BSSEC » 2011 » February

The ‘Social Enterprise Zone’ – Digbeth

February 24, 2011

The Digbeth area of Birmingham is a social enterprise Zone with over 20 thriving social enterprises. On Thursday 17th February 2011, I along with a number of start up social enterprises, visited Health Exchange CIC, 50fifty/Made By Young People CIC and Change Kitchen CIC. The backgrou

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Roots HR shortlisted for start-up of the year award

February 24, 2011

Roots HR, specialist provider of HR services for social enterprise and the third sector, has been shortlisted as one of four in the ‘start-up of the year‘ category in Social Enterprise of the Year Awards 2011. We wish them every success. Winners in this, the English heat,

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Environmentally-friendly office space for hire at the Warehouse

February 23, 2011

‘The Warehouse’ is owned and run by Birmingham Friends of the Earth. It is located next door to Moor St Station, within 5 minutes walk of New St Station and Birmingham’s public transport infrastructure. It hosts a wealth of CVS organisations and small businesses. As a tenant you will

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Invite to arts, cultural and social enterprises…

February 23, 2011

Having had a number of enquiries recently from social enterprises with regards to space, for any of you needing space then please see the info below for an event you should attend; ISIS Waterside Regeneration are inviting arts, cultural and social enterprise agencies on a site tour of

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Cabinet Office publishes plan for growing the social investment market

February 15, 2011

I haven’t yet had chance to read Growing the Social Investment Market: A Vision and Strategy but I have been told (by someone who ought to know) that anyone wanting to understand the government’s plans for social investment — including the Big Society Bank — sh

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‘Shouting louder isn’t going to do it’

February 14, 2011

Perceptive commentary on the PM’s attempted relaunch of the Big Society in yesterday’s Wall Street Journey by Iain Martin: here.

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Opposition to CAB cuts heats up — NCVO questions legality

February 11, 2011

Further to this post, Third Sector Online carried an item yesterday stating that NVCO has written to Birmingham City Council questioning the legality of its cuts in funding to thirteen organisations — including Birmingham’s CAB offices — grouped together as Birmingha

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Local care suppliers ‘frozen out’ by local authority culture

February 10, 2011

Local care suppliers ‘frozen out’ by local authority culture. Interesting coverage above of recent research by Manchester Metropolitan University research examining the track record of smaller co-operative providers being able to enter healthcare markets. Despite the launch of the gov

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Gateway Family Services CIC celebrates fifth birthday

February 10, 2011

Birmingham-based social enterprise and Community Interest Company, Gateway Family Services CIC is celebrating its 5th birthday today and would like to say a big thank you to all of its service users, clients and commissioners for all of their hard work and support over those years. Si

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Employers Needed for Mock Interviews!

February 10, 2011

Can you give a couple of hours to help a visually impaired person get a job? Action for Blind People is holding a Job Skills Day on Monday 28th February, to provide employability advice to blind and partially sighted people in Birmingham. Join us at 12.30pm at Concept Conference Centr

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Forthcoming training event — Essential HR for social enterprises

February 10, 2011

Wolverhampton, 16th March. SEWM is offering the forthcoming training event, ‘Essential HR for social enterprises’, delivered by Roots HR CIC. Details here. Sounds seriously useful….

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Social enterprise clusters in Digbeth

February 09, 2011

The Digbeth area of Birmingham, already known as a hub for the creative industries and new digital technology, has now become a magnet for social entrepreneurs, with over 20 thriving social enterprises trading in everything from baking to textiles, health care to marketing. The storie

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How best can we be part of a collective effort to defend services, defend communities, and be a force for social change?

February 09, 2011

London third sector organisations have successfully challenged government cuts in the high court. Lord Wei has reduced his free time spent working as big society tsar. Liverpool has pulled out of the big society pilot scheme. And now, according to a pugnacious article by Polly Toynbee

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A Year of Networking

February 06, 2011

Social Enterprise Mentor, Birmingham’s only monthly networking event dedicated to supporting Social Enterprise, is one year old this month. For those that do not know about Social Enterprise Mentor the premise is simple – you turn up, grab a coffee and chat! There’s

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Liverpool City Council pulls out of big society pilots

February 03, 2011

The BBC has just reported on its website that the Labour leader of Liverpool City Council, Cllr Joe Anderson, has written to the PM stating that the authority can no longer support the big society initiative — Liverpool was chosen as one of four pilot big society areas —

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Social enterprises turn to improved marketing to raise profile and win new business

February 03, 2011

In an earlier post I was discussing the Shop for Change campaign started by iSE to encourage more social enterprises and trading voluntary organisations to do more business with each other. That the potential for inter-trading within the sector was largely under-utilised was identifie

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An allegory for our times

February 03, 2011

There was a story in yesterday’s Guardian which it was impossible to read without a wry smile… Lord Wei, ennobled Big Society tsar has reduced his role as unpaid advisor on Big Society issues from three days a week to two, pleading a need to earn more money and spend more

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Changes UK CIC needs furniture & equipment for new residential service in Sandwell — please help

February 02, 2011

Changes UK is a registered social enterprise, non profit making residential aftercare service, providing supporting housing to people recovering from addiction to drugs, alcohol, etc They are setting up a new residential service in Sandwell and in urgent need of furniture and other as

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More on CAB and debt advice

February 02, 2011

Further to this post which reported that Birmingham’s CAB offices face closure, Dave Lane reports on his blog on an encouraging development — continuing debt advice services from Birmingham Settlement and establishment of an advice agency network to help providers work mor

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British Waterways becomes ‘a National Trust’ for waterways — trustees sought

February 01, 2011

DEFRA and British Waterways are seeking ‘transition trustees’ for the new third sector version of British Waterways — download the job advert here.

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