TUC Hosts Social Enterprise Photography Exhibition
Posted: 09 November 2010, in Press Release
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) is hosting a photography exhibition in the Marble Hall at Great Russell Street, London, showcasing the work of Becky Duncan, winner of The Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition’s photography bursary in 2009.
The photography exhibition is open to the public until 12 November 2010.
Becky won the £1,800 bursary, sponsored by Unity Trust Bank, to visit social enterprises across Scotland and pictorially depict how social enterprises change the lives of communities and individuals around them.
Charged with a brief to capture a ‘moment in time’ of Scotland’s greatest social enterprises, Becky spent two months travelling across the country to gather her material.
Social enterprises – businesses with a social or environmental purpose – now add an estimated £2 billion to the Scottish economy every year and employ an estimated 30,000 people.
Antonia Swinson, chief executive of the Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition said: “We are very impressed with Becky’s photography, which beautifully portrays the huge range of work happening in the Scottish social enterprise sector and we’re delighted that more people will have the opportunity to view her work at the TUC in London.”
Kevin Turmore, Managing Director, Unity Trust Bank, added: “I am delighted that the TUC kindly agreed to our request to exhibit Becky’s photographs in such a prominent position in the Marble Hall at the Congress Centre, which will enable them to be seen by a far wider audience.”
Becky Duncan visited a range of social enterprises across the country, including Aberdeen Foyer, BRAG Enterprises in Fife, Claverhouse in Dundee, Drumchapel Credit Union and Impact Arts in Glasgow, The Link Group in Edinburgh, Mull & Iona Community and Speyside Trust in Aviemore.
Her work has also been exhibited at the Scottish Parliament, Scottish Government offices, S2S 2010 – the annual social enterprise trade fair in Edinburgh, and at the 2010 World Social Enterprise Forum in San Francisco.
This year, Aly Wight has been announced as winner of the Coalition’s bursary. He is currently working to produce a digital gallery of images, which will be presented at an exhibition in the Scottish Parliament in early 2011.
Ends 9 November 2010
For further information please contact Jenny Oxbrow at Weber Shandwick on 0131 556 6649 or email joxbrow@webershandwick.com.
Notes to editors:
Social Enterprise
Social enterprises trade specifically to deliver a social purpose. This is a distinct business movement, with roots in the voluntary sector which is increasingly recognised for its power to transform communities and the lives of individuals. Key models include housing associations, co-ops, credit unions, community interest companies, development trusts and social firms operating across a range of sectors including renewable energy, social care, social housing, tourism and cultural services and recycling.
Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition
The Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition is the collective membership-led policy and campaigning voice for social enterprise in Scotland. It represents the needs of social enterprise to politicians, policy makers and opinion formers. Members and associates include national and regional intermediary organisations, individual social enterprises and key supporters of the sector. Its aim is to add value to its members’ work and achieve maximum impact for the sector, ensuring it is widely represented in policy development.
www.scottishsocialenterprise.com
About Unity Trust Bank
Unity Trust Bank (“Unity”) is the leading provider of banking services to the social economy, Trades Unions and small to medium sized enterprises.
Unity was established in 1984. The organisation has a deserved reputation for its knowledge of the particular requirements of its clients and the delivery of a first class portfolio of services.
Unity has an impressive track record of working in partnership with many organisations that campaign for progressive social change and develop new and innovative ways of improving civil society. It also works in partnership with statutory bodies.
Some of Unity’s key achievements include:
• We are rated best for customer service. We have topped the Customer Service Satisfaction ratings in Charity Finance magazine’s annual survey of banking services every year since 2005 ahead of all other mainstream banks.
• We launched the £50m Social Economy Fund in November 2007 to meet the growing demand that we were experiencing for access to loan finance to support the increasing working capital requirements of charities, voluntary organisations, social enterprises and other social purpose bodies.
• We were voted best ‘Corporate Social Responsibility Company of the Year’ in 2009, by Credit Today magazine.
• We were voted ‘Best for Banking Services’ at the 2009 and 2010 Charity Times awards.
• We abolished penalty charges and penalty interest on unauthorised overdrafts with effect from 1st January 2009.
• We launched the National Credit Union Awards Scheme at the House of Lords on 22nd July 2010.
More information regarding Unity can be found on the Unity Trust Bank website, which is located at www.unity.co.uk.