Creating purpose-driven and inclusive spaces for all
Katherine Vero knows how easily caring can become part of everyday life without a person ever describing themselves as a carer. While supporting her mother through dementia, Katherine thought of herself first as a daughter. The experience showed her how unexpected and far-reaching caring can be, and how much people need honest conversation, practical support, and human connection along the way. As a qualified teacher specialising in special educational needs, Katherine has also spent ten years developing Slow Shopping, a trusted national initiative creating inclusive and dignified community spaces for people with visible and invisible conditions. Listening to carers and the people they support revealed a clear gap: while many services focus on the person receiving care, carers themselves often have few places to connect and feel understood.
Recognising the need
In 2026, Katherine founded The Slow Hub, a community designed to help unpaid carers and the people they care for connect, access support, improve wellbeing and reduce isolation. The first gatherings are planned for the Northeast, with the aim of testing the model locally before developing it region by region. The need is significant. There are 5.8 million unpaid carers across the UK, providing care worth an estimated £184 billion each year, while the Northeast has the highest proportion of unpaid carers in the English region. Research undertaken with 50 carers and people receiving care in the Northeast also highlighted fatigue, transport, anxiety, inaccessible venues and cost as barriers to taking part in community life.
Katherine wanted to respond in a way that did not depend entirely on short-term grants or external funding targets. Her ambition was to build a sustainable social business shaped by its members, combining free community access, affordable paid gatherings and support from corporate sponsors.
Building the foundations for growth
Having worked with PNE for more than two years through Slow Shopping, Katherine learned about the Business with Purpose programme. She joined at a point when The Slow Hub had strong ideas and a clear social purpose but still needed a focused plan for turning the concept into a viable organisation. Through one-to-one business mentoring with Tracey Moore and marketing support with Maria Payumo, Katherine worked through projected costs and revenues, pricing, sponsorship and the practical steps needed for launch. The programme also helped her clarify the organisation’s purpose and vision, while giving her greater confidence in marketing, an area she had previously found challenging.
It has been highly professional and supportive, and at times challenging but in a good way! I had so many ideas and needed someone to be a ‘critical friend’ who could support the work while challenging some of my thinking.
Turning the idea into reality
The Slow Hub is still in its pre-launch stage, so Katherine is careful not to claim community impact before the first gathering takes place. However, PNE’s support has helped move the idea beyond the planning stage. Katherine has established a Community Interest Company (CIC), secured a venue for an initial three-month period, and begun speaking confidently to potential partners and supporters.
The early research has also helped shape the offer around what carers said they needed, rather than assumptions. Half of respondents said they would join The Slow Hub, rising to 85% among those already open to community groups. More than 70% said they would be willing to pay something towards taking part, giving Katherine useful evidence as she tests a model that must be both accessible and financially sustainable.
Looking Ahead
Katherine’s immediate priority is to launch and test The Slow Hub in the Northeast from early 2027. The organisation aims to welcome 100 members in its first year and grow towards 300 founding members and two centres by the end of its third year, while learning what works for carers in practice.
In the longer term, The Slow Hub hopes to work with hotel or hospitality partners to provide warm, accessible venues close to public transport and create a digital community through which members can stay connected between gatherings, and build relationships with sponsors, care organisations, the NHS and local authorities. If the Northeast model is successful, Katherine intends to develop it across other UK regions.
For Katherine, the value of the Business with Purpose programme has been the opportunity to test her thinking in a safe, supportive environment, strengthen the business, and keep moving forward.
Follow Katherine’s journey of Slow Shopping and The Slow Hub on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/katherinevero/
I would recommend seeking out PNE or other organisations in the Northeast that support new businesses, so you can get good advice and test your idea. PNE is supportive and wants you to succeed. They offer professional guidance and clear ideas, and they are good fun too, always open to discussion and innovation. We are lucky to have them in the Northeast.
Business with Purpose
'Business With Purpose aims to support new socially trading organisations* to start up and get going, as well as established purpose-led organisations to increase their trading income and grow their impact. This project is funded by North East Mayor Kim McGuinness and The North East Mayoral Strategic Authority.'
We have two key offers available with flexibility built into their design to meet your unique needs Pre-start and Growth support.
*Socially Trading Organisations means: any business legal structure that combines income generation and making a difference. This could include: Social Enterprises, Purpose-Led Organisations, Co-ops, Sole Traders, Community Interest Companies, Limited Companies, Community Land Trusts, Family Businesses, Community Businesses etc. We are not looking to support Charitable organisations whose primary source of income is, and plans to remain, grant or donation based.
'This project is funded by North East Mayor Kim McGuinness and The North East Mayoral Strategic Authority.'
