Social Enterprise is a growing area of business in the UK, contributing approx. £24bn to the UK Economy in 2016/17 and employing nearly £1m people.
The South East is one of the fastest growing areas, with 36% of Social Enterprises in the South East being less than 3 years old (SE UK 2016).
In Southend we want to support this growing area of the economy and are keen to network and talk to Social Enterprises to ensure they have the opportunity to thrive.
We are therefore starting a networking opportunity for Social Enterprises and any businesses with social impact, the first session will be on 21st Feb and we look forward to seeing you at the Hive.
We have secured speakers (Digby Chacksfield/Emily Vermont) from the School for Social Entrepreneurs to talk about their development and match trading fund, backed by cased studies. Also Roy Laming, UnLtd
Award Manager for Essex will be talking about their funding programmes relevant to the sector and the area. Lysanne Eddy, Head of Policy, Engagement & Communication at Southend Borough Council will also join us to talk about the Social Value Policy that is being developed. Also joining us is Liz Minns, Head of Membership from Social Enterprise UK.
In order to make the most out of the event, we would kindly ask participating delegates to bring some samples of your products for display where appropriate.