Social Firms UK

We have been alerted to a scam that is being directed to Social Firms and Small Social Enterprises – John Charles of Catering2order was targeted this morning.

As ever, please be vigilant when receiving cold calls regarding sales and promotions opportunities.

The essence of this scam is as follows:

Finding a job at the moment is hard enough and if you’re disabled or have a mental health problem it’s even more difficult. Making the leap from relying on benefits to getting a full time job is often simply unrealistic. But part-time work can help to build up skills, confidence and a work record to show to future employers. It also raises the self esteem that comes with earning a wage.

 NOMS (National Offender Management Service) is asking the social enterprise sector to develop innovative approaches to delivering key services. Bids will be invited for funding to help develop and test approaches for supervising offenders in Unpaid Work (Community Payback). Social enterprises are also being asked to develop training and employment opportunities within green technology or other sustainable industries.

 The government is calling on Social Firms to help it get hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people into work. Our CEO, Sally Reynolds, is featured in Social Enterprise Magazine (online edition) discussing work with the government to create employment for the most vulnerable people in the labour market. Sally is the only social enterprise representative in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Social Inclusion Advisory group and is therefore ideally placed to ensure the Social Firm sector is well positioned in the move to job creation, rather than job placement.

CEO of Social Firms UK  Sally Reynolds has been made a member of the Department for Work and Pensions social inclusion advisory group- the only representative of the social enterprise sector. 

The new Coalition Government is 'desperate' for job creation initiatives and is working with Social Firms UK to ensure that there is''job creation, rather than job placement', for those most disadvantaged in the labour market.

The European Social Firms of the Year Awards, which took place during the Social Firms UK and Social Firms Europe CEFEC annual conference, celebrated some of the fantastic work taking place across Europe was showcased and celebrated in style.  Those winners in full:- Best Overall winner 2010: Oxford Wood Recycling Ltd, UK

Social Firms UK launched their Just Buy campaign to encourage inter-trading within the sector and to get corporates to consider the difference they could make if they switched to an ethical supplier.

ITV's Wales Tonight programme showcased Ten Green Bottles' fantastic glassware recycling operation in New Radnor. Boss Lorraine Powers was delighted with the coverage and we hope that the attention brings in the customers to support their new shop. View the new item here.

Three girls from Bournemouth-based Avonbourne School visited wood@aldingbourne last week as their prize for winning a national competition.

Social Firms UK ran the competition as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week. Avonbourne’s winning idea was to create a leisure/community centre for disabled soldiers returning from conflict which the judges thought was: "…really original, timely and full of potential for turning into a Social Firm."

Peter Stanley, General Manager of the Aldingbourne Trust (which Social Firm wood@aldingbourne is part of) picked up the ‘Innovation Champion’ award at the business collaboration achievement awards at Brighton University last month.