InTouch Issue 14 by Social Enterprise East of England

InTouch SOCIAL ENTERPRISE EAST OF ENGLAND

Spring 2006 • Issue 14

Inside: Editorial

Are you in touch? David Lloyd shows how to get on the page with InTouch Express

Public procurement – a ‘poisoned chalice’ for social enterprise?

Moving into a closer relationship with statutory bodies might not be a good move for some. Adrian Ashton gives a health warning

Voice 06 – celebrating the success of social enterprise

A summary of the day for those who couldn’t be there

Getting the best out of the SEEE website

The SEEE website is becoming a more and more useful website. Here’s a “how-to” walk through the main features

Feature: The National Trust

Howard Tait visits Blickling Hall, Norfolk to investigate the national and regional significance of a national treasure

Focus On ...

This issue focuses on housing

Networks unlimited

A new format to help you find the information that interests you more easily

Diary

Events: national, regional and local. Let us know about yours!

Wholefood Planet to open in Norwich

Wholefood Planet Norwich (WPN) has been set up by to provide sustainable employment for people with learning difficulties.

Internet: SEEE’s Web partner services are at: http://www.seee.co.uk http://www.seee.co.uk/interactive http://www.nearbuyou.co.uk

Social Accounting & Audit:

What does it really mean?

ocial Accounting and Audit can revolutionise the way you work and manage your organisation! Quite a claim from the Social Audit Network (SAN) but what does it really mean? Social Accounting and Audit is a process that creates a flexible framework for an organisation to: • account fully for its social, environmental and economic impact • report on its performance • provide the information essential for planning future action and improving performance. It enables us to understand the impact an organisation has on its community and on those people and other organisations who are directly involved with the organisation or who access its services. At the same time, accountability is promoted and weaved into the process by engaging with the organisation’s key stakeholders. The main benefits to an organisation are the ability to prove its value and to improve its performance! Proving and Improving has become a popular mantra for social enterprises since the phrase was neatly coined by the Quality and Impact Project of the Social Enterprise Partnership GB. However the ‘Prove and Improve’ mantra can overlook that other essential dimension of the process of social accounting: accountability – being accountable to our stakeholders.

Proving – the 360 degree picture

The thing about social enterprises is that they have a distinct social purpose in that they are set up to achieve a benefit for the community. It is increasingly recognised that when we say “social purpose” we imply also “environmental” and “economic”. In trying to achieve community benefit, social enterprises will impact on people, on the environment and on the (usually local) economy. Social accounting is a process which allows social (and other) enterprises to understand what that “triple bottom line” impact might be. Proving is about demonstrating what the social enterprise has done and explaining the added-value of its work. It must be both about proving performance (did we do what we set out to do?) and demonstrating impact (what effect has that had?). Proving can therefore be seen as producing a 360 degree picture of what a social enterprise does in order to demonstrate its value to society. It is about showing and sharing that picture to all stakeholders. This allows each stakeholder to make their own judgements and allows the different values placed by different stakeholders to be recognised. By actively finding out what others think of our aims and performance an organisation can learn how it is seen and considered from different angles – allowing the ➜ page 2 360 degree approach.

SEEE Strategy

Want to know more about social accounting?

cover ➜ Improving: make it work better! The information gathered to prove is exactly that needed to plan for improvement. The facts, figures and feedback enable a true understanding to be gained – how good are we? What worked? What didn’t work? What is it that you really want from us? This can be a challenging process but one that ensures that the social purpose is indeed the right one. It means understanding that sometimes what we are paid to do is not actually what we want to do or what our customers or clients require. It means understanding that we must first be clear about what we want to do and then, and only then, determine whether what contract-givers or other funding bodies want us to do fits with our purpose. Improving also means that social, environmental and economic performance must be carefully tuned in with financial performance. Without financial health and sustainability there will be no social, environmental or economic External Verification gain. But if the focus is just on financial Certificate performance, what is the difference to any private sector enterprise? for Women’s Train 2000: The Centre Employment

Enterprise &

nt 2004 Social Audit Stateme

Accountability

It is also a key feature of social enterprises that they acknowledge at least a responsibility to account to their stakeholders. For many, that includes a form of democratic structure which gives ownership and governance rights to the community which the social enterprise has been formed to benefit. Accounting to stakeholders can be achieved through the social accounting process as it creates channels of dialogue, and therefore accountability, with the wide range of key stakeholders. This gives them the opportunity to influence not only how the social enterprise performs but also what it does. Accountability starts by recognising who the stakeholders are. For most who go through the exercise to map their stakeholders it is an illuminating process which demonstrates that the enterprise affects far more people that it had hitherto thought, and makes the enterprise aware of how it might affect people intentionally and unintentionally. Understanding these relationships and learning to work with them becomes an important dimension of accountability. Train 2000 Ltd - Social

Accounting Report

History

Social Accounting and Audit is not a new concept, having been implemented in various forms and by a wide range of organisations since the 1970s. The common factors of the social

Social Enterprise Sustainability SEEE Summer Event and AGM Venue: Girton College, Cambridge Date: 14th June 2006 Time: 2pm till 7pm

Book your place now. E: admin@seee.co.uk or T: 0845 606 6296

Details are still being firmed up, but a challenging and engaging programme is already coming together. There will be workshops on social return on investment and on social franchising, a debate on the shiny new CiC company structure is planned, and keynote speaker will be Richard Ellis, Chief Executive of EEDA. The AGM will be followed by drinks, snacks and an opportunity to network with other members.

Note: only those who have registered as members of SEEE, e.g. via our website, may vote at the AGM

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No 14 Spring 2006

accounting practices have The good news is that social been to present the impact accounting and social return on of activities, whether to investment will be the themes expose poor practice and of a SEEE event, to be held in used as a tool to push Cambridge on June 14 – put the for improved practices date in your diary now! (More by, for example, Trade details will be sent to all InTouch Unions and Greenpeace; subscribers and SEEE members or to measure impact and nearer the time). robustly demonstrate the achievement of social aims. For example, Traidcraft plc became the first UK company to publicly commit to undertaking and publishing its social accounts in 1992. Many have followed this lead including The Body Shop, Ben ‘n’ Jerry’s and The Cooperative Bank. Not to be beaten by their ethical business counterparts, and seeing the obvious benefits a number of the private sector companies have also embraced social accounting with Diageo, Camelot and Shell International producing their own social reports. Whilst there is much to be learnt from these experiences, the community and social enterprise sector has also been actively developing practical ways in which to measure its performance. One of the early pioneers in the 1980s was Strathclyde Community Business Ltd whose ‘Scottish Model’ has evolved into the Social Audit Network’s current model (Social Accounting ( and Audit: The Manual). There is a growing number of social enterprises that have adopted this approach to help them measure their overall impact and by integrating the ‘proving – improving – and be accountable’ processes into their day-to-day operations have indeed revolutionised the way they manage their social enterprise. How do I know? Because I work in one such social enterprise (Train 2000, The Centre for Women’s Enterprise and Employment in Merseyside); we’ve done it and continue to do it! And we’re not alone. There are organisations across the country committed to and practising social accounting and audit, from REAP in Moray, Scotland to CEU Ltd in Exeter, Devon. Lisa McMullan Enterprise Coordinator & Social Accountant, Train 2000 The Centre for Women’s Enterprise and Employment, Merseyside www.train2000.org.uk t

Enterprise & Employmen The Centre for Women's

page 01

The Social Audit Network Train 2000 is a member of SAN (The Social Audit Network), a network of approved social auditors and organisations in the UK that promotes and supports social accounting as the preferred means for organisations to report on their social, environmental and economic performance and impact. SAN distributes information regularly to a growing email network worldwide; provides training courses in social accounting and audit and manages a Register of SAN approved social auditors. SAN has recently published its updated Social Accounting and Audit Manual and CD. Want to find out more? Check out www.socialauditnetwork.org.uk for information and details of SAN resources and practitioners working across the country.

Editorial From the Editor

InTouch Social Enterprise East of England Spring 2006 Issue 14 InTouch is financed by SEEE (funded by EEDA/Investing in Communities) and published in its support by Business for People in partnership with Creative Touch, both of which are social enterprises

Are you in touch? David Lloyd is managing director of Business for People in Huntingdon. He is editor and contributor to various publications

n this issue of InTouch, we are unabashedly again reminding our readers of the various facilities that are available from SEEE. As we mentioned in last Autumn’s InTouch, the combination of a quarterly journal and a monthly e-newsletter (or e-zine) gives us the opportunity to continue to address deeper issues and case studies through InTouch while keeping you up-to-date with diary events and breaking news in InTouch Express. By the time you read this, we will have e-published five issues of InTouch Express. We know from the excellent response to the insert in Autumn’s InTouch that there’s strong interest in both InTouch and InTouch Express.

Office 3 Cross Keys Mall Market Square St Neots PE19 2AU Tel.01480 861607 SEEE Team: Acting CEO: Karen Anderson Finance: Elaine McCorriston Website: Donna Pollard Administration: Louise Gilbert Editorial Staff: Editor: David Lloyd intouch@seee.co.uk Content Editor: Peter Durrant Contributing Editors: Andrew Saul Howard Tait Advertising Sales: Joseph Law 01480 433302

If you aren’t getting InTouch Express in either the html (above) or text versions (right), follow the steps below

Creative/production Editor: Austin Bambrook Please send PR and other information items to: Peter Durrant, e-mail: humberstone@pop3.poptel.org.uk Tel. 01223 262759

The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers or of SEEE Ltd, Business for People Ltd or Creative Touch Social Enterprises Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in an information retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the publishers. This publication has been prepared using information provided by contributors and, while we make every effort, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. SEEE Ltd is unable to accept any liability for the consequences of any inaccuracies, errors or omissions in this publication. No representations, warranties or endorsements of any kind are intended.

Techie problems could be stopping you getting the news But unfortunately we also know, from the number of “message delivery failures” we’re getting, that InTouch Express isn’t getting through to around 200 would-be subscribers from our growing (currently 700ish) list. If you would like to receive InTouch Express but are not, it would be worth conducting two or three very easy checks. 1. Go to www.seee.co.uk . Click on the orange “Subscribe, Change or Unsubscribe” link on the left. Follow the instructions to check we have your e-mail address correctly and that you are subscribed to InTouch Express. 2. Add intouch@seee.co.uk to your contact/address book in your e-mail program. Your spam filter will be much less likely to treat what we mail to you as spam if you do this. 3. If you work for a larger organisation with its own network and network administrator, advise the administrator that you have taken the above actions in order to receive InTouch Express and ensure there’s nothing else causing a problem. And check out the SEEE website! On pages 6-7 we also give you a guided tour of the SEEE website facilities and how to use them to maximum effect. Help us to help you by giving it a try. So whether you’re looking for news, views, helpful information, networks, or signposting to appropriate assistance, you need to stay in touch with SEEE and InTouch. And don’t forget, we are always interested in proposed articles from readers and information about your forthcoming events.

InTouch

No 14 Spring 2006

SEEE Strategy

Public procurement – a ‘poisoned chalice’ for social enterprise? By Adrian Ashton

25th January saw the return of the highly successful Social Enterprise Coalition conference, Voice 06, to Manchester.

he 800 delegates were welcomed to the event with a video message from the Prime Minister, who confirmed his enthusiasm for the sector’s innovative and committed approach to business.

here’s been much spoken and legislated in recent memory to encourage social enterprise to move into a closer relationships with statutory bodies by engaging in the procurement agenda. But, based on my experiences and research, I wonder if its actually a good thing for the sector to be so blindly accepting of this edict that seems to have come down ‘from on high’. On the one hand, public procurement would seem to offer social enterprises the opportunity to continue to deliver their activities. It would appear to allow the freedom to enjoy the funding as ‘unrestricted’ (in the sense that it doesn’t have to be tied to costs and budget headings but can be used as needed as well as offering the potential to generate a surplus). It would also seem to enable local statutory bodies to better fulfil all sorts of emerging agendas in delivering ‘joined up’ services and others.

But … does it work?

But does this work in the real world? In reality, organisations have to jump through far more ‘hoops’ to gain contracts than simply applying for a grant or open market trading with other groups of customers. The fact is, organisations face greater uncertainties over if they’ll be successful in winning the contract by competing head-on with the private sector. And, despite what messages may be coming out to our sector from various governmental and other national bodies, local statutory bodies are expected to structure their contracts to deliver more for less, so many are unable to internally ‘join up’ the wider benefits that procuring from social enterprises can offer. In practice, this means that many social enterprises continue to rely on some form of grant to ‘top up’ their income because they are unable to recover the full cost of the delivery of a procured contract. Admittedly, this is a rather sweeping generalisation, but research released by the DTA last year (which to my mind seemed to be ‘buried’ quite quickly) indicates that the majority of their members are hopeful that at best, they’ll be able to break-even on the delivery of contracts with the public sector, with a significant proportion knowing for certain that they’ll have to deliver them at loss. Now, this may seem like I’m painting quite a bleak picture for public procurement and social enterprise. If I am, its because I believe that at the moment, the public procurement agenda, while admirable and appropriate for some, still needs to be looked at and further developed from the side of the local authority sector. We shouldn’t be entering into contracts which we know will cost more to deliver than we’re being offered – particularly as our values and social objectives are certain (and rightly) to cost more to enact than those of traditional private businesses.

No “one size fits all”

This isn’t to say that procurement per se is inappropriate for everyone – many social enterprises have found that procuring to deliver for the private sector is much easier to manage and offers greater rewards (see the recent ‘Match winners’ publication from CAN). And in some instances, local authorities are going that extra mile to make sure that they’re not unintentionally undermining the long-term sustainability of social enterprises through ensuring that the value of the contracts they offer are Adrian Ashton is an appropriate and realistic. independent consultant In summary: there’s a lot of talk about with a wealth of experience public procurement, but don’t jump on and insight in the social the bandwagon just because other people enterprise sector. say you should. It may end up costing E: adrian_ashton2@yahoo.co.uk you more than you’re able to afford. T: 07786 492313

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“I share your ambition for the sector and I want to see Social Enterprise become a mainstream choice for anyone setting up in business” Tony Blair Following The Prime Minister’s speech, The Rt Hon Alun Michael MP spoke about the DTI’s research statistics showing approximately 15,000 Social Enterprise’s in the UK straddling a variety of sectors, with a combined turnover of £18 billion. This in turn represents a £5 billion contribution to the national GDP; impressive figures proving the potential of the sector to the national economy.

Building on 2002 strategy

Mr Michael went on to look at the 2002 social enterprise strategy and the achievements and subsequent initiatives such as the commercial collaborations highlighted in the CAN Matchwinners publication. Publicity and press interest in the sector has grown rapidly, and since the introduction of the new legal structure CIC in June 2005, 100 companies have now registered. The new government action plan will build on the 2002 strategy, looking at encouraging new entrants and confirming the sectors credibility and value. “The new action plan is about aiming for the next level of growth in social enterprise. It aims to secure social enterprise’s place within the business landscape, and help embed it in our economy as part of the mainstream” Alun Michael It is apparent that the government’s perspective of the sector is for it to become a mainstream business model, and this theme was reflected throughout the workshops, with an emphasis on what the social enterprise model can bring to public services, including health and education. In addition, the Olympics will provide a wealth of opportunities for procurement. Alun Michael is aware that there are challenges that the sector will face over the next year in moving forward, including entrenching social enterprise into popular culture and proving that the triple bottom line works (Ed: see our lead article “Social accounting and audit”).

Workshops

Fourteen workshops were held over the course of the day, reflecting the sector’s presence right across the economy – from fair trade to construction and each session included lively debate amongst the delegates on their ideas to move the sector forward and share best and worst practice. The time

Events

Voice 06 – celebrating the success of social enterprise in between the workshops was an opportunity to network amongst the exhibition space, where The Guild had a stand to promote www.nearbuyou.co.uk and the Equal stand displayed the Social Enterprise East of England strategy. The encouraging entrepreneurship workshop was well-attended, illustrating the enthusiasm in the sector to open routes to enterprise for the 12 million people in the UK aged between 14 and 30. From a Social Enterprise East of England point of view, it is important to look at how we can advertise the sector as a real option for employment in our region, and begin to educate the next generation. Lynda Dixon from Fyndane School spoke in the workshop about an extra-curriculum programme where students were engaged in an enterprise project to raise money for a school in Ghana. In order to maximise this type of activity, it needs to be woven into the curriculum One of the most over-subscribed workshops of the day was about health and primary care – with the anticipation of the new white paper due to be published days after the event and an endorsement from the Prime Minister in his pre-recorded opening speech.

this, Nicky is worried about the Government’s recognition of the value that specialist support for social enterprises can have. It is clear that networking events of this calibre capture the attention of not only the social sector and its supporters but also t h e g ove r n m e n t a n d the wider media. It is increasingly important that social enterprise is kept on the agenda and its publicity increased, Baroness Glyness Thornton addresses especially among the younger generation. Voice 06 The day concluded with a panel discussion on social enterprise’s place within a progressive economy. Fay Selvan from The Big Life Economy; Kevin Robbie from Forth Sector; Will Stevenson from The Smith Institute and Parminda Bahra from The Times Public Agenda were led into discussion by Andrew Robinson from Royal Bank of Scotland. Procurement “Another area with huge potential is healthcare. From is still a hot topic within the sector and the out-of-hours GP services to nurse-led primary care, panel spoke about the need to provide a social enterprises are beginning to make an impact. quality, value for money service where the The white paper we are about to publish on improving social agenda is the added USP (unique community health and care will identify social selling proposition), because the social enterprise as a crucial part of our plans to improve the impact will not always make the difference way that services are delivered.” Tony Blair to winning a contract. Jonathan Bland wrapped up the proceedings Health care professionals and business-minded people sat on the panel together to discuss how confirming SEC’s commitment to working across the collaborations could be mutually beneficial and, most political spectrum and making social enterprise the importantly, for the community using the services. business model for the 21st century. Empowerment to the local area, dedicated services “After all the political interest that social enterprise and patient-led structures have all helped, where has attracted in the past few months, the conference trialled, in providing professional care, maximising was an invaluable opportunity for the Coalition to NHS budgets and replicating and partnering listen to our members and crystallise what needs to be innovative strategies. done to help grow the sector”. Jonathan Bland Other workshops included discussions around Many of the ideas and themes discussed at Voice franchising; access to equity; social enterprise solutions in the construction industry and in 06 will be central to SEEE’s work over the next year childcare. Helen Baldry from the Guild in Norfolk or so. We will be examining ways of engaging young people with social enterprise, building on many of the attended the workshop on franchising and added; “We heard about some brilliant success stories procurement initiatives that have already been taken where the high standard of a social enterprise had in the region, and also assisting social enterprises to demonstrate their value through social accounting. been replicated across the country.” This last will be one of the themes of our first AGM, to Final Thoughts Nicky Stevenson, director of Social Enterprise East be held in Cambridge on 14th June. If you would like of England, commented that Voice 06 provided a to join SEEE please contact administrator@seee.co.uk fantastic networking opportunity and that it was for an application pack or more information. Donna Pollard, an environment where it was easy to identify Social Sector Executive, Exemplas Ltd potential development and future work. Despite

InTouch

No 14 Spring 2006

Education

Getting the best out of the SEEE website Since the launch of the SEEE website a year ago, it has become a hub for all things connected to social enterprise in the East of England. Here are some of the features and resources on offer at www.seee.co.uk

England has a number of training organisations offering a variety of courses to suit your needs. Details of these courses can be found in the Learning section of the website, which also contains learning materials you can download, and links to other useful websites. On the other hand a business advisor may be what you need, in which case you should visit the Business Support section, which includes a handy list of support organisations in all areas of the region.

he SEEE website has been designed to meet the information needs of social enterprises and others who work in the sector. This article will take you through the seven main areas of the site and give an understanding of where you need to go to access the resources you need.

Seven ways to help you

Funding is arguably the most important area for any business. The Finance section of the site should be your first port of call when you are in need of start up capital, expanding your business or just trying to find expertise to assist you in navigating the world of money management. Managing both financial and social performance (the double bottom line) can be a tricky business. Fortunately the East of

SEEE Website Training Workshop Recognising that for some, an interactive website represents more of a threat than an opportunity, SEEE has organised a number of free training sessions to enable its users to make the most of www.seee.co.uk. SEEE’s knowledge management strategy (box opposite), is based on the assumption that our entire membership has something to offer. Our website training, held in various venues throughout the region, encourages individuals to get involved and gives them the skills to share best practice and communicate effectively online. Those who attended our last training day, held in Harlow in Essex on 16th January, were enthusiastic about the website as an effective and valuable communication tool. The training itself was a great success, judging by feedback forms from participants.

SEEE members who attended, travelled from as far afield as Suffolk and Cambridge and were enthusiastic about the potential offered by the site. SEEE website training days have proved valuable. Statistics highlighted that members who received training use the site more often and effectively. Since the training in January 2006 the attendees have posted messages on the SEEE website on average five times each and most of them had not posted prior to this training. The objective of this workshop was to familiarise users of the SEEE website and how it can be used as a communication

“The training was useful for learning how to get the most out of the SEEE interactive website and how it could be of use to individuals and organisations.” Dan Launchbury,

‘Yes: I hope to use it as often as possible.’

(Rachel Bayliss Hertfordshire County Council)

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The Social Enterprise People, Cambridge tool for the region’s social enterprises. Topics covered included: • A tour of the key areas of the site; • Placing content and topics on the interactive forums; • Promoting events on the site’s calendar. The good news is there are further events planned: 22 May 2006 – Norfolk/Suffolk 3 July 2006 – Cambridge E admin@seee.co.uk for more details on these events – places are limited!

Initiatives SEEE is built on a foundation of six sub-regional social enterprise networks all of whom are actively working in their local area to support and promote social enterprise. For news on what’s happening locally, or to find out how to get involved with your sub regional network take a look at the In Your Area section. You may already have a copy of the regional strategy for social enterprise – if not, or if you want to see how our strategy fits with other priorities (perhaps to support a funding application or make a case to policy makers), head for the Strategy section. Procurement (contracting with local authorities for example) is a hot topic within local and national gover nment at the moment. Our Procurement section offers advice and support for those social enterprises wishing to explore this option as a way of becoming more sustainable. F i n a l l y, S E E E Interactive provides its members (registering is free and takes seconds) with unique resources and information for social enterprises around the region.

Featuring online forums, where you can join in discussions, a file library which allows you to post and to download useful documents, and an interactive events calendar for you to find events in the area or nationally, or advertise your own events, SEEE Interactive is the place to be for social enterprise in the East of England. Above all, this is your space to share best practice and learn from others’ experience. Space has only permitted a brief glimpse of what www.seee. co.uk has to offer – the best way to find out more is to get online and visit the site in person. For information on how to use the website effectively download the ‘SEEE User’s Guide’ from the SEEE website. SEEE is an e n j o y a b l e and practical environment for social enterprise staff and members; so what are you waiting for! Lisa Murphy, SEEE Strategic Marketing Officer. Comments and suggestions regarding our website should be sent to Donna Pollard, donnap@exemplas.com

Knowledge Management in Co-operative Context The phrase “Knowledge Management” is used, in a business context, to describe the process by which companies can harness knowledge and innovative ideas from within the firm to gain a competitive advantage over others. As economies in the developed world move to being based on knowledge, the importance of Knowledge Management is increasing. So what has all this got to do with Social Enterprise East of England, as a membership-based, co-operative network? More importantly, what relevance is there for our members, the social enterprises and support organisations who are delivering on the double bottom line in the East of England? For SEEE, Knowledge Management is a vital part of its strategy to support and represent social enterprises in our region. We recognise that learning and the sharing of experience is a valuable contribution to making the sector more sustainable. Furthermore, we are aware that there is currently no one location where this expertise and knowledge resides. The SEEE network, with a limited budget and staff, does not intend to duplicate the services of its

members. Instead, our role is to connect individuals with the business support and solutions they need, solutions which exist throughout the region. For SEEE, knowledge exists not in one central place, but is dispersed in various locations, among our members. Pooling your knowledge SEEE’s job, therefore is to give our members an arena in which this useful information can be stored, organised, and easily accessed. The collection of the knowledge itself is up to our members! The magazine InTouch, www.seee. co.uk, and our new monthly electronic newsletter InTouch Express, are the main opportunities that SEEE has developed over the past year or so. These channels will continue to develop but there is already much that can be gained from becoming actively involved: • Marketing your organisation – why not contribute an article to InTouch, advertise your events on SEEE-I, or apply to be featured on www.seee. co.uk as a social enterprise? • Accessing people – as well as links to useful services provided by our members and other organisations, you can ask questions on our interactive

forums, hosted by experts in areas such as Finance and Procurement. • Information and knowledge – from downloading learning materials, to finding out about the latest events, our website is an unrivalled resource for those in the sector. Further indepth analysis can be found in the pages of InTouch. Making a difference for yourself and others These services exist only because our members have taken the trouble to contribute their knowledge – if the whole SEEE membership makes the content of our website and InTouch part of its routine, the benefits will be enormous. We recognise that those who work in social enterprises are busy people with many commitments which mean they cannot always take time to research solutions themselves. By providing a central area where members can both provide and access knowledge and information, SEEE hopes that Knowledge Management can become more than just a fashionable buzzword, and make a real contribution to the growth of the social enterprise sector in the East of England.

InTouch

No 14 Spring 2006

Feature

The National Trust By Howard Tait

n 1895, amid growing concerns about the impact the Industrial Revolution was having on the fabric of the country, Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Cannon Hardwicke Rawnsley founded a charity to “look after places of historic interest or natural beauty permanently for the benefit of the nation”. 110 years later, the charity they founded, The National Trust, has grown to become one of the nation’s best-known and mostloved institutions; it is also one of the most successful.

An immense “estate”

Since its first purchase of Alfriston Clergy House in 1896, the Trust has expanded to the point where it now manages over 700 miles of coastline, 612,000 acres of land and over 200 buildings, gardens and monuments. But its very success as national guardian of this vast estate has tended to obscure another aspect of the Trust’s work, one that is possibly even more important than its headline mission – and one in which it is equally as successful. As befits an organisation whose patron is the Prince of Wales, the Trust has become one of the driving forces behind the move towards rural regeneration, and it is here that the Trust makes its greatest impact on national life.

Not just a pretty place

The Trust is, in its own words, “more than just a pretty place” and last year alone it invested £160,000,000 in the nation’s environmental infrastructure. However, nothing exists in a vacuum and the Trust is crucially aware that a conserved countryside depends on the vitality of local communities, and its policies are designed to bring a wide range of benefits to help and support local communities in those areas where it is active. I met Simon Garnier, Area Manager for Norfolk, at Blickling Hall to find out more about this aspect of the Trust’s work.

Benefiting local communities and providing training

One of the most basic requirements for a community to thrive is a buoyant local economy, and wherever the Trust is active, its presence acts as a major stimulus to the economy in that area. The Trust supports a large amount of employment both directly and indirectly. In Norfolk alone the Trust employs over 300 people, and while some of those will be people who have moved into the area to take up a job with the Trust, the vast majority of those employed are from local communities. In its day to day operations the Trust needs skilled craftspeople in a variety of disciplines, but it is also active in several commercial sectors such as tourism, retail, property management and catering; and these also require people with a variety of skills. As well as employing people with pre-existing skills, under its ‘Careership’ programme, the Trust has established direct links with a number of colleges, and actively seeks people with the right qualities to train in the skills it needs. The Trust was a firm believer in ‘localism’ long before it became a political buzzword, and this is reflected in its policy to seek wherever possible to purchase goods and services local to its centres of operation. This policy acts as a stimulus to local economies, bringing further employment and helping to sustain business diversity within the area. As a social enterprise itself, the Trust will always look favourably on other social enterprises but, as Simon Garnier pointed out, the Trust has to be run as a business and at the end of the day, hard-headed commercial considerations have to take priority. Any social enterprise tendering to supply goods or services to the Trust has to be

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Main photograph © NTPL/ Ian Shaw

Feature by Howard Tait

equally commercially hard-headed and professional in their approach.

The environment is central

Care and improvement of the environment is central to the Trust’s work and on its own estates it pursues a rigorous policy of environmental best practice. The success of this policy can be seen in the results. Each region has a dedicated member of staff whose remit is to encourage the Trust’s tenant farmers to turn organic, offering help and advice during the changeover period. As a result of this, over 7% of the Trust’s farms are farmed organically, compared to the national average of 4%. The Trust also actively seeks solutions to some of the pressing environmental problems we face. At its Sheringham Park estate, visitors can see and use the latest water conservation techniques. Every drop of rain-water is harvested from the buildings and collected for use in plant propagation and flushing toilets; urinals are of a new waterless type and an underground sewage treatment plant is designed to discharge clean water. The Trust sees education as a vital component of its environmental work. As well as working with schools, it also offers adult training and many of those who have been through its conservation courses go on to start projects of their own. The Trust’s influence extends well beyond its own estates and nearby communities. For example, Simon Garnier also sits on the East of England Environment Forum, a body composed of both statutory and voluntary organisations. There, as well as ensuring that the Trust’s input has effect, he also sits on the sub-committee responsible for the distribution of money from the European Social Fund for environmental projects across the region.

Lessons we can all learn

Although the National Trust is a large organisation with an income running into hundreds of millions of pounds, there are lessons smaller enterprises can learn from its success. The first lesson is for any social enterprise to be successful, it has to be run as a business, and that means being commercially hard-headed and making difficult decisions. The next lesson that is equally as important is flexibility. In the 26 years that Simon Garnier has worked for the Trust it has changed completely, and more than once. Times and trading conditions change and any enterprise that is not flexible enough to change to meet the new conditions will not survive. There is one last thing that no social enterprise can afford to ignore – public perception. It is not only important for social enterprises to ‘do good’ in the public domain, it is equally as important for them to be seen to be ‘doing good’. It is public goodwill that gives social enterprises an edge over their purely commercial competitors, but that goodwill has to be fostered and nurtured. The National Trust has been accused of being stuck in the dream of a bucolic past which never actually existed – but nothing could be further from the truth. The Trust seeks to learn the lessons of the past and to use them to solve the problems of today, and the success of this approach can be easily measured.

A major contribution

When the Trust is viewed through the lens of social accountability, it is clear that the contribution it makes to national life makes it a major force for progress in the nation. It has become as much of a national treasure as any of the treasures it so carefully looks after.

Lynsey Thorpe, Communications Officer E: lynsey.thorpe@nationaltrust.org.uk T: 01284 747557 The National Trust East of England Office Westley Bottom, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 3WD

InTouch

No 14 Spring 2006

Focus on: Housing by Andrew Saul

Herts Young Homeless Group

or young people aged 16-25, it is natural to want to prove their independence and go out into the wide world. However, reality can often differ from the dream, and many encounter problems. The Herts Young Homeless Group (HYHG) is a charity which offers its support to the youth of the county by providing information, support and advocacy as well as emergency accommodation. The scheme was established in the spring of 1998, though its origins go back to the Crouchfield development project in 1993, which was established using money from a trust set up from the sale of a local authority school, and with one paid member of staff. There are now over 50 paid staff members working at the four regional branches throughout Hertfordshire – the east area based at Cheshunt, west area based at Hemel Hempstead, south area at Watford and the north area in Hitchin. HYHG also provides mediators to work with young people aged 16 or 17 and their families to help them find solutions to relationship issues. The mediators listen to the young person and their family without taking sides or making judgements; the service is free and confidential. HYHG also aims to prevent young people from becoming homeless, through talks and presentations in schools, colleges and youth groups, and holding one to one sessions with young people and their families. If relationships between the young person and their family have already become so strained that the young person feels forced to move out, HYHG offers another useful service. Crashpad Hosts are people who offer a room in their home to young people aged 16 or 17 for up to three weeks. Young people are referred by either HYHG or local council housing officers, and the hosts are all police-checked and trained to enable them to offer support. The hosts are expected to provide breakfast and an evening meal, and all expenses to the host are paid by the referring body. In 1997 services for homeless people in Hertfordshire were expanded by the formation of HHAH , Herts Health Action for Homeless. Its aim is to promote health for homeless people of all ages. This takes place in three ways. First, through a counselling coordinator and 12 counsellors, both student and qualified, dealing with people aged 16 and over in all areas of Hertfordshire wishing to engage in counselling. Secondly, there are also two drug and homelessness link workers, one covering South and West, the other North and East. As well as those in temporary accommodation or of no fixed abode, they will also deal with those currently in local authority accommodation who have drug and alcohol issues. Thirdly, there is also a dual-diagnosis worker concentrating on Watford and Stevenage. This service is aimed at people HYHG, 2nd. Floor, York House, in temporary 14 Salisbury Square, Old Hatfield, AL9 5AD accommodation T: 01707 251384 who have both E: headoffice@hyhg.org W: www.hyhg.org drug-related and HHAH, Postal Address as above substance abuse T: 01707 251374 problems. E: hhah@hyhg.org W: www.hyhg.org

10 InTouch

No 14 Spring 2006

Norfolk an Norwich A for the Blin

f you are blind or visually impaired, aspects of housing that may seem perfectly adequate for others can fail to meet your needs. Thomas Tawell House is a residential home in Norwich which caters for the special needs of those affected by both visual and hearing impairments. It houses 37 residents and the facility also includes 20 sheltered flats at the nearby Hammond Court. The home is run by the Norfolk and Norwich association for the blind, and is named after the association’s founder, Thomas Tawell, who formed the charity as the Norwich Institution for the blind in 1805. The current name was adopted in 1988, and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second became patron in 1952.

A number of special features

The buildings include a number of special features. Tactile flooring enables the visually impaired to feel the differences in the surfaces they are walking on. There is specialised door furniture; the surroundings of the doors are painted in different colours to make them more visible to those with visual impairments. Lighting has to fulfil two opposing needs: some people with visual problems find bright light helpful, while others have the opposite requirement. Brailed signage is also used throughout the home, there is

ASH Co-op O

riginally formed to address the lack of adequate housing for students attending what was the Cambridge College of Arts and Technology, the Argyle Street Housing Cooperative (ASH co-op) has now reached its quarter-century. The co-operative has several properties in Argyle Street and the neighbouring Fletchers Terrace and Swann Street.

A range of accommodation

The co-op consists of two 10-person, five 6person and four 4-person houses, with another eight 1-bedroom flats and one none-shared house. Members living in the shared houses all have their own room, and share the use of the kitchen, living room and a number of bathroom and toilet facilities. As most of the accommodation consists of single rooms in shared houses, most of the residents are single people, though there are a number of single mothers with children, and the none –shared house is occupied by a family. Prospective members are interviewed before they join the cooperative, to assess their understanding of equal opportunities and of the needs of living in a

Focus on: Housing by Andrew Saul

nd Association nd

Care and Repair East Cambridgeshire

a talking lift and the whole facility is light and airy with wide corridors. Volunteers are on hand to help with anything the residents need, such as claims for allowances, or assistance in the on-site workshop. As deafness can often accompany blindness, the housing and its staff are also equipped and trained to cater for the needs of those with hearing impairments.

Outreach to others with sight impairment

As well as the residential facilities, the charity also has a range of other services to assist the 16,000 people with poor sight in Norfolk. Community workers provide a visiting advice and support service throughout Norfolk, a talking book service is available, as well as a newspaper and a sports coordinator takes groups of people on such activities as sailing, walking and tandem riding. There are also equipment centres offering daily living aids and other useful items located at Norwich, Kings Lynn, Great Yarmouth, Cromer and Diss, as well as a mobile equipment service. Over 4,000 people visited the six centres last year, the charity’s bicentennial, and the community workers made almost 7,000 home visits.

NNAB, Magpie Road, Norwich, NR3 1JH T: 01603 629558 W: www.nnan.org.uk

cooperative; they must also show a genuine housing need. Most of the 84 tenants contribute some form of work to the day-to-day running of the cooperative, be it in an administrative or a more practical sense. Decisions are taken on a one member, one vote basis, and funds are pooled for the collective benefit of the cooperative. Administrator Lauren Levine tells me she lived in the cooperative as a single mother 15 years ago, and found it a very supportive environment. A few of the current residents go back to the beginning, and at least one resident moved in as child, and then was awarded his own residency. It is clear that ASH co-op offers a genuine alternative in housing to the people of Cambridge. If you are in need of housing in Cambridge, the cooperative’s shortlist is always open to people. Please contact them as listed below.

ASH CO-OP, 3 Fletchers Terrace, Cambridge CB1 3LU T: 01223 411615 E: lauren@ash.coop W: www.ash.coop

any people who are over 60, disabled or on a low income have their own homes. However, they may well find the costs of maintainance prohibitive, or that adaptation is now required to meet their needs. Care and Repair East Cambridgeshire is a non-profit organisation which aims to allow people in these groups to continue to live in their homes with dignity, allowing them to feel empowered, rather than dependent.

A range of services

The work undertaken by the organisation ranges from minor repairs to full renovations of peoples’ homes, or adapting someone’s residence to suit their needs if they are less able. Advice is free, and most work carried out by the agency receives financial support. Any fees charged are agreed with the client beforehand, and if the client is paying, the fees are usually 5% of the building costs. A handy person is also available to carry out minor work, at a cost of up to £10 per hour, plus the cost of materials. The agency can also help with the organisation and supervision of the work if the client chooses to pay for it themselves. The agency also organises applications for financial help with building costs and fees, depending on the client’s eligibility. There are a number of differing sources of funding available, such as a Disabled Facilities Grant or a Small Repairs Grant, or other forms of help from trusts and charities or the District Council. The agency also has its own Small Hardship Fund, to help with small urgent jobs where other funding sources are not available. For people with impaired abilities, work can be carried out in consultation with an occupational therapist, to do such things as widening doors, altering bathrooms to provide level access to a shower, building an extension, or fitting a stair-lift or through-the-floor lift. Repair work can include repairs to a leaky roof or cracked chimney, replacing dangerous electrical wiring, or fitting new or replacement central heating. The agency will assist in drawing plans and writing schedules, applying for planning permission and building regulation approval, obtaining building quotations, overseeing the building work and inspecting the work when completed. Prospective clients may contact the agency by telephone, letter, fax or e-mail; or, if they prefer, a relative, friend, carer or other professional may contact the agency on behalf of the client. All information passed on to the agency is regarded Care and Repair, 11b Churchgate Street, Soham, Ely, Cambs, CB7 5DS as confidential and will not be T: 01353 723777 passed on to others without W: www.careandrepair-ecambs.co.uk permission of the client. E: info@careandrepair-ecambs.co.uk

InTouch

No 14 Spring 2006

Focus on: Disability Sports by Andrew Saul

St Martin’s Housing Trust

Three adjacent terraced houses in Norwich managed by the Trust and providing 12 beds for people preparing themselves for independent tenancies A St. Martins Trust street out-reach worker engages with a homeless person sleeping in a street toilet in Norwich

ost schemes offering accommodation to the homeless favour women and children; however, many people who become homeless are single. The St Martin’s Housing Trust is a charity which has been providing services to the homeless of Norwich for 35 years. The project started life as the Norwich Night Shelter at St James Church on Barrack Street in 1972, and today offers two registered care homes with 42 beds, as well as a 30 bed direct access facility, for which those in the greatest need don’t need to be referred by an outside agency.

“Bovvered! Do we look bovvered!?” On line safety Media Influence

Drugs Peer Pressure

We are bothered that parents and teens find it difficult to communicate effectively, . . . are you? Parenting Coaching in the Workplace

Teenage sexuality Talking about sex Teenage pregnancy

Another facet of the St. Martin’s projects work is the CAPS team, which stands for Contact, Assessment and Prevention Service, an outreach team consisting of five people, which offers a drop-in service at 7 Upper Goat Lane. They also go out on the street to engage with those sleeping rough and assess their needs. The team also takes applications on behalf of Norwich City Councils Housing Needs Department and will provide the service in any hostel in the city or Norwich Prison. The team sees 60 to 70 people a week in this way, in addition to those sleeping rough. St. Martin’s sees about ten to fifteen new people a week, and the numbers tend to peek in the summer months. The law defines a person as homeless if they have nowhere to live, if they have no right to legally live where they are, if another person is violent towards them, or in the case of an emergency, (fire, flood, and so forth). General Manager Derek Player tells me the majority seen by St Martin’s are those with no legal right to live where they are, often because they have lost their jobs and can no longer afford the rent. A lot of homeless people have mental health issues, or problems with substance abuse, and St Martin’s has developed a specialist approach to such problems in a facility for that purpose. Overall, the charity has about 150 beds, and sees about 600 people pass through its doors in a calendar year. Unfortunately, homelessness is one of the problems which doesn’t look likely to go away, but it is good to know that there are those who are willing to help.

We can provide training for your staff to facilitate Flat Pack Parent workshops. Contact Tel: 01767 641002 www.familymatters.org.uk

Self Esteem Body Image

FMI is a company limited by guarantee Reg No 4746205 Charity No: 1101587 VAT Reg No 859 4298 67

12 InTouch

Assessing housing need at close quarters

No 14 Spring 2006

St. Martins House, Norwich, one of two registered care homes managed by the Trust for single homeless people with mental health issues

St Martin’s Housing Trust, 35 Bishopgate, Norwich, NR1 4AA T: 01603 667706 E: enquiries@stmartinshousing.org.uk W: www.stmartinshousing.org.uk

Networks unlimited This section of InTouch is for you to promote and report on the activities of your organisation. Send news of staff changes, business developments and examples of smart thinking to Peter Durrant on 01223 262759 or send an email to humberstone@pop3.poptel.org.uk Networks For details of social enterprise n e t w o r k s in the East of England: W: www.seee.co.uk/ default.asp?id=216 GOS is a new website that c ov e r s a l l t h e n a t i o n a l Government Offices with links to the 9 regional offices, it’s very informative and certainly worth a visit. W: http://www. gos.gov.uk NHS Networks has created a Social Enterprise Network, with its own area on their web site. NHS Networks is particularly keen to receive any documents or presentations with examples of social enterprises that may be posted on the website for people to share. W: www. networks.nhs.uk/networks. php?pid=155 The contacts are Sue Cavill: E: Sue.Cavill@networks.nhs.uk and Kathie Andrews: E: kathie. andrews@weht.swest.nhs.uk

Business Resources New Business Link sites across the region Business Link websites across the region have undergone a major facelift in order to provide tailored content to

Link, simply add your county name to the address W : www.businesslink.gov. uk/ e.g. www.businesslink. gov.uk/bedfordshire or www. businesslink.gov.uk/suffolk

Free checklist for budding entrepreneurs Also, a start-up checklist has just been launched by Business Link which allows users to create a tailored list of guides and tools to help fledgling businesses. W: www.businesslink.gov.uk/ startupchecklist

Can i10 help your business? i10 helps companies in the East of England grow by working with academic teams from some of the country’s top universities and higher education colleges to solve business problems. They provide access to the wealth of expertise, innovation and research services in these institutions, suppor t the development of new products, h e l p y o u i m p r ov e y o u r business process and ensure you are doing the right things to maximise productivity and profits. W: www.i10.org.uk

decide what form to take. It is available at W: www.equipe. org.uk/legal.htm For more information on the project contact E: team@playwork. co.uk

Poverty and Social Exclusion Report On 13 December, The Joseph Rowntree Foundation and New Policy Institute published “Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion”. While the numbers of families with children and pensioners living in income poverty continue to fall, the report also highlights particular concerns with the number of workingage disabled adults living in income poverty. W: www.jrf. o r g . u k / b o o k s h o p / d e t a i l s. asp?pubID=745

Foundations investing for social and financial return Read about the principles and concepts behind social investment in a new report f r o m E s m e e Fa i r b a i r n organisation, Foundations and Social Investment. The report challenges conventional wisdom that grant-making charities are required to keep their money in two silos, for investment or for grant-making. It describes the principles and concepts behind social investment along with case studies. Download the briefing document or full report from W: www.esmeefairbairn.org. uk/grants_reports.html

Promote your venue to a wider audience Nearbuyou, the national social enterprise trading network, is launching a new resource – a directory of social enterprise venues available to hire. The directory will be distributed to support agencies and local author ities to encourage them to use social enterprise venues for their meetings and conferences. If you would like your venue included, E: services@the-guild.co.uk or T: 01603 615200 for a registration form.

Training and Learning Gain a Masters without leaving home The Centre for Co-operative Studies, in association with the Department of Food Business and Development, University College Cork, Ireland offers an MBS in Co-operative and Social Enterprise that is delivered entirely over the worldwide web. The MBS is a taught programme taken over one or two calendar years and is designed to prepare graduates interested in pursuing a professional or voluntar y career in the co-operative or social enterprise field. It provides adults, combining family responsibilities and full-time jobs, with access to postgraduate and personal development opportunities. Anyone with two years experience in a voluntary or professional capacity in a

“Getting it right legally”

local businesses. You can now access not only local resources and contact details but also the comprehensive national database of funding opportunities, advice and selfhelp guides. To visit your local Business

This guide contains useful information on the different legal structures organisations can take and offers guidance on status and structure and is designed to help people navigate the potential minefield of setting up a community childcare or play facility. It is focused on play and childcare organisations but a lot of the information will be useful to any organisation trying to

InTouch

No 14 Spring 2006

Networks unlimited cooperative or social enterprise who holds at least a second class honours Grade II primary d e g re e o r a n e q u i va l e n t academic qualification may apply. The academic year 2005/2006 is the first year of the program and, while it is still early days, feedback from students to date has been very positive with comments such as “It’s a brilliant course, very informative, interesting and modern.” The closing date for applications for 2006/2007 is 1 June 2006. If you would like further information on the program, contact Olive McCarthy, Assistant Academic Director MBS in Co-operative and Social Enterprise, Centre for Co-operative Studies, Un i ve r s i t y Co l l e g e Co rk , Ireland, T: 021 4903354 F: 021 4903358 E: o.mccarthy@ucc.ie

CRNE Trainers Database A new database, listing over 300 trainers in the East of England, is now up and running and free to access! If you need to locate a local training provider to help develop your own skills, or those of your staff, then this database could help you save time and get the right kind of training. Simply visit W: www. crne.org.uk/training

Procurement Social issues in purchasing - EU rules information and guidance The Social Note originated from a recommendation of the Sustainable Procurement Group (SPG) in 2003, comprising public sector representatives with a remit to consider how the Government could carry out the procurement of goods and services in a more sustainable manner within public sector purchasing. The guidance focuses on the different stages of the procurement process, and the way social issues can legitimately be incorporated into the purchasing cycle. A PDF file “social issues in procurement is available on

14 InTouch

No 14 Spring 2006

the OGC (Office of Government Commerce) website at W: http://snipurl.com/n8a3

Finance, Funding & Awards Amicus report on VCS funding Amicus, the trade union that represents some voluntary sector workers, has recently produced a report – “Short Term Funding, Short Term Thinking” – that looks at the issues raised by short-term funding cycles in the VCS. Read or download the report from W: www.covereast.org/interact/documents/ pdf/1357.pdf

Adventure Capital Fund and sustainability The Adventure Capital Fund (ACF) is inviting applications under its Investment Programme. They provide loans, funding and some gift capital to fill the gap between traditional grant aid and commercial loans. In particular they are looking for applications from social and community based enterprises and other similar organisations who feel that they are ready to use their investment as part of a finance package that will enable them to grow and become sustainable. The ACF has also announced that it will deliver a new £4 million capital programme fund from the Home Office to help community organisations develop incubator and managed workspace for smaller organisations. W: www. adventurecapitalfund.org.uk

Financial exclusion & seed-corn grants The Fr iends Provident Foundation makes grants of up to £200,000 to notfor-profit organisations for projects that address financial exclusion within disadvantaged communities. The funding is distributed through the New Ideas programme which supports research into financial exclusion as well as seed core funding for new projects, and the Market Models programme w h i c h p r ov i d e s f u n d i n g

so that successful projects can be expanded. For more information visit W: www. friendsprovident.com

Awards for all Voluntary and community groups, schools and town/ parish councils should be aware that there is a lot of potential this financial year to obtain a grant from Awards for All, as their budget has been increased by a third to £4.1m. Projects in the field of arts, sport, heritage, community health, education and environment are welcome up to the value of £5,000. For more information T: 0845 600 2040 or W: www.awardsforall. org.uk

Fairtrade and Freetrade and just trade Love That Stuff is a new fair trade online shopping site that sells jewellery, accessories and some household goods. W: www. lovethatstuff.co.uk

m e rc h a n d i s e i s c l o t h i n g with the balance of the store dedicated to cameras, electronics, sporting goods, jewellery, designer optical, books and of course, luggage. Some of those treasures have included: – a 40.95 carat natural emerald in a plastic bag in the lining of a suitcase – a Barbie Doll stuffed full with $500 – a full suit of plate armour packed in a bag W: www.unclaimedbaggage. com With Stansted, Luton and Nor wich airpor ts on our doorstep there must be plenty of unclaimed baggage just in the Eastern region not to mention bus and train stations, If anyone wants to develop this idea contact Heidi at CRN. T: 01223 411699 E: heidi@crn.org

Support Local Farmers If you like the idea of supporting local agri-businesses, then visit W: http://www.bigbarn.co.uk/ Pop in your postcode and you’ll get a map of where your local farmers markets, butchers and farm shops etc are located.

Recycling Freecycle: Did you know?… Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire each have a number of freecycle recycling groups to choose from at W: http://snipurl.com/nkuq Membership of the eight freecycle groups in Hertfordshire has just topped 2,000! (and there are some surprises about which are the most popular).

Unclaimed baggage – a social enterprise opportunity? Unclaimed Baggage is a oneof-a-kind store snuggled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Over one million items pass through the store annually. About 60% of the

Thanks to the following e-publications and organisations for allowing us to use some of their material above and for information on events: ABCUL, CCORNN, COVER, CRNE, NCVO, Nearbuyou, Raiser (Hertsmere CVS), SEC and SEN, Update.

THE SOCIAL ENTERPRISE PEOPLE

Diary

A Networking Group for CCDA

Regional/National “Everyone Matters” Conference: 14-15 July, Southwold, Suffolk The 5th annual Co-operative education conference, Everyone Matters, is being held in Southwold this year. This informal twoday conference is suitable for anyone who works with people and wishes to engage with others co-operatively and inclusively. The basis of the event is to encourage co-operative solutions and active engagement to achieve mutual benefits. For more information contact the Co-op Education Centre, 11 Fore St, Ipswich. T: 01473 280316, E: education@ipswich-norwich.coop or W: www.eastofengland.coop

Hertfordshire Making Social Enterprise Real Is public service contracting a mystery? Confused about this thing called “social enterprise”? Looking for sound advice from an enterprising organisation? If so, join us for the social enterprise roadshow in a town near you! Meet ‘experts by experience’ and discover the secrets of their success. Each visit kicks off at 10am and includes a guided tour of the enterprise, a workshop around public service contracting (also known as procurement) and, of course, lunch The events are free, but booking is essential as space is limited. Hitchin

7 April 2006

Soundbase Studios

Hatfield

May 2006 (tbc)

Working Herts

St Albans

June 2006 (tbc)

Earthworks

For more information or to book, E: hertset@exemplas.com To find yours, go to: W: www.seee.co.uk/ and click on “in your area” then select “networks”.

SEEE sub-regional network contacts SEEE operates through six local networks, all of which are actively campaigning, holding events, and keeping their members informed. See the table below to find your local contact: SEEE Network contact

Garth McKenzie

alewifebrewery@ yahoo.co.uk

Greater Cambs & Peterborough

Celia Hodson

celia@thesocial enterprisepeople.co.uk

Essex

Andy Brady

andrew.brady@ anglia.ac.uk

Hertfordshire

Donna Pollard

hertset@exemplas.com

Sub-region Beds & Luton

THE KNOWLEDGE BANK Are You A Voluntary Organisation Thinking of Trading? The Social Enterprise People working in partnership with ProHelp have brought together business professionals from Financial, HR, Marketing and Legal sectors to provide free help and advice to energise voluntary, community and social enterprises with a view to sustainability. If you feel your organisation would benefit from professional advice without a charge for the work undertaken. Please contact us by one of the methods below:

Tel: 01223 360 977 info@thesocialenterprisepeople.co.uk Supported by:

Norfolk

Nicky Stevenson

nicky@the-guild.co.uk

Suffolk

Cynthia Schears

cynthia.schears@ suffolkacre.org.uk

www.thesocialenterprisepeople.co.uk

InTouch

No 14 Spring 2006

Innovative business employing disabled people to open in Norwich

holefood Planet Norwich will be a wholefood retail outlet with a small café. It has been modelled on the successful social enterprise “Daily Bread Co-operative”. Wholefood Planet Norwich (WPN) has been set up by Danusia Latosinski (City College Norwich) working with Marcia Derbyshire (Norfolk Social Services), to employ people with learning difficulties taking them off benefits into sustainable employment. The business will be a Social Firm and be constituted as a Community Interest Company enabling it to raise funds through grants, loans and selling shares.

Few employment opportunities for people with learning difficulties

Danusia’s work at the City College with students with learning difficulties has made her aware that this group of people have traditionally been excluded from the job market due to their perceived inability to work. She has seen that with the right support, training and opportunity people with learning difficulties do make excellent employees and add to a company’s ‘community’ ethos. “We are aware of many people with learning difficulties who have the ability and skills to sustain Wholefood Planet Norwich (WPN) has been set up by Danusia Latosinski (City College Norwich) working with Marcia Derbyshire (Norfolk Social Services). employment but regionally there are few opportunities for these people to gain employment. This business seeks not only to employ people New in Norfolk - CIC with learning difficulties but will also act as a role model and actively promote the The Community Interest Company (CIC) was launched by positive benefits employing people with learning difficulties.” the Secretary of Trade and Industry in July 2005. It is a limited company designed to make incorporation simple for social From benefits to economically active citizens Marcia Derbyshire, in her role as Employment Officer for the Norfolk Learning enterprises wishing to use familiar corporate forms with a Disability Services, suggested the creation of a Social Firm in the region when she separate legal identity for its members. WPN has chosen to found the opportunities for training outnumbered those for employment for people be a Community Interest Community limited by shares, in order to allow private investment as well as grant funding, with learning difficulties. “My research of people with learning difficulties categorically shows that their whilst allowing the business to be guaranteed to always number one priority to get a ‘proper’ job, that is one which pays a living wage. Having have its social aims – that of employing people with learning the ability to generate income enables a person with learning difficulty to function difficulties and promoting healthy wholesome food – to the independently in their community. To put it more simply – until someone can actually benefit of the community. Instead of the frequently misleading term “not for profit”, buy a cup of coffee for themselves they cannot even begin to be an economically active the CIC structure enables businesses to make profits for citizen.” its community purposes – to employ people with learning Social Firms helping with cultural change difficulties, educate people about healthy eating and promote in Norfolk and region Marcia and Danusia see WPN as part of the required cultural change in Norfolk, to the viability of employing people with varying abilities (in the assist people with learning difficulties and disabilities to come off benefits and go into case of WPN). The “asset lock” provision in the creation of a work. They hope to make businesses aware of the positive contribution this group of CIC ensures that assets are retained within the company to support its activities or (in the case of company closure or people can make to the local economy. sale) be used to benefit the community. A variety of different organisations have been approached to fund the start-up of this Social Firm, and there is a business Contact Details launch being held in Norwich soon.

Social Firms Eastern Region

Social Firms seek to create good quality jobs for disabled people within supportive and successful businesses. Social Firms Eastern Region is working across the region to support these enterprises, as well as organizations aiming to become Social Firms, in conjunction with extensive resources offered by its national partner Social Firms UK (www.socialfirms.co.uk).

For further information on Wholefood Planet Norwich please contact: Marcia Derbyshire 07890069768 Danusia Latosinksi 07743786398 Or email Norwich@wholefoodplanet.com

For further information about Social Firms please contact: Karen (karen.anderson@sfer.org.uk) or Louise (louise.gilbert@sfer.org.uk).

For more information on Community Interest Companies, look at: www.dti.gov.uk/cics/ or www.cicregulator.gov.uk

16 InTouch

No 14 Spring 2006