Social Enterprise Works
Bristol’s social enterprise sector boasts a £223 million annual turnover, with over 1,000 organisations and over 9,000 employees*. With Social Enterprise Day being celebrated on the 16 November, we asked Voscur members, Social Enterprise Works (formerly BACEN) to give us the low down on how they support Bristol’s thriving social enterprises.
What is Social Enterprise Works, what do you do and what services do you offer?
At the end of October, after 13 years serving the social economy as Bristol Area Community Enterprise Network (BACEN), we changed our name to Social Enterprise Works. Our new name was chosen to reflect our work and the sector we work within.
It is a name that conveys our passionate belief that social enterprise works! We haven’t changed what we do or what we believe, for us social enterprise** is about values, a passion for social justice and creating sustainable community based social businesses.
We are still primarily a business advice service serving social enterprises. We provide free guidance and practical business development assistance to prospective, newly formed and established social enterprises during critical periods of their start up and development. We have worked with and supported over 400 organisations across Bristol.
We offer business management advice and assistance; business planning advice and assistance; practical support on enterprise development issues; specialist support on performance improvement; assistance and advice on market research, promotion and marketing; networking and signposting; and publications to support the development and promotion of social enterprise. Our aim at Social Enterprise Works has always been to respond to the needs of our clients and local communities and help in any way we can to find innovative ways to bring social enterprise solutions to Bristol and the communities within it.
It’s Social Enterprise Day on 16 November – will Social Enterprise Works be celebrating the day? Yes, we look to celebrate the achievements of our sector wherever possible. We have a membership of 300 enterprises that contribute to the wealth and wellbeing of the city. Bristol City Council has found that social enterprises generate 5% of the city’s wealth and employment, so in a way every day is social enterprise day!
We will be organising an event on Social Enterprise Day, to be held at the Tobacco Factory, Raleigh Road, Southville, Bristol. The event will focus on quality assurance and Performance Improvement (PI). We have been working with 20 social enterprises to promote performance improvement over the last year. This has been as part of the C3 partnership and ChangeUp consortium. We see PI as crucial to the continuing success of our sector, so the event is about celebrating the quality of social enterprises, and there will an opportunity to hear from the enterprises about how PI has made a difference to their organisation.
It will be a diverse and engaging event and if Voscur members wish to attend they will be more than welcome. Please contact Sam Anders at Social Enterprise Works for more details.
What challenges/issues do you think face the social enterprise sector?
Funding (such as changes to European and other regeneration funding) is always an issue. Social enterprises need support to develop contract working to enable self-sufficiency and to safeguard services. They also need confidence to take up loans rather than remain grant dependant.
What challenges are you facing as an organisation?
We share the challenges of our sector - we too need to develop our services to enable us to be responsive to the changing funding environment.
Who are your funders?
We have core funding from Bristol City Council; manage a large multi-funded programme to enable the development of a Bristol City wide credit union; and we have a number of contractual relationships including Community at Heart. In addition we have European funding through the C3 programme.
If you had more funds what would you do?
We would love to develop an asset base. Our vision would be a building which could provide the focus for specialist support, incubation and other workspace, a real hothouse for social enterprise development.
What do you get out of being a member of Voscur?
Social Enterprise Works is pleased to be working closely with Voscur, in both the C3 programmes and ChangeUp consortium. We value our positive working relationship with Voscur and hope to continue this relationship into the future for the benefit of the social economy sector.
Do you belong to any partnerships?
As already mentioned we work closely with other partners in the sector in the C3 programme and through the ChangeUp consortium. We are also part of a consortium called Enterprising People with other enterprise agencies providing business support to inner city communities.
How can people get in contact you?
Social Enterprise Works, 97-107 Wilder Street, St Pauls, Bristol, BS2 8QU
Tel: 0117 907 0080
Email: info@socialenterpriseworks.org
Website: www.socialenterpriseworks.org
* Statistics taken from the Social Economy website www.socialeconomybristol.org.uk
**Social enterprises are not-for-private-profit businesses with social aims, these social aims are the difference between private business and social enterprises, they range from recycling to nurseries and much more. They are people, not profit centred.
Information on Enterprise Week and Social Enterprise Day:
www.starttalkingideas.org/enterpriseweek/2006
www.bristolenterprise.com
www.youngstartsw.co.uk/enterprise/introduction.shtm
www.socialeconomybristol.org.uk