BSSEC_logo
Members Login 
Donate Now
  • Home
  • About
    • Who we are
    • What we do
    • Our Members
    • BSSEC Annual Reports
    • Joining BSSEC
  • About Social Enterprise
    • What is social enterprise?
    • How can social enterprise help you & your neighbourhood?
    • Social enterprise in Birmingham **new data July 2019**
    • Social enterprise in Greater Birmingham
    • Social enterprise retailing
    • Social enterprises in the spotlight
      • Colebridge Enterprises — Assembly Operation
      • Textiles by St Annes
      • St Barnabas Church Centre, Erdington
    • The Digbeth Social Enterprise Quarter — Launch
      • The Digbeth Social Enterprise Quarter
  • Policy Issues
    • Introduction
    • Public services & social value
      • Birmingham City Council and social value
      • Useful resources on social value
      • Social Value — one year on
      • Evidencing Social Value — The Elephant in the Room
      • Resources for measuring social value and social impact
      • Social value — key findings from the first two years of our work
      • New Ideas on Social Value — Event Report
      • Social Value — findings of the first government review (Feb 2015)
      • Social Value & Health
      • Public Contracts Regulations 2015: A Guide to the Implications and Opportunities for Social Enterprises
      • Social value — looking forward
    • Social enterprise & public service reform
    • Social enterprise & the ‘right to challenge’
    • Social enterprise & the Localism Act
  • Enterprise Support
    • Introduction
    • Business support organisations
    • Access to finance
  • Links & Downloads
  • Blog
  • Contact

Upcycle in the Post

May 30, 2014
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
Further to this post, Judy & Co. at Upcycle were delighted with the Birmingham Post coverage of their opening event. As well as its local customer-base, the new enterprise has also developed an African export market for its recycled/refurbished furniture, you know! One day soon I
Continue Reading →

BQ mag covers iSE/ClearlySo ‘social angels’ launch

May 30, 2014
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
Further to this post about the launch event for the iSE/ClearlySo ‘social angels’  investment and mentoring scheme at which Sir  Albert Bore spoke,  BQ online — sister to the print version of Business Quarter Magazine — also gave the event really positive cover
Continue Reading →

Social value — time for a ‘reality check’?

May 30, 2014
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
Third Sector magazine has just published a long piece which considers how well — or otherwise — the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 is being implemented by local authorities and other public bodies. You can read the article here.  Birmingham City Council is feature
Continue Reading →

Birmingham Commission for Children calls for views

May 30, 2014
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
The Children’s Society, in conjunction with the Birmingham Commission for Children has just circulated a call for views. This reads: The Birmingham Commission for Children is an independent group of experts brought together to explore children’s lives and well-being in the city
Continue Reading →

VCS Support Camp2

May 29, 2014
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
This, just in from Pauline Roche, who is involved in organising the event below… Do you work for, lead or govern a voluntary sector local support or infrastructure organisation? Tuesday 24 June 2014, 10.00am-4.30pm Do you want to get together with like-minded people for a day to
Continue Reading →

Community Energy Birmingham seeks experienced treasurer

May 28, 2014
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
Community Energy Birmingham is looking for someone to take over the role of volunteer Treasurer/Finance manager in the team of this renewable energy co-operative. CEB cannot pay for this role at present, but your reward will be helping to establish a very worthwhile venture. The time
Continue Reading →

iSE announces new workshops for social enterprises in the very early stages of development

May 28, 2014
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
iSE is offering a new series of workshops for those in the very early stages of considering a social enterprise. Please see details below. Bookings — send mail to Marija at iSE or ring her on 0121 771 1411.
Continue Reading →

Can public procurement reduce poverty?

May 22, 2014
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
A new report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation says it can and calls on all public sector bodies in the UK to use every £1m-worth of contract value that they spend to create a year’s work for a young from a target disadvantaged community. A nation-wide pledge to do this would,
Continue Reading →

Birmingham Council leader: ‘investment angels’ scheme will “recapture the spirit of business-for-social-good”

May 21, 2014
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
  Further to this post, the launch event yesterday of the new investment angel group for social enterprises based in the Greater Birmingham area was a great success. This new form of investment — which combines investment angels who understand the values and ethos of the so
Continue Reading →

Calling social enterprises — FREE support workshops on social value

May 19, 2014
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
As part of BSSEC’s Barrow Cadbury Trust-funded work on social value we are now able to offer a programme of support for social enterprises, charities and third sector organisations that want to know more about how to present, account for and evidence social value for their clien
Continue Reading →

£170 million to help young people find jobs

May 15, 2014
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
The Dept for Business Innovation & Skills has just announced that £170m is being made available to fund programmes for youth employment. This new funding, the Youth Employment Initiative, will target five areas of the UK to help young people into work and will be split as follows:
Continue Reading →

SEUK launches new Buy Social directory

May 15, 2014
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
SEUK has just launched its news online directory, Buy Social. The Directory has been created by Social Enterprise UK in partnership with the Cabinet Office, City of London Corporation and Aspire Group. The Directory is clearly slanted towards helping more social enterprises do busines
Continue Reading →

Put your business plan to the Banker’s Test

May 09, 2014
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
Digbeth Social entrepreneurs are being given the opportunity to pitch their business plans to an expert panel as part of an exciting collaboration between iSE and RBS. The RBS business planning ‘scrutiny’ panel offers budding entrepreneurs the chance to receive expert advice on their
Continue Reading →

Social Saturday 13th September — SEUK unveils plans for new awareness campaign

May 09, 2014
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
Social Enterprise UK has just announced plans to build on the success of Social Enterprise day and further ratchet up wider public awareness of social enterprise. Beginning this year, the 13th September will be Social Saturday and plans are already afoot to hold a day-long festival an
Continue Reading →

Digital Birmingham offers grants of up to £3k for super-fast broadband for SMEs and social enterprises

May 07, 2014
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
I’ve just seen this in the latest edition of QuarterLife, the magazine of the Jewellery Quarter. It may be old news to some but it was new news to me… To help businesses in Birmingham — including social enterprises, charities and not-for-profit organisations —
Continue Reading →

Date for free social value workshop announced

May 06, 2014
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
Places are limited but there are still some available — book now: RSVP Marija Sakalauskaite at iSE — by sending mail or ringing 0121 771 1411. Further to this earlier post, in which we promised a free workshop on social value, details can now be announced — please se
Continue Reading →

iSE’s next women in social enterprise networking event announced

May 06, 2014
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
iSE’s women in social enterprise networking meeting. To book please send mail to Marija Sakalauskaite or ring 0121 771 1411.
Continue Reading →

BSSEC Twitter

My Tweets

Latest news on the blog

iSE is seeking a new chief executive
Feb 24, 2021
WMCA launches Community Recovery Innovation Challenge -- three top prizes of £15,000
Feb 11, 2021
University of Birmingham's fully-funded Impact Internships
Feb 08, 2021
WMCA launches new creative & cultural social enterprise support pilot
Feb 08, 2021

Subscribe to the BSSEC Newsletter

BIRMINGHAM & SOLIHULL SOCIAL ECONOMY CONSORTIUM C.I.C., trading as BSSEC. A community interest company registered in England and Wales with company no. 07992674. Registered office: c/o Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP, 134 Edmund Street, Birmingham B3 2ES | All rights reserved | Copyright 2013-BSSEC | Created by Citizen Click