Stay Up Late
Stay Up Late began in 2007 as a campaign for adults with learning disabilities and autism to have an equal right to ‘stay up late’ to enjoy concerts, clubbing and socialising. In 2013, Stay Up Late launched Gig Buddies, which matches socially isolated people with learning disabilities or autism across Sussex with volunteers who share their cultural passions and interests. Stay Up Late was then overwhelmed with requests from other grassroots organisations, other charities and local authorities across the U.K. to franchise Gig Buddies.
Stay Up Late used funding from The Fore to meet this extraordinary demand and scale up their Gig Buddies franchise programme. The Fore introduced Stay Up Late to Sylvia Lago, Strategy Director at leading branding consultancy FITCH, to advise on how to proactively market the franchise opportunity. The Fore also introduced Stay Up Late to Emily Vermont, Network Manager at the School for Social Entrepreneurs, who has provided first-hand experience of social franchising. Stay Up Late are also participating in an impact measurement programme funded for grantees by The Fore. As a result, Stay Up Late is successfully scaling rapidly, having set up three new franchises, with two more in the pipeline.