posture & Body Language
  • Hobbies & Interests
  • Identifying & Avoidance
  • Relaxation & Recovery
  • Motivation
HeartsInterpersonal Skills & Relationships
  • Perfectionism
  • Accountability
  • Communication
  • Empathy
  • Conflict
  • Trauma
  • Rapport
  • Confidence
  • Pride & Ego
  • Building Esteem
  • Negotiation
  • Team Collaboration
  • Boundaries
SpadesEmotional & Mental Health
  • Spirituality
  • Mindfulness & Meditation
  • Stress Management
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Individuality & Identity
  • Positive Self Image & Affirmations
  • Therapeutic Practices
  • Healthy Coping Skills
  • Self Love & Compassion
  • Understanding Parenting Styles
  • Digital Detox
  • Overcoming Fear & Anxiety
  • Past, Present & Future
DiamondsIntellectual Growth
  • Ethical Progression
  • Embrace Failure
  • Reading & Writing
  • Critical Thinking
  • Continued Education
  • Problem Solving
  • Public Speaking
  • Social Networking
  • Financial Education
  • Technology Utilisation
  • Entrepreneurial Discovery
  • Mind Stimulation & Balance
  • Building Resilience
With CardsOfLife · FWD Unfiltered

FWD Unfiltered

Everything you follow is taking you somewhere. A school-based identity and positive-influence programme that helps young people understand who they are, recognise who and what is shaping them, and choose by their own values rather than pressure or harmful role models.

Teams follow a fictional young character through a live social-media feed. At key moments they decide who the character follows, how they respond to pressure and what they’d do for status, belonging or money, and every choice changes the character’s future.

Ages
9 to 16
Format
8 weekly sessions of 60–90 minutes, groups of 15–30
Follow-up
3-month challenge run by school staff with our support
Options
1:1 mentoring for higher-risk students; parent, carer and staff briefings
Bring it to your schoolfwd-unfiltered.com ↗
FWD Unfiltered Mastermind Sessions cover: everything you follow is taking you somewhereWatch the trailer
Watch the trailerProgramme PDF

The eight sessions

  1. Who is writing your story?
  2. The Feed
  3. The Belonging Trap
  4. Behind the Image
  5. The Identity Lab
  6. Future Self Transmission
  7. The Influence Exchange
  8. Take Back Control

By the end, young people can

  • Recognise manipulation and harmful influence
  • Evaluate role models more critically
  • Name their values, strengths, boundaries and trusted adults
  • Imagine a credible, positive future for themselves
Mastermind Sessions · Prisons nationwide

The Heist

The values of criminals and entrepreneurs may be different, but the characteristics are very similar. The Heist puts that to the test.

The Heist is a three-day Mastermind Sessions workshop for people who have shown high-level entrepreneurial traits and are ready to pivot. Working in crews under aliases, participants plan a fictional bank job: choosing the target, assigning roles, gathering intel, timing the day and planning the escape, while live “newsflashes” force them to adapt.

Then the plan is turned around. Even if it worked perfectly, someone talks, someone gets greedy and someone gets caught: a million-pound plan with no long-term peace. Participants map every role they played onto a business skill, from leadership and market research to risk, cash flow and compliance, and finish by building a venture idea around a real problem from their own life or community.

This is not about crime. It’s about thinking, planning and strategy.

Who
People in custody who show strong entrepreneurial traits and are ready to pivot
Where
Prisons nationwide
Format
Three-day crew workshop, followed by Part Two: The Next Job
Delivered by
USP CIC with CardsOfLife, hosted by Ben Sturge
Bring The Heist to your prison
Mastermind Sessions: Bank Heist cover. The values of criminals and entrepreneurs may well be different, but the characteristics are very similar. Before Cards Of Life it was Fonesavvy. Before Fonesavvy it was No Comment.
View the full Heist programme (PDF)
Phase 1

The Masterplan

Crews choose aliases and roles, pick a target and weigh risk against reward. They gather intel, build a step-by-step timeline and plan the escape.

Then the curveballs land: the inside man is arrested, the getaway vehicle is seized, security is upgraded. What now?

Phase 2

The Pivot

Every heist role maps to a business skill. The crew becomes a founding team. The target becomes market selection. Recon becomes market research, and the escape plan becomes risk management and financial planning.

Phase 3

The Future

Participants identify a real problem from their own life or community, turn it into a venture idea, reassign roles by strength and build a simple plan.

Part Two of the Heist pathway

The Next Job: from The Heist to the start-up

Developing the inner entrepreneur: same skills, new game. Participants follow a UK founder’s journey from first idea to exit, covering the business model canvas, testing an MVP, registering a company, Start Up Loans and grants, angel and seed investment, pitching, scaling a team, cash flow and choosing an exit.

The pathway can continue with CardsOfLife, where lived experience becomes a licensed coaching career: Participate, Discover, Develop, Qualify, Deliver, Inspire.

  1. IdeaSpot the gap
  2. BuildTest an MVP
  3. FundAsk, don’t take
  4. ScaleTeam & cash flow
  5. ExitLong-term peace

“You have just shown you can analyse risk, build a team, gather intelligence, plan, adapt under pressure and manage outcomes. That is not a criminal mindset. It is an entrepreneurial one, not yet used to its full potential.”

All Heist scenarios are entirely fictional and used strictly for education and personal development, in a controlled and safe environment. The programme does not encourage or endorse any illegal behaviour.

With CardsOfLife

Life coaching & coach training

Coaching that goes beyond conversation. The Cards of Life framework turns a deck of 52 cards into a structured path to growth across four areas of life, built on lived experience, accountability and practical change.

Who
Anyone, including parents, people in or leaving the justice system, and the professionals who work with them
Format
Hybrid: online or in person
Options
52-week coaching programme, one-to-one coaching, workshops, retreats and coach training
Ask about coachingcardsoflifecoaching.com ↗
The Cards of Life deck fanned out, showing cards such as Posture & Body, Balance & Reset, Entrepreneurial and Accountability, beside the black Cards of Life Coaching Institute card back

One deck, four suits, 52 areas of life

ClubsPhysical Well-being
  • Balance & Reset
  • Physical Fitness
  • Addiction
  • Sleep
  • Nutrition & Hydration
  • +8 more
HeartsInterpersonal Skills & Relationships
  • Perfectionism
  • Accountability
  • Communication
  • Empathy
  • Conflict
  • +8 more
SpadesEmotional & Mental Health
  • Spirituality
  • Mindfulness & Meditation
  • Stress Management
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Individuality & Identity
  • +8 more
DiamondsIntellectual Growth
  • Ethical Progression
  • Embrace Failure
  • Reading & Writing
  • Critical Thinking
  • Continued Education
  • +8 more

How the coaching works

  • A 52-week programme in the member area, working through the four suits one card at a time
  • Weekly modules go at your pace, and 93% of members commit to the full 52 weeks
  • Optional monthly one-to-one coaching, with extra sessions on request
  • Weekly online webinars, podcasts and Mastermind Sessions
  • Live events, wellness socials and retreats in the UK and overseas

What people get from it

Clarity & purposeStructure, better decisions, less overwhelm
Emotional regulationManaging stress, stability and confidence
OwnershipHabits, self-discipline and better relationships
Alignment with valuesTransferable skills and a balanced life
Online

Coaching wherever you are

One-to-one coaching on Zoom, weekly webinars, e-learning programmes and podcasts.

In person

Workshops, talks and retreats

Interactive workshops, keynote talks, live events, retreats, and executive and team coaching for organisations.

Coach training

Train to become a life coach

The Cards of Life Coaching Institute trains people to build a certified, income-generating career as a professional life coach, with a proven framework, ongoing support and real-world application. Coaches in training also get the Coaching Business Blueprint.

It’s open to anyone, and especially valuable for people with lived experience who want to turn it into a career helping others.

Explore coach training ↗
  1. Participate
  2. Discover
  3. Develop
  4. Qualify
  5. Deliver
  6. Inspire

Trusted by people and partners

Suit Yourself was the first thing that spoke in a language my son could actually relate to.
Parent of a neurodivergent teenager, on the Suit Yourself book
Prisoners at HMP Bullingdon described the sessions as inspirational and informative, leaving with the belief that anything is possible.
HMP Bullingdon, participant feedback
The framework helps build trust with people who resist traditional interventions, supporting work to reduce reoffending.
Bedfordshire Police
It helps people see beyond behaviour, encouraging responsibility without shame, and identify transferable skills for a constructive role in the community.
London Borough of Lambeth and the National Probation Service
At Hicca Farm

Sustainability & animal welfare

Outdoor learning that builds responsibility, calm and purpose: caring for animals, growing food, and understanding biodiversity and carbon literacy.

Who
Schools, PRUs, youth justice and adults
Where
Hicca Farm, Ickleford (provision under development)
About Hicca Farm
Animal care · growing · biodiversityHicca Farm
Also available

Practical skills workshops

Hands-on sessions that run alongside our programmes: woodwork and DIY, clothing design and production for UnStable Clothing, textiles and print, money management, conflict resolution, and partner-led sessions such as basic car maintenance.

Heat press textiles
Textiles & print
Drilling a bird box
Woodwork
Fitting a counter in a converted horse box
Real builds
Volunteers sweeping a path
Community projects
Who we serve

Partnership working across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire

We work alongside the services already supporting people, and fill the gaps with programmes built on lived experience.

Young person painting a birdhouse
Education

Schools & pupil referral units

FWD Unfiltered, Street First Aid, I Present, Cards of Life workshops and farm-based learning for pupils who need a different way in.

  • Early intervention around exploitation and influence
  • Engagement for pupils at risk of exclusion
  • Music, arts and crafts, and practical skills
  • Staff and parent briefings
Mentor with a young person
Youth justice

Youth offending services

Mentoring from people who’ve been there, positive activity, and practical skills that offer a real alternative to offending.

  • Diversion and early gang intervention
  • Confidence & Motivation and one-to-one mentoring
  • Skills and outdoor sessions at Hicca Farm
A prison wing with landings and stairways
Reform

Adult rehabilitation & reform

Support in custody, through the gate and on probation, including The Heist in prisons nationwide.

  • The Heist: turning entrepreneurial traits towards legitimate business
  • Entrepreneurial Development Academy and employability
  • Financial literacy and wellbeing
Group coaching session
Open to all

Individuals

Life coaching and coach training through CardsOfLife, founded by Ben, available to anyone, online or in person.

  • One-to-one and group coaching
  • Coach training, including for people with lived experience

Inclusive by design

We work with people with learning needs and all physical and mental abilities, including people in crisis, living with addiction, fleeing harm, in care and leaving care, at risk of harm and at risk of causing harm.

Safeguarding runs through everything we do, and opportunities are matched to each person’s needs and capacity.

Our lived experience covers

  • Homelessness
  • Gangs and youth exploitation
  • Custody and crime
  • Violence against women and girls, and domestic abuse
  • Addictions
  • Bereavement and care
Make a referral
Provision under development

Hicca Farm, Ickleford

USP’s home in the Hertfordshire countryside, on the historic Hicca Way. We’re developing a provision where animal welfare and outdoor learning sit alongside classroom programmes, so schools, PRUs, youth justice and adult services can bring people somewhere calm, purposeful and inspiring.

Become a founding partnerAbout the Hicca Way ↗
Therapy animals
Horses
Suffolk horses
A rare breed, with fewer than 500 left in the UK. Suffolk Horse Society ↗
Herd
Alpacas
Calm and curious, great for first-time handlers
Flock
Sheep
Daily care routines that build responsibility
What the provision will offer

Outdoor learning and classroom programmes in one place

Animal welfare

Hands-on animal care and handling, building routine, empathy and responsibility.

Classroom programmes

Life coaching, Street First Aid, Cards of Life workshops and more, delivered on site.

Sustainability

Food growing, horticulture, biodiversity and carbon literacy.

Wellbeing in nature

Quiet, restorative time outdoors for people living with stress or crisis.

Corporate team days

Bespoke team building and volunteering that directly support the farm.

Animal experiences

Visits and afternoon tea with the animals, helping fund our community work.

Made at Hicca Farm UnStable

UnStable Clothing

Support the work of USP by buying one of our exclusive, limited-run garments from The UnStable Collection.

Every piece is designed and produced on our clothing design and production programme at Hicca Farm, where participants build real skills in design, print and making. Every sale goes back into USP’s work.

  • Limited runs
  • Made at Hicca Farm
  • Every sale supports USP
Ask about the collection
The UnStable crossbones horse logo and wordmark over a wall of horse bridles
Twenty-eight colourful UnStable horse head designs, including camo, tiger stripe, rainbow, pirate and flag designs
The UnStable Collection

Meet the herd

From classic bays and greys to camo, tiger stripes, rainbows, a pirate and the flags of the home nations, there’s an UnStable horse for everyone. Each design is released in a limited run, so once a run has gone, it’s gone.

UnStable crossbones horse logoUnStable horse head
Help us build it

Founding partners wanted

We’re looking for businesses and funders to help create classroom space, animal facilities and growing areas. Founding partners will be recognised on site and across our channels.

Sponsorship optionsTalk to us
VisitingVisits by arrangementWhile the provision is developed, get in touch to arrange a visit.
Our impact

What we’ve achieved so far

From an expo on reform to a horse box rebuilt by hand, here’s some of what USP has delivered since 2023.

Lived experience panel at the University of Bedfordshire

Reform Lived Experience Expo

USP brought people with lived experience, professionals, services, public authorities and stakeholders together to discuss reform and rehabilitation. The event ran in association with the Office of the Bedfordshire Police & Crime Commissioner, the University of Bedfordshire and HM Prison & Probation Service.

Speakers included Darryl Laycock, Anthony Browne, George Hyde, Simeon “Zimbo” Moore, Andrew Fuller, Carl Walker of the University of Brighton and Gemma Phillips of HMPPS, with Ben Sturge hosting and giving the keynote.

See the day’s programme
  • 09:30Breakout: why people offend, who really pays, generational damage
  • 10:30Breakout: whose responsibility is reform, and what works
  • 11:15Keynote from Ben Sturge
  • 11:45Interactive courtroom: the trial
  • 12:45Interactive courtroom: sentencing
  • 13:30Panel discussion and Q&A
  • 14:15Call to action: personal pledges for change
  • 14:45Networking with local support providers
People gathered around the finished converted horse box
Community build

From tired horse box to community serving counter

Participants at our hub took a weathered horse trailer and rebuilt it by hand: stripping it back, refitting panels, painting the frame and building in a serving counter. Every stage built real trade skills, and it made its debut at a community event.

The horse box before restoration
Before
The horse box stripped back with a new red frame
In the workshop
Participants fitting the counter
Fitting the counter
Are Høidal with a member of the USP team in Norway

Learning from Norway’s approach to reform

USP spent time with Are Høidal, widely recognised for his transformative work in the Norwegian prison system, and brought those lessons home to our reform work in the UK.

Are Høidal with a member of the USP teamAre Høidal with a member of the USP team overlooking the city
CPR training session
Street First Aid

Emergency skills in the community

Our Street First Aid sessions equip young people, adults and professionals to respond to stab wounds, overdose and cardiac arrest before help arrives.

In their words

Feedback from the people we work with

To have the opportunity to work with Ben and Hannah is an amazing resource. I would highly recommend that anyone who wants to step away from crime grabs the opportunity with both hands.
Person on probation
Very professional coaches. We asked for a bespoke corporate team building day and we were blown away. I will be back again with my friends, family and colleagues.
Rachael, London-based business
We didn’t know how much we needed time to relax and connect with nature. Living with high stress, this was an experience I will cherish forever.
Service user, Bedfordshire
I have seen a side to my students that I never have before: working together, listening, understanding and showing empathy.
Alternative education provider, Bedfordshire
Out and about

USP in action

Young person sanding wood with a mentor
Woodwork with a mentor
Heat press textiles
Textiles & print
Volunteers sweeping a path
Community clean-up
USP Family community project lead at an event
USP Family at an event
Recovery position training
Street First Aid
Building bird boxes
Building bird boxes
A visitor at the hub
Visitors at the hub
Group session
Group session
Corporate sponsorship

Our success is underpinned by you

Sponsoring USP puts your organisation behind early intervention, rehabilitation and second chances across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and beyond, with clear evidence of the difference you make.

Request our sponsorship pack
Two participants building a serving counter in a converted horse box
Why sponsor USP

What your organisation gets

Measurable social value

Impact updates you can use in social value, ESG and tender reporting.

Brand visibility

Recognition at Hicca Farm, at events and across our website and social channels.

Staff engagement

Team days and volunteering at Hicca Farm and on community builds.

Local reputation

Visible support for communities across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.

Lived-experience insight

Talks and workshops for your teams on reform, inclusion and second chances.

A not-for-profit partner

As a CIC, USP reinvests in its community purpose.

Ways to get involved

Sponsorship opportunities

Every package is tailored. These are the most common starting points.

Programme sponsor

Fund a programme

Sponsor a cohort of FWD Unfiltered, Street First Aid, Confidence & Motivation or a Cards of Life series in a school, PRU or prison.

  • Named sponsor of the cohort
  • End-of-programme impact summary
  • Logo on programme materials
Founding partner

Build Hicca Farm

Help create classroom space, animal welfare facilities and growing areas at our new provision.

  • Permanent recognition on site
  • Priority team days at the farm
  • Featured on our website and launch communications
Launch partner

Launch a new programme

Help us build and launch the Entrepreneurial Development Academy or I Present, from design to first cohort.

  • Named launch partner
  • Your people as guest mentors or judges
  • First-cohort impact report
Event partner

Partner on an event

Support events like the Reform Lived Experience Expo, bringing professionals and lived experience together.

  • Brand presence at the event and in marketing
  • Speaking or exhibition opportunity
  • Networking with public sector partners
Employer partner

Open doors to work

Offer work placements, interviews or mentoring for people completing our programmes.

  • Access to motivated, supported candidates
  • An inclusive recruitment story
In-kind & team days

Give materials, skills or time

Donate timber, tools or expertise, or book a corporate team day at Hicca Farm that supports our community work.

  • Recognition on the project it supports
  • Photos and updates of what you made possible
In good company

Organisations that have supported USP

Bedfordshire PoliceOffice of the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner
  • Bedfordshire Police
  • Office of the Bedfordshire Police & Crime Commissioner
  • National Lottery Community Fund
  • Violence & Exploitation Reduction Unit
  • University of Bedfordshire
  • HM Prison & Probation Service
  • Willmott Dixon Group
  • Morrisons
  • Screwfix
  • Brewers
  • Fords
  • Bedford Timber Supplies
  • Belmont Guard
  • CVS
  • Howden Elms Farm Bedford
  • Elliott Electrical Suppliers
  • Robopac
  • Autotronix

Let’s talk about a partnership

Tell us about your organisation’s goals and we’ll put together a package that fits.

Request our sponsorship pack
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Let’s talk

Making a referral, booking a programme, sponsoring our work or planning a visit? Send us a message.

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Hannah Patrick
hannah@uspcic.org
Ben Sturge
ben@uspcic.org

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