Scotland’s Annual Social Enterprise Awards Launched
Scotland’s annual awards for innovation and development in social enterprise are now open for nominations. Social Enterprise Scotland is calling on social enterprises and their supporters to come forward to demonstrate how they’re changing lives in our communities.
Fraser Kelly, Chief Executive, Social Enterprise Scotland, said:
“Social enterprise continues to emerge and develop as a vibrant and progressive way to do business. We’re excited about the launch of the Social Enterprise Awards for 2013 and hope that social enterprises will again take the opportunity to apply, thereby showcasing all that is excellent about social enterprise businesses and the work they’re doing. Best of luck to everyone.”
To request a social enterprise feature of any length for print, for further information or to arrange an interview about the awards, please contact: duncan.thorp@socialenterprise.scot / 07501 221 581.
Social Enterprise Scotland is The Voice of Social Enterprise – uniting social enterprises and their supporters into a strong campaigning force. We’re your gateway to Scotland’s social enterprise community. We’re an independent, Scottish, membership-led organisation, built and controlled by social enterprises. We’re the first point of contact for the media and public and promote a positive vision for social enterprise.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
1 Please note that the deadline for nominations is now midnight 22 Aug 2013. The judges are:
Linda Hanna (Chair) – Senior Director of Strategy and Economics at Scottish Enterprise
Lucia Webster (Due Diligence) – Senior Consultant at PWC
Derek Marshall (last year’s SE of the Year Winner) – CEO of Factory Skatepark
Gordon Merrylees – Regional Managing Director (Scotland) of RBS Business Banking
Andy Milne – CEO of SURF, Scotland’s Independent Regeneration Network
2 What is Social Enterprise? Social enterprise is a dynamic and inspiring way of doing business. Social enterprises are innovative, independent businesses that exist specifically for social and/or environmental purposes.
3 What examples are there? Diverse examples include: The Big Issue, The Wise Group, Divine Chocolate, Cornerstone, Kibble Education and Care Centre, Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op, Glasgow Housing Association, Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust, Link Group Ltd, the Eden Project in Cornwall, Capital Credit Union, The Grameen Foundation, Mondragon Corporation in the Basque Country and the Homeless World Cup.
4 Where can I see social enterprise in action? There’s probably a social enterprise running a shop, art gallery, sports centre or cafe in your local area – take a look at the Directory of Social Enterprise here or contact us. The media and others can contact us to arrange visits.
5 What types of social enterprise exist? Social enterprise is a diverse community and the more-than-profit approach is used by a huge range of organisations, of every size, operating in every corner of Scotland and in most sectors of the economy. A social enterprise can simply be a Company Limited by Guarantee with an appropriate “asset lock” and social mission etc, it could also be a registered charity. These are some of the common types and a social enterprise is often one or more of these: Co-operatives and Mutuals, Social Firms, Community Interest Companies (CICs), Development Trusts, Credit Unions and Housing Associations (aka Registered Social Landlords or RSLs).