A bit of a panic earlier this week. I didn’t really have anything to put in this newsletter. What’s the first thing you do to when you find yourself in such a situation – scour the internet looking for relevant articles? Put out a call to your colleagues for items to be included?
Nope. The correct answer is that you waste some time Googling ‘has there ever been no news?’. It sounds a ludicrous question (the best ones often are) but it turns out there has indeed been a day with no news: 18th April 1930. The BBC news announcer simply said ‘there is no news’ and then they filled the rest of the time with piano music. It sounds like bliss.
Fortunately, some good stuff has come in. We can leave the piano music for another week.
Take an accountant
A bold campaign from BECO (owned by social enterprise Clarity and a sister company to The Soap Co): Steal Our Staff aims to reduce the disability employment gap by giving companies the opportunity to hire some of Beco’s staff (thus creating opportunity for them to hire additional people with disabilities). Great campaign, great branding, great website.
Waste not want not
This week has been Zero Waste Week, designed to ‘help individuals, businesses, organisations, schools, universities and community groups reduce landfill waste, save money and preserve resources’. Pebble Magazine have put together a handy list of 50 brands that will help you go plastic free. Good to see some alternatives to those awful paper straws that go soggy as soon as liquid touches them.
Every little helps
If you want to go one step further than reading a list online the Ethical Consumer Conference 2019 is taking place in London on 25th October. It looks to be an impressive line up of speakers; they be tackling how ‘consumers, businesses and campaigners can work together to help tackle climate change and environmental breakdown’.
Bag for life
A cracking crowdfunding campaign from SSE Scotland Fellow Hazel Smith and her organisation ReTweed. Hazel is raising money for ‘Bordersbags’, tote bags made from discarded textiles made by participants on ReTweed’s business incubator. For every bag purchased, ReTweed will donate one to a local foodbank so they can cut down on plastic bag use. It’s a triple whammy of environmental, enterprise and social impact work all rolled into one.
Power Rangers
Power to Change are opening the next round of their Community Business Fund next Wednesday, offering grants of £50,000 – £300,000 to community businesses that want to progress towards sell-sufficiency. If this all sounds like a very good idea to you, they are hosting a webinar on Thursday 12 September from 14:00-15:00 where you can find out more.
Beat you to it
If you were planning on sending me an email to ask me if I know when the next Cambridge Social Ventures Social Venture Weekend at the Cambridge Judge Business School is, there’s no need. It’s on the 8th – 10th November. It’s £75, and comes highly recommended. The weekend is for anyone running a business dedicated to making social impact, whether it’s a fully-fledged business or still just a bright idea.
Booster seat
Over in Bristol, SSE Dartington have launched the Bristol Business Booster 2019, a three day course across November that will help socially responsible businesses focus on key foundation elements. There are 22 free places available to individuals operating within Bristol and the West of England.
Deadline to apply is 14th October
All the fun of the fair
Our friends at Impact Hub Kings Cross are hosting a social enterprise funding fair on September 12th at 224-226 Tower Bridge Road, London. The event takes place between 5.30pm and 9pm and features funders such as Seedrs, Mustard Seed and Crowdfunder. Each attendee will be given the opportunity to meet with up to three investors.
Best of all, Have I Got Social Enterprise News For You readers can get in for free – use the code SSEMember2019 when you make your booking.
To infinity, and beyond
The Firstport LaunchMe programme sounds like something you’d expect to find at Cape Canaveral but it is in fact a social enterprise accelerator in Scotland. It has fairly broad criteria: start ups with a scaleable idea, social enterprises looking to develop a new product or service and community groups looking to develop a product or asset that can generate income.
There is loads of support on offer, including £10,000 seed funding, one to one and group based business support and professional expertise.
Porcine affairs
If anyone can tell me why ‘Ham’ is in South West London but ‘West Ham’ is in East London and is actually east of Ham then I’d be keen to know. Add ‘Newham’ into the mix and you’ve got enough ham for a picnic.
If you are based in Newham you should take a look at the Newham Business Awards, open to all organisations based in Newham, or organisations who have completed substantial business in Newham. They are particularly keen for more applications to the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, open to those aged under 30.
Get your applications in by 13th September
Oh ah Leicestaaaaaah
A couple of bits from Voluntary Action Leicestershire. Short notice, but on Monday they are running their annual conference for the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector in Leicester. It’s free to attend, you can book a place here.
Then on 16th September they are running a free financial planning workshop for organisations that need support to develop their financial resilience – the workshop ‘will improve your financial skills and knowledge which will help your business to be more successful in the market’. Book a place here.
