2016: a big year for social enterprise

Edinburgh’s Eat the Good Stuff campaign’s on track!

Rail commuters tuck into Britain’s biggest jeely piece!

The Monster Jeely Piece Challenge pulled into Waverley station yesterday as Edinburgh Social Enterprise Network (ESEN) teamed up with Breadshare and Tiphereth in a Jar to stage the creation of the biggest jeely piece (that’s a jam sandwich, visitors!) to date in the UK.

Sandwich construction started at 11am and the muckle piece was ready for munching at lunchtime, with tasting from 1pm. The challenge marked the launch of the “Eat the Good Stuff” campaign, which aims to promote the range of high quality food social enterprises in Edinburgh.

The event took place at Waverley Station’s LocalMotive Markets site alongside platform 2, where the new Borders Railway now comes in.

Speaking before the build of the mighty sandwich ESEN Coordinator Linsay Chalmers, said: “Weeks of preparation and logistical planning have gone into this world first ‘monster jeely piece’ attempt. There has been a lot to consider for the Breadshare and Tiphereth social enterprise teams who have calculated the jeely piece will be 1.8m x 1.6m in size and will need 12 kilos of strawberry jam to make it possible.”

The team worked against the clock to create the monster ‘master-piece’, which was then cut into 768 individual sandwiches for sharing with commuters, railway staff and passers-by.

Lindsay added: “We are keen to promote Edinburgh’s food social enterprises through our “Eat the Good Stuff” campaign and be the first in the UK to create a giant jeely piece – especially as it is Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink – we felt we had to mark the occasion with some great local and organic foodie, social enterprise produce.”

“And next year we hope to have a ‘monster scone bake-off’ with some of our other social enterprises.”

Juliet Donnachie, Station Manager, Waverley Station said: “Edinburgh Waverley is Scotland’s largest station so it’s only fitting it should also be home to the country’s biggest jeely piece. The market has been a popular addition to the station over the past year and events like this add a little unexpected fun to passengers’ journeys.”

Edinburgh is home to food social enterprises of all shapes and sizes including cafes, pubs and fair trade distributors. The campaign aims to place the spotlight on these food organisations and introduce the people of Edinburgh to the top quality and socially good products that they offer.

There are now over 200 social enterprises in Edinburgh with a wide range of products from culinary and craft to recycling, wellbeing, and sport – and new products are coming to the fore each week.

The “buy the good stuff” sticker campaign indicates to shoppers and visitors the wide range and diversity of businesses promoting social enterprise whilst highlighting the beautiful and unique products on offer and the stickers will help recognise those businesses with ease.

Celebrating the good stuff: city social enterprises surging ahead

Edinburgh Social Enterprise Network (ESEN) has published a report into the impact of social enterprise in the city. Titled ‘Celebrate the Good Stuff”, it’s a real good news story!

There are now more than 200 social enterprises across the city, and the report reveals that the turnover of the sector has trebled from £44 million to £120 million in two years, with 94% of the sector’s income generated from direct trading (up from 75% in 2013).

There are also 8000 people involved in social enterprises across Edinburgh – as staff, volunteers or trainees.

Commenting on the social enterprise sector boom, Emma Galloway, chair of ESEN said: “We have seen social enterprise become the model of choice for entrepreneurs who want to effect real change in the society and community. As a result of the work of the city’s social enterprises and ESEN, the Business Gateway and the City of Edinburgh Council Economic Development team, more and more people in Edinburgh are both finding out about social enterprise and making the choice to get involved.

Emma added: “New social entrepreneurs are coming from a variety of sources – universities, schools and colleges through to former sole traders wanting to operate their business with an ethical purpose at its very heart.”

The report also relates to the Social Enterprise Strategy for Edinburgh: (2013 – 2018) Enabling Enterprise as it moves into its second year of delivery. With key highlights including the “Buy the Good Stuff” marketing campaign promoting social enterprises to consumers; the running of Social in the Square, Scotland’s first social enterprise festival as well as initiatives to raise awareness of social enterprise amongst businesses including the running of social enterprise markets at the Royal Bank of Scotland’s headquarters and social enterprises being invited to speak at the Business Gateway’s monthly Growth Club events.

Susan Harkins, Business Gateway Manager, said: “The study shows the huge range of social enterprises in Edinburgh selling at least 40 different product types and services and many selling out-with the city and overseas as well. One of the vital elements to success has been the shift from public sector support to selling to consumers direct – as the social enterprise market has matured.”

Speaking at the launch of the report, Minister for Local Government and Community Empowerment Marco Biagi said: “Social enterprises play an important role in supporting communities and delivering quality services, so it’s fantastic to celebrate their success and see them grow and evolve.

“Social enterprises help to improve people’s lives, they can reform public services and give people the chance to be involved in the design and delivery of the services and decisions that affect them.

“The Scottish Government has invested heavily in developing and supporting the sector and we look forward to considering what more we can do to boost social enterprises in the future, as its work is crucial to creating a fairer and more inclusive Scotland.”

Edinburgh’s Economy Vice-Convenor, Councillor Gordon Munro, said: “Over the last year, we have been calling on the general public to think about how they shop around the city and to consider purchasing from social enterprises. It’s clear from these impressive turnover figures that our call to action is working. We have a growing number of local businesses which provide great ideas and service, create jobs and support our local economy – all of us should celebrate and show our appreciation for this exciting and entrepreneurial community.”

This study has focussed solely on organisations that meet the Social Enterprise Code and have engaged with ESEN as social enterprises or that have defined themselves as social enterprise.

Now Doogie’s mixing with the luvvies!

Watch out for Doogie Goodstuff – festival reviewer with a social enterprise twist!

For those people not yet acquainted with Edinburgh Social Enterprise Network’s mascot Doogie Goodstuff – you will have a chance to meet him as he reviews shows from some of festivals exciting social enterprise venues across Edinburgh.

Doogie Goodstuff is now taking his message to out to festival goers to buy from the 200 social enterprises across the city, as it gets into full festival swing. And for a bit of fun Doogie has turned his hand to reviewing three festival shows at social enterprise venues in the city.

Doogie’s festival reviews have been arranged with the Scottish Storytelling Centre, Out of the Blue and the Just Festival who are members of Edinburgh Social Enterprise Network.

Land of the Dragon by PuppetSoup at the Scottish Storytelling Centre

I was thrilled to hear about the magical adventures of my fire-breathing Welsh cousins at Land of the Dragon in the Scottish Storytelling Centre. It was a thrilling tale, with stunning sets and puppetry, from Welsh social enterprise PuppetSoup. I was scared to get too near the red and white dragons in case they melted my fur while they were fighting but I did befriend the sheep who was a lot less frightening!

This is Not a Magic Show by Vincent Gambini, part of the Forest Fringe at Out of the Blue (pictured)

My eyes almost popped out of my head when I saw the astonishing tricks that Vincent Gambini performed with coins and cards. His patter and sideways look at magic made the show come alive. I felt a little sad that my fingers would always be too fluffy for prestidigitation but Vincent cheered me up by showing me how to make a playing card pop out of my mouth!

Afropella Night by Alabaster Box, part of the Just Festival at St John’s Church

The acoustics of St John’s Church brought out the wonderful voices and beats of Alabaster Box who had travelled from Ghana to take part in the Just Festival. I was a little blue that there wasn’t any room for me in the group, as they already have a baritone. My mood soon lifted when they encouraged me to come out into the central aisle of the church to show my monster moves as I danced along to the music. They also told me that my Ghanaian name is Kwame because I was born on a Saturday.

Linsay Chalmers, Network Coordinator at Edinburgh Social Enterprise Network said: “We welcome all the support we can get, so if festival goers meet Doogie Goodstuff please feel free to ask about our “Buy the Good Stuff” campaign and check out Doogie’s reviews on our website www.buythegoodstuff.co.uk “

MY set to grow with £25,000 grant

Muirhouse based MY Adventure (MYA) has received £25,000 to support plans for a training base at Towford to support their employability programme for young people from North Edinburgh.

The funds come from the £1 million Legacy 2014: Sustainable Sport for Communities Fund which was created with investment from the Scottish Government and The Robertson Trust, and has been delivered by these organisations in partnership with Social Investment Scotland, sportscotland and Senscot.

MYA, a trading arm of Muirhouse Youth Development Group, plan to use the funds to help transform the Towford Outdoor Education Centre residential facility in the Borders (pictured above). The space will be turned into a training base for their MY Academy programme, a unique employability scheme for young people in North Edinburgh.

MYA is one of twelve third sector organisations to receive a total of over £250,000 in the fund’s second round of awards to help develop sports facilities for use by their local communities.

Ja:mes Howell, Director of MYA said: “Support from the Legacy 2014 fund will enable MY Adventure to realise the potential of our Towford Outdoor Centre in the Scottish Borders. The centre will operate as a training centre for our MY Academy programme, helping young people in North Edinburgh.

“It will also provide a wild retreat for children and young people from North Edinburgh and a space for meaningful outdoor learning. The Legacy fund will support a project officer to focus on the development of the project as well as community consultation, including conducting a full feasibility report for the building and its land and business planning to ensure the project’s success.

“MY Adventure is looking forward to this exciting project taking shape and offering increased opportunities for the communities of North Edinburgh.”

Alastair Davis, Chief Executive of Social Investment Scotland which administers the fund, said: “MYA has presented a compelling case outlining the benefits of their plans which will provide an incredible opportunity for local young people, families and marginalised communities in North Edinburgh.

We know that sport has the potential to bring a whole range of benefits to local communities and therefore we look forward to seeing the benefits their outdoor learning programme will have on the community of Muirhouse and surrounding areas.”

Other organisations receiving funding include Active Bellshill who will receive £14,000 for the planning of a new sports hub in Glasgow, the Comrie Development Trust who will receive £15,000 to carry out a study into local sports and recreational needs, and Scottish Athletics who will receive £25,000 to look at how they can increase community engagement through their clubs.

Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, said: “Small organisations like this are doing tremendous work to encourage more Scots to be more active, more often. Almost a year after Glasgow hosted the best Games ever, it’s important that Scotland continues to benefit from their legacy, and this fund is a key part of those efforts.

“The Sustainable Sport for Communities Fund is there to offer help to social enterprises and to allow them to ensure their long term sustainability. I look forward to seeing the positive impact the Fund will make.”

Kenneth Ferguson, Director of The Robertson Trust, added: “Sport can provide a range of positive benefits for individuals and communities. We are delighted to be able to use this Legacy 2014 programme to support organisations across Scotland which are helping to enhance the lives of the people they work with through sport.”

Community Shares roadshow to hit the capital

Event to highlight new ways to generate funding

The Community Shares Scotland (CSS) team are holding the next roadshow in their pan-Scotland series at the Melting Pot in Rose Street this Friday (1 May).

The aim of the event is to show local communities how they can utilise an alternative funding method to develop their own projects and invest in their own futures.

It also offers groups a chance to meet and mingle with other community groups who are interested in setting up a share offer or learn from those who have had success already.

CSS programme manager, Kelly McIntyre, said: “We launched our roadshow programme last year with the aim of growing the community enterprise market through practical application and help people progress their own community projects.

“We are now beginning to see a network of like-minded enterprises grow across Scotland using community shares to generate income for their communities – from Fort William to Dunbar, Aberdeen to Harris and throughout Scotland.

“People have asked us for case studies and examples of other enterprises whom have been successful in getting their projects, big and small off the ground.

“For example, the Sunart renewable energy hydro scheme in Lochaber is real example of community spirit and effort to make an ambitious project a reality.

“And right on our door-step we have local greengrocer, Dig-In Bruntsfield Community Greengrocers Ltd, who will be giving a talk on the day about their experience of setting up a community greengrocer business through their community share offer.

Dig-In’s Catherine Francis said: “We are a community-owned and supported, not-for-profit greengrocer in Edinburgh who supply locally-sourced produce and foster community spirit.

“Thanks to our incredible volunteers, community shareholders and committee membership, we are now a thriving enterprise.

“We function along the lines of a community enterprise model, offering community shares which keeps us rooted in the community. We’re looking forward to participating in the Community Shares Roadshow on 1 May– coincidentally, also the first anniversary of our shop opening!”

Kelly McIntyre added: “Fair Trade is another area where community share schemes have been used to provide a different model for developing a live project.

“For example, Glasgow-based Bala Sport are a new co-operatively-led venture that plans to take Fairtrade Sports balls to the same level of awareness and sales as other popular Fairtrade products, such as bananas, coffee, tea, sugar and chocolate.”

Angus Coull, marketing and communications director of Bala Sport, explained: “As a start-up community benefit society, selling high-quality Fairtrade-certified sports balls, the help and support we received from Kelly at Community Shares Scotland was invaluable.

“With no previous experience and little knowledge of how community share offers work, so it was like having our own account manager with personal one-to-one advice and a lot of social media back-up.

“I was surprised at the amount of input from CSS – you can tell they really do want your business to succeed and they naturally know their stuff.”

He added: “As a tiny co-op competing with big brand sports balls companies, we need to raise £150,000 to help us buy in sufficient levels of stock in our early stages and we wanted to make a big impact at our launch event.

“We booked Hampden Stadium and, with the financial support from Community Shares Scotland, we were able to produce high impact promotional materials to reinforce the message and help convince the potential investors at the event.

“When Kelly thinks we’re easing off on the awareness raising, she’ll let us know – and the CSS tweets will start coming thick and fast – very welcome motivation and a pleasure to deal with.”

Bala Sports balls come from Fairtrade accredited factories in Sialkot, Pakistan, where both workers and the wider community benefit from the Fairtrade premium that is paid.

The current share offer closes on 31 May 2015 and people are encouraged to invest as little as £50 to meet the target of £150,000.

Check out the offer at http://www.microgenius.org.uk/project/fair-trade-sports-balls-limited-30

Free roadshow event but booking essential:

Friday, 1 May 10:0am to 3:0pm

The Melting Pot, 5 Rose Street, EH2 2PR

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/community-shares-scotland-edinburgh-roadshow-tickets-16015653250

Any questions? Give us a call on 0131 220 3777

CSS is made up of a consortium of partners, DTAS, Co-operatives UK, Locality, Plunkett Foundation and Rocket Science.

Making a big issue of social enterprise

The International Network of Street papers (INSP) has secured funding as part of a £250,000 investment to promote Scottish social enterprises internationally, Housing Minister Margaret Burgess announced today.

Glasgow-based charity ISNP will receive £20,000 from the overall funding for another year, an extension of its current support.

The Scottish Government funding coincides with Vendors Week, an annual global event where celebrities and politicians sell the Big Issue paper for one hour to raise awareness of homelessness.

The total investment is aimed at further developing Scotland’s reputation internationally as a world leader in creating the right conditions for social enterprise to flourish.

Social enterprises have an impact on communities all over Scotland, tackling social problems and strengthening communities. They trade in all markets and aim to make a profit just like any private sector business, but all profits are reinvested back into their social and environmental purposes.

The remainder of the funding will be earmarked for continued support for international social enterprise in Scotland. Detailed allocations will be announced in due course.

Margaret Burgess said: “An enterprising third sector is a vital component in our economy, civic society and in creating a fairer and more inclusive Scotland.

“This £20,000 funding will help social enterprise INSP support vendors who are selling street papers to work their way out of poverty and homelessness. In total, £250,00 will help support international social enterprise in Scotland.

“We are committed to tackling and preventing homelessness and support for frontline homelessness services working with the most vulnerable in our society.

“Homelessness has been falling in Scotland. Latest homelessness statistics published 13 January for the period July to September 2014 indicate continuing falls in recorded homelessness across Scotland.”

INSP Chief Executive Maree Aldam said: “As we celebrate our annual Vendor Week, INSP is delighted to receive this continued strong support from the Scottish Government.

“INSP is proud to call Scotland home. Many years of support from the Scottish Government have enabled us to work internationally, supporting the development of social enterprise in 35 countries.

“Vendor Week is enormously important to INSP. Across our network of 114 street papers, we are paying tribute this week to the 14,000 hardworking men and women who are selling street papers as a way out of poverty.

“Top Scottish politicians will don the red tabard today to take their turn selling the magazine as part of an event that raises awareness of issues around homelessness, while boosting sales for The Big issue and raising money to support INSP.“

Influencing your Parliament

Scottish Parliament Community Conference this month

Local people keen to have their voice heard by their MSP and the Scottish Parliament can discover how to run a social media campaign, secure media stories on the issues that affect them, petition the Parliament and even hold their own Holyrood event, by attending a conference at Dumfries’ Easterbrook Hall on Saturday 21 February.

At the Scottish Parliament Communities Conference, local MSPs Elaine Murray and Alex Fergusson will share expert advice on how to help your MSP help you, with interactive workshops run throughout the day, led by MSPs and the Scottish Parliament’s expert staff.

Engagement can result in a wide range of actions, including parliamentary debate, changes to law and policy direction.

Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries said: “When an issue matters, and when it is within Holyrood’s power to help, engaging with MSPs and the Scottish Parliament can be a direct way for individuals, community groups and organisations to be heard.”

He went on: “We want to make sure that people from across Dumfries and Galloway know how to engage with us, their local MSPs, and to know that the Scottish Parliament belongs to them. The conference is all about helping make sure their voice is heard. I hope to meet many people from across the South West who feel strongly about an issue, so I can share a range of ways the Scottish Parliament can help make a positive difference to people’s lives in their local community, or even throughout Scotland.”

Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire said: ““We’re looking forward to meeting as many local community organisations, charities, social enterprises, tenants and residents groups, local campaign organisations, volunteers and youth groups as possible. But we also want to hear from individuals with an important issue to share. Only by hearing from people who have perhaps never been involved with the Parliament or politics before can we continue to raise the profile of a wide variety of important issues and give the people of Dumfries and Galloway a voice.”

In addition to Ms Murray and Mr Ferguson, other MSPs leading workshops on the day include Chic Brodie, MSP for South Scotland; John Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland; Graeme Pearson, MSP for South Scotland and Aileen McLeod, Minister for Environment, Climate Change & Land Reform.

Joyce Harkness is a campaigner and social enterprise manager from Hightae near Lochmaben. She said: “It’s great news that the Communities Conference is coming to Dumfries. I would encourage anyone who wants to kick-start getting their voice heard at the Scottish Parliament to come to Easterbrook Hall on the 21st.

“I’ve attended Scottish Parliament community workshops in the past and they’ve been invaluable. When I was campaigning for better rural transport for older people across Dumfries and Galloway, working with the Parliament really helped get our issues raised in a positive way. The MSPs and Parliamentary staff really listen and have great ideas and practical advice that’s specially tailored to your campaign. The sheer range of ways you can engage with Parliament can be a real eye-opener.”