Chair: Andrew O’Brien, Director of External Affairs, Social Enterprise UK Contributors: Sarah Crawley, CEO, iSE, Birmingham Gareth Hart, Director, Iridescent Ideas CIC; Chair of Plymouth Social Enterprise Network and Chair of Plymouth’s Inclusive Growth Group Jon Monk, Social Enterprise City, Salford Ed Whitelaw, Head of Regeneration and Enterprises, Real Ideas Organisation, Plymouth Social Enterprise Places are areas where social enterprise activity is thriving. From quarters, towns, cities and zones – areas around the UK are declaring themselves as social enterprise places committed to investing in the sector. Social Enterprise UK is recognising these hotspots of social enterprise activity by awarding them with the Social Enterprise Place badge, celebrating their achievements and supporting them to grow. Registered Social Enterprise Places are supported to reach out to and involve local councils, businesses, charities, consumers and budding social entrepreneurs – bringing them together to grow their social enterprise communities. The programme aims to promote, raise awareness, and build the markets for social enterprise at a local and national level. This session will look at the experience of SEUK’s social enterprise places programme and how it supports local social enterprise growth. How is it possible to catalyse support and promotion of SE in particular localities? How does this work? Andrew O’Brien is Director of External Affairs at Social Enterprise UK. He started his career in politics, working as a parliamentary researcher before joining the charity sector. Andrew held various roles in charities before joining Social Enterprise UK as Director of External Affairs in 2018 and, since then, has worked on various campaigns and policy issues related to public procurement, tax and economic reform. Sarah is the founder and CEO of iSE, a social enterprise which was established in June 2000 based in Digbeth, Birmingham. iSE is an intermediary organisation, whose mission is to grow and develop the social enterprise sector using innovation and partnership to achieve its goals. Sarah has been a pioneer developing social enterprise places and peer to peer networks. She has a keen interest in women and social enterprise, and works with women in some of the most deprived wards in Birmingham. Sarah has worked hard to raise awareness of social enterprise (which she sees as the biggest barrier to the growth of the sector) over many years, which has resulted in Birmingham’s City Drive which targets residents and workers in the city. Last year this series of events reached over 240,000 individuals. Young people have also benefited from her work through internships and work experience at ISE, and more recently a programme of activity in primary schools. Since its inception ISE has supported the start-up of over 350 social enterprises, and works currently with an additional 500 SEs supporting business growth and enhancing social value. Sarah is a member of the RSA, is an Industrial Fellow of Aston University and is on several social enterprise boards. Last year Sarah was made a Fellow of Social Enterprise UK, an acknowledgement she is very proud of. Gareth is the founder and director of Iridescent Ideas (a social enterprise business advice firm) and a champion of the social enterprise movement in Plymouth and the South West of the UK. He is currently the elected Chair of Plymouth Social Enterprise Network and the Chair of Plymouth’s Inclusive Growth Group. Gareth led Plymouth’s successful bid to become the first ‘Social Enterprise City’ in the UK, and has a history of working successfully with a range of social enterprises, from tiny start-ups to national organizations, on issues such as governance, social investment and social impact. Gareth was the Social Entrepreneur in Residence at Plymouth University from 2016 to 2018 and lectured regularly on social enterprise themes. Ed Whitelaw is Head of Enterprise and Regeneration for the South West rooted social enterprise group Real Ideas Organisation. Passionate about solving social problems and creating a fairer world, Real Ideas was established in 2007, and works across the creative and social enterprise sectors. Working with individuals and supporting organisations to start-up, grow and thrive, Real Ideas also operates its own customer-facing enterprises including the Devonport Guildhall social enterprise hub, the social making space Ocean Studios and the forthcoming tech space – the Market Hall. Ed is also one of the founding directors of Plymouth Social Enterprise Network, which led the city to become the first SEUK Social Enterprise City in 2013. In 2020 the sector continues to grow, with 200 social enterprises and community businesses employing over 9,000 people in the city, and a combined annual turnover of £580 million. Having also become the UK’s first FabCity in 2019, an international network of cities working towards producing everything it consumes by 2054, with social enterprise at its centre, the city is asking increasingly bold questions about its future. In addition to a significant consultancy portfolio, Ed leads on a number of strategic programmes, including Plymouth’s Power To Change Empowering Places programme and Enrich, and the Future Parks Accelerator that looks to support community businesses and coops to play a greater role collective ownership of urban green spaces.
Chair: Andrew O’Brien, Director of External Affairs, Social Enterprise UK Contributors: Sarah Crawley, CEO, iSE, Birmingham Gareth Hart, Director, Iridescent Ideas CIC; Chair of Plymouth Social Enterprise Network and Chair of Plymouth’s Inclusive Growth Group Jon Monk, Social Enterprise City, Salford Ed Whitelaw, Head of Regeneration and Enterprises, Real Ideas Organisation, Plymouth Social Enterprise Places are areas where social enterprise activity is thriving. From quarters, towns, cities and zones – areas around the UK are declaring themselves as social enterprise places committed to investing in the sector. Social Enterprise UK is recognising these hotspots of social enterprise activity by awarding them with the Social Enterprise Place badge, celebrating their achievements and supporting them to grow. Registered Social Enterprise Places are supported to reach out to and involve local councils, businesses, charities, consumers and budding social entrepreneurs – bringing them together to grow their social enterprise communities. The programme aims to promote, raise awareness, and build the markets for social enterprise at a local and national level. This session will look at the experience of SEUK’s social enterprise places programme and how it supports local social enterprise growth. How is it possible to catalyse support and promotion of SE in particular localities? How does this work? Andrew O’Brien is Director of External Affairs at Social Enterprise UK. He started his career in politics, working as a parliamentary researcher before joining the charity sector. Andrew held various roles in charities before joining Social Enterprise UK as Director of External Affairs in 2018 and, since then, has worked on various campaigns and policy issues related to public procurement, tax and economic reform. Sarah is the founder and CEO of iSE, a social enterprise which was established in June 2000 based in Digbeth, Birmingham. iSE is an intermediary organisation, whose mission is to grow and develop the social enterprise sector using innovation and partnership to achieve its goals. Sarah has been a pioneer developing social enterprise places and peer to peer networks. She has a keen interest in women and social enterprise, and works with women in some of the most deprived wards in Birmingham. Sarah has worked hard to raise awareness of social enterprise (which she sees as the biggest barrier to the growth of the sector) over many years, which has resulted in Birmingham’s City Drive which targets residents and workers in the city. Last year this series of events reached over 240,000 individuals. Young people have also benefited from her work through internships and work experience at ISE, and more recently a programme of activity in primary schools. Since its inception ISE has supported the start-up of over 350 social enterprises, and works currently with an additional 500 SEs supporting business growth and enhancing social value. Sarah is a member of the RSA, is an Industrial Fellow of Aston University and is on several social enterprise boards. Last year Sarah was made a Fellow of Social Enterprise UK, an acknowledgement she is very proud of. Gareth is the founder and director of Iridescent Ideas (a social enterprise business advice firm) and a champion of the social enterprise movement in Plymouth and the South West of the UK. He is currently the elected Chair of Plymouth Social Enterprise Network and the Chair of Plymouth’s Inclusive Growth Group. Gareth led Plymouth’s successful bid to become the first ‘Social Enterprise City’ in the UK, and has a history of working successfully with a range of social enterprises, from tiny start-ups to national organizations, on issues such as governance, social investment and social impact. Gareth was the Social Entrepreneur in Residence at Plymouth University from 2016 to 2018 and lectured regularly on social enterprise themes. Ed Whitelaw is Head of Enterprise and Regeneration for the South West rooted social enterprise group Real Ideas Organisation. Passionate about solving social problems and creating a fairer world, Real Ideas was established in 2007, and works across the creative and social enterprise sectors. Working with individuals and supporting organisations to start-up, grow and thrive, Real Ideas also operates its own customer-facing enterprises including the Devonport Guildhall social enterprise hub, the social making space Ocean Studios and the forthcoming tech space – the Market Hall. Ed is also one of the founding directors of Plymouth Social Enterprise Network, which led the city to become the first SEUK Social Enterprise City in 2013. In 2020 the sector continues to grow, with 200 social enterprises and community businesses employing over 9,000 people in the city, and a combined annual turnover of £580 million. Having also become the UK’s first FabCity in 2019, an international network of cities working towards producing everything it consumes by 2054, with social enterprise at its centre, the city is asking increasingly bold questions about its future. In addition to a significant consultancy portfolio, Ed leads on a number of strategic programmes, including Plymouth’s Power To Change Empowering Places programme and Enrich, and the Future Parks Accelerator that looks to support community businesses and coops to play a greater role collective ownership of urban green spaces.