17 Sep 2.5 years in, what impact has Indirock made in Southend?
At Indirock, we believe in the power of bouldering to bring about positive change — not just for individuals, but for our community as a whole. Now we’ve been open two and a half years, we decided to take a look at the impact we’ve made to date.
Based in Southend, Indirock works tirelessly to make climbing more accessible to everyone regardless of background, and to breathe new life into the city center. Our goal is simple: to create a space where people can challenge themselves physically, connect with others, and feel part of something bigger.
We set out with three core aims, and we’re proud to see that everything we do makes a measurable impact against one of these three.
1. Ensuring as many people as possible can enjoy bouldering in Southend:
We work hard to make sure Indirock is as accessible and inclusive as it can be, from a physical and psychological perspective as well as from a financial one. Before we were built, we worked with many local charities and community groups to co-design our facilities from an accessibility perspective. We continue to work with our local council and many charties to offer discounted and/or adaptive climbing sessions.
To date we’ve worked extensively with local charities such as SEND the Right Message, running weekly climbing courses for SEND children, and on one off or shorter courses with charities like Trust Links, and Southend on Sea Rape Crisis. We’ve booked out the whole of Indirock for events with charities such as Southend in Sight and Diabetes UK. We’ve funded free climbing passes for refugees through Welcome to the UK.
Starting in Autumn 2024, we’re working with Trust Links to run a programme aimed at reducing antisocial behaviour in Southend. Funded by the National Lottery Million Hours Fund, we plan to deliver 3800 hours of youth work over 18 months. This will take the form of climbing sessions three times a week that are supervised by our coaches and a youth worker, for children aged 11-18 who don’t have a reliable adult who can supervise them. These will include cafe vouchers with each visit, so attendees never have to climb hungry.
2. Being part of the revival of our City centre:
Much of Southend-on-Sea is in the bottom 10% of deprivation in the UK. Our high street has struggled in recent decades and so a big part of what we care about is starting a new chapter for our City, giving everyone something to be proud of again. We chose to locate Indirock in a shopping centre on our high street and are proud of the huge footfall we have generated to our building and high street since opening.
Thanks to a grant from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, this year we were able to purchase a unique mobile climbing wall. This enables us to bring the experience of bouldering out and about, where we’re providing free climbing at a huge range of community events. This wall is one of only a handful in the UK and can be seen in action here.
We buy as much as possible from other local businesses and always look for opportunities to collaborate, celebrate and shout about the amazing work of small businesses fighting the good fight in Southend.
3. Supporting vulnerable young people from our local area into work:
Our founder, Emily, previously co-founded a prison charity called Finding Rhythms. She witnessed first hand the need for vulnerable young people to be supported and given opportunities by employers, not just hand-outs from charities. It was this experience which gave her the drive to set up Indirock, with the aim of becoming an employer which gave real opportunities to young people and diverted them from crime.
To date we’ve held courses and provided work experience to pupils in alternative schools such as Sutton House Academy and YMCA Community School, young adults being supervised by Active Essex Foundation, those on probation through Forward Trust, as well as many neurodivergent young people through our partnership with SEND the Right Message.
At Indirock, we know that climbing can be a powerful tool for personal transformation, but we also believe it can be a force for good in the community and beyond. By combining our passion for bouldering with a commitment to social and environmental responsibility, we aim to create lasting positive change in Southend and inspire others to do the same.
For a full run down of our impact impact to date, head to our impact page.