Twelve years ago, Community Housing Cymru set up an Award scheme to recognise housing innovation in memory of a special person - Pat Chown. Pat gave a big part of her life to helping others and spent much of her working life in helping to meet people's housing needs in Wales.
Gwynedd-based horticulture, catering and joinery social enterprise tells us what makes the business a success, and about its plans to grow the organisation further.
Sector should mimic environment movement, says international support leader - ahead of big event
Date: 01.11.2011
Social enterprises must make the social business movement as successful as the environmental movement, says David Le Page, speaking ahead of his presentation at the Social Enterprise Wales Conference in Swansea this month.
Canadian Le Page (pictured below), who manages a social enterprise funding network said: “Like the environmental movement, social enterprise began, is building strength and is now beginning to be capable of providing a business case for its role in the market.
“My presentation will look at how social enterprises must work in the market place, and must provide products and services that are competitive in quality, price and can provide a social value.
“When we examine the supply chain and purchasing practices of businesses it is critical to provide a 'business case' for social consideration of purchasing," added Le Page, who will address the conference via Skype.
Le Page has been working in the third sector for more than 30 years and is currently programme manager of Enterprising NonProfits, a collaboration of funders who provide support for social enterprise development.
The event, which takes place at the Richard Ley centre Swansea from 16 - 17 November and is subtitled ‘Ready, Willing and Able’, is nearly sold out.
It will bring together social entrepreneurs from Wales and further afield with policy makers and leading international experts.
There will be a wide range of breakout sessions available covering everything from community shares, and public procurement, to working in consortiums, social return on investment, and more. And, social entrepreneurs can also get businesses advice in a 'U-pod' session.
Duncan Goose, head of prolific social enterprise Global Ethics, who is also speaking at the event, said he was looking forward to the sessions and to meeting Welsh social entrepreneurs.
The entrepreneur, who started his company five years ago with the One brand of bottled water, which donates profits to clean water projects, said he would be speaking about his business journey.
“I’ll be sharing what we’ve learned along the way and our ambitions for the future. The highs and lows, and how, as a young business, we’ve managed to give away £7.6 million pounds,” he said.
Goose said he would be staying around after his presentation to meet Welsh social entrepreneurs and commented that his company’s water bottling plant and toilet tissue factory were both based in Wales.
Global Ethics has grown rapidly and now sells outside of the UK with an expanding range of products from condoms to fund HIV projects, soap and toilet tissue to fund hygiene and sanitation and plasters to fund healthcare projects.
For full details of the event, run jointly by WSEC and the Wales Cooperative Centre, with support from the Welsh Government, click here.
Enjoy this post? Share it with others.
