Social Bite Village – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Change Waste Recycling to provide funding for Social Bite village as part of new partnership with Social Bite

The three-year partnership will include over £62k of funding, support and jobs for people experiencing homelessness in the UK

Change Waste Recycling, a leading waste and resource management company, has announced a three-year partnership with Social Bite, a charity dedicated to ending homelessness in Scotland and across the UK.

Under a new ownership structure, Change Waste Recycling has chosen a new charity partner. The decision to partner with Social Bite was made after careful consideration by its leadership team and 55 dedicated staff members. This choice was motivated by the recognition of several key synergies between the two organisations.

Change Waste Recycling, which provides award-winning recycling and waste management services, and Social Bite who provide homes, jobs, food, and support to empower people to transform their own lives, both share Scottish roots and have grown nationally, to drive change, challenge the status quo, and provide innovative, high-quality solutions for issues within environmental and social sectors.

The partnership will see Change Waste Recycling raise over £62k for Social Bite across three years, to help deliver some of Social Bite’s ambitious projects including the plan to build two new Social Bite Villages.

Since the partnership launched, Change Waste has also employed someone through Social Bite’s Jobs First programme which provides supported employment for people who have experienced homelessness.

Employees at the organisation are participating in Social Bite’s year-round campaign initiatives, including its annual Christmas campaign – Festival of Kindness – which aims to provide hot Christmas meals and gifts to people most in need over the winter months.

Further to financial and fundraising support, the organisations will be working together to provide training to Change Waste’s drivers, empowering employees on what to do in a situation where a driver suspects someone needs immediate aid and support. Change Waste Recycling will be branding the company’s fleet of vehicles, to raise national awareness of the partnership and its support of Social Bite’s mission to end homelessness.

Josh Littlejohn MBE, co-founder and Executive Director of Social Bite, expressed his gratitude for the partnership, saying: “We’re incredibly thankful to the Change Waste Recycling team for their decision to partner with Social Bite.

“We’ve seen how powerful partnerships like these can be for providing real lasting change and we couldn’t be prouder to partner with a company that shares similar values and believes in a brighter future. The partnership will play a huge role in the support we provide to people experiencing homelessness “

Forbes Connor, CEO at Change Waste Recycling, echoed this excitement, stating: “We’ve admired the inspirational and transformative work Social Bite does for a long time now, so to have the opportunity to support them over the next three years is something we’re very proud of.

“Social Bite has such a positive impact on the lives of so many people, and I’m thrilled that the team and I will be able to support this important cause.”

For more information about Social Bite and how to get involved, please visit:

https://www.social-bite.co.uk/ .

For more information about Change Waste Recycling, please visit:

https://changewasterecycling.co.uk/ .

Social Bite Founder, Josh Littlejohn MBE, publishes his first book

Dame Helen Mirren and Martin Compston are among those celebrating the book launched on Thursday 17^th August

Leading social entrepreneur Josh Littlejohn MBE who has spearheaded initiatives that have raised over £25 million to help end homelessness, and can count George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio as supporters, has launched his first book, Paying It Forward: How to Be a Social Entrepreneur.

Paying It Forward, which is part memoir, part manifesto for social entrepreneurship, and part manual for putting purpose ahead of profit, has already gained praise from early readers including Sir Bob Geldof, novelist Irvine Welsh, film director Richard Curtis CBE, Olympian Sir Chris Hoy and actors Martin Compston and Dame Helen Mirren.

In the book labelled ‘an essential read for our times’ by Richard Curtis CBE, Josh gives practical advice and guidance to those looking to enter the world of social entrepreneurship and shares inspirational stories from homeless people he has met over the last decade.

Josh also shares his personal story, exploring the ups and downs of founding and growing Social Bite – from opening a string of cafés, to creating a village to house homeless people, and staging fundraising ‘sleep outs’ all over the world.

Celebrating the launch in Social Bite’s original café in Edinburgh, Josh Littlejohn said: “I’m thrilled to launch my first ever book, Paying it Forward, which tells my story and chronicles all of the ups and downs, trials and tribulations, and humour of life as a social entrepreneur.

“I hope it offers practical lessons to inspire anyone interested in using their own skills to make a difference in the world. Most importantly,

“I hope it shines a light on the remarkable people I have met over the years from homeless backgrounds who inspire me every day. It’s been a pleasure to work with the team at Heligo Books on Paying it Forward and I’m so excited for people to read the book.”

Josh began working on the homelessness issue when he co-founded a small café in Edinburgh in 2012 and a young homeless man named Peter Hart plucked up the courage to go in and ask for a job.

This chance moment inspired a social enterprise that now operates six cafes in Scotland and London, offering jobs and food to homeless and vulnerable people.

In 2018, Josh and his team launched the Social Bite Village, a purpose-built community providing homes which has so far helped to house almost 100 people. In 2019, Josh launched ‘The World’s Big Sleepout’, with events in over 52 cities around the globe, and 60,000 people sleeping out in the world’s largest ever display of solidarity for homeless and displaced people.

Josh has so far helped raise over £25 million for charitable and homelessness causes and received an MBE from the Queen. He has received a Pride of Britain Award, a Robert Burns Humanitarian Award, five honorary doctorates and he also been included in Debrett’s list of the most influential people in the UK.

Paying it Forward: How to be a Social Entrepreneur was published in hardback, audio and eBook on Thursday (17^th August 2023).

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Social Bite to help combat homelessness.

Books can also be ordered online here:

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/paying-it-forward/josh-littlejohn/9781788708401

Foyles: https://www.foyles.co.uk/book/paying-it-forward/josh-littlejohn/9781788708401

Amazon: amzn.to/3JJ4KGW

Talking homelessness at Tuesday’s community council meeting

Social Bite founder Josh Littlejohn is guest speaker at West Pilton and West Granton Community Council’s meeting on Tuesday (6 February) at 7pm in West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre. All welcome.

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