Good afternoon! A rare post meridiem Have I Got Social Enterprise News For You, as I had some VIP meetings this morning which have delayed things somewhat. I do occasionally do some work you know. After all that exertion I’m am however quite tired so may need a little rest now before going to the pub at five (I’m not even joking – turns out that having a baby is really quite exhausting. Who knew?).
An eclectic set of news this week -enjoy, and have a good weekend!
It’s Friday, so let’s start with a bit of a party, ably assisted by the Big Lottery Fund. Their Celebrate fund is offering grants of between £300 – £10,000 across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland ‘for groups to hold one off events or activities which celebrate their local community’.
Also splashing the cash are Comic Relief who have £4 million to invest in 100 organisations across the UK. Their Core Strength fund can be used towards the core costs of running an organisation, including salaries, overheads and day-to-day running costs such as rent, heating and lighting.
This week we released an impact report from the first three years of our Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland Social Entrepreneurs Programme, which you can download from our website. The report reviews early evidence on the social impact of the programme and assesses the difference social entrepreneurs are making to the lives of beneficiaries and communities throughout the UK.
One graduate of the programme is Jamie Sadler, who has just launched Harissa Mediterranean Kitchen, a social enterprise restaurant and takeaway in Newcastle which invests profit into Food Nation, providing practical and innovative food education activities for the general public, schools and businesses in Newcastle, Gateshead and the surrounding area. Looks an excellent option if you are dining in the area.
Are you dancing on the high wire? You should be, according to these Ten Commandments of Social Enterprise.
Congratulations to SSE Fellow Suzi Godson, a recent runner up in the 6th Annual Santander University Awards. Her organisation MeeTwo was nominated in the ‘New Technologies and Mobile Applications’ category.
Brexit shows charities ‘risk being seen as part of an out-of-touch metropolitan elite’ says NCVO’s Karl Wilding, news that nearly made me spit my skinny soy latte all over my copy of the Guardian. If you haven’t had enough of Brexit quite yet (and who hasn’t?), SEUK are hosting a ‘Brexit – what does it mean for the social enterprise sector‘ event in London on 21st July. (Further SEUK news – they’ve extended the application period for this year’s social enterprise awards to next Friday.)
A flasin Shqip? If so, you may be interested in this Albanian-speaking Women’s Support Worker role at Shpresa Programme, an active user-led organisation that advances the education and training of the Albanian speaking people in the UK. Shpresa was founded by SSE Fellow (and current SSE trustee) Luljeta Nuzi. Also recruiting is SSE Fellow Nathalie McDermott and her organisation On Road Media, on the hunt for a Part Time Development Manager in London (applications close Monday).
There are also some roles available at SSE: a part time learning facilitator in Cornwall, a learning manager in Cornwall, 2x Development Managers in London and an Executive Assistant and Officer Manager in London. Details on our website.
Finally – we have about four places left on next Friday’s Working with Corporates workshop in London, featuring speakers from Trowers and Hamlins, PwC, A&E Elkins, ELBA, Three Hands and Pursuing Independent Paths. It will be a super, super day.
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What’s on at SSE:
- Working with Corporates, SSE London, 15th July
- Measuring Social Impact, SSE London, 2nd-3rd August
- Sources of Funding, SSE London, 12th August
- Crowdfunding for Charities and Social Enterprises, SSE London, 9th September
