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iSE opens second FUSE new-starts programme to meet high demand

June 30, 2020
by Alun Severn
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Following exceptionally high demand for registration, social enterprise development organisation iSE has reopened its FUSE start-up programme to new applications for an additional July programme. If you have an emerging social enterprise idea with potential to create social impact and
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PM asks Danny Kruger MP to review role of civil society during coronavirus crisis and ensure it is supported as part of recovery

June 29, 2020
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
I’m indebted to an email from the Directory of Social Change for this item. Apparently, Danny Kruger MP (Devizes) has announced on his Twitter feed that the Prime Minister has asked him to work closely with Baroness Barran, the Minister for Civil Society in DCMS, to re
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Pressure for a fairer, greener, juster recovery increases

June 29, 2020
by Alun Severn
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Pressure is growing for an economic and social recovery that is fairer, more just, and greener. A recent YouGov poll reported in The Guardian indicates that just 6% of the public want to return to an unchanged ‘pre-pandemic’ economy. A recent letter to the government
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West Midlands may lose £280m in unspent Covid-19 grants for businesses

June 29, 2020
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
There is an excellent piece on Dave Lane’s LinkedIn feed and on his consultancy website Development in Social Enterprise analysing recently released figures for grants made to businesses under the  Small Business Grants Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospit
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Access to finance in a Covid world

June 25, 2020
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
CBILS. BBLS. To me these always sound like Ceebils and Bobbles — characters in a children’s TV show. But you know they’re not, of course, and that respectively they are the acronyms of the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Business Bounce Bac
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Build back better — Bill Grimsey report on the future of town and city centres post-Covid-19

June 23, 2020
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
Bill Grimsey has spent a lifetime at the top of retailing in the UK, Hong Kong and South Africa, during which time he regarded it as his mission ‘to clone every town in the UK with the same brands’. And he did, and in the process, as he readily acknowledges, he put paid to
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WiSE Wednesday #5 — Finance & funding your enterprise: Matt Smith, chief executive The Key Fund

June 19, 2020
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
WiSE Wednesday – FINANCE & FUNDING YOUR ENTERPRISE with Matt Smith, CEO of The Key Fund iSE CIC would like to welcome you to hear expert speaker, Matt Smith, CEO, The Key Fund, discussing enterprise finance and funding options in the fifth of a special series of social enterp
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New body established to plan recovery of region’s cultural sector

June 17, 2020
by Alun Severn
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I’ll mention this here because it’s something I only found out about by accident. It may also have escaped the notice of some cultural, arts and creative enterprises. Culture Central is leading a new body responsible for planning the recovery of the West Midlands̵
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Locality report calls for communities to be at the heart of recovery planning

June 16, 2020
by Alun Severn
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In a recent post we wrote about a Covid-19 Social Economy Update published jointly by BSSEC, iSE and Birmingham Social Enterprise City.  We have been using this briefing paper to inform and influence key policy-makers and decision-makers — including Ministers — a
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Finance Bill could result in scrapping of Social Investment Tax Relief

June 15, 2020
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
Just when you thought that there was no news other than Covid-19 something comes along that sneaks under the radar. I’m indebted to David Alcock at Anthony Collins Solicitors for flagging this up in his LinkedIn feed — I would have missed it otherwise. If passed
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Voluntary Sector Studies Network to host free 2-day e-conference

June 15, 2020
by Alun Severn
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Times Like These: Researching civil society responses to and recovery from COVID-19 This forthcoming free e-conference may be of interest to some. The Voluntary Sector Studies Network (VSSN) has just announced that this year its annual conference will be free and online. The conferenc
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iSE celebrates 20th anniversary

June 03, 2020
by Alun Severn
0 Comment
During June 2020 iSE celebrates its 20th anniversary. BSSEC and iSE have worked together for almost the entirety of that time and for a good part of it Sarah has also served as chair of BSSEC and one of its Directors. I think many will agree that without the efforts of Sarah and her v
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Accord Group emergency volunteering roles to support vulnerable residents — update

June 03, 2020
by Alun Severn
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The Accord Group is one of the largest housing and social care organisations in the Midlands, providing 13,000 affordable homes and health and social care to 80,000 people and employing nearly 4,000. In the first few days of April Accord was appealing for emergency volunteers to suppo
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Jericho Foundation’s social enterprises — adapting for a full Covid-safe re-opening

June 01, 2020
by Alun Severn
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After nearly two months of lockdown, BSSEC member Jericho Foundation is starting to re-open its social enterprises, strictly adhering to the latest government guidance. Each business will be operating somewhat differently to ensure that it is Covid-safe. We thought you might find
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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