The search for the UK's best social enterprises!

The UK finals of the Social Enterprise Awards took place on 30th March at The O2 in the London.

Peter Holbrook (CEO) and Claire Dove (Chair) from Social Enterprise UK welcomed guests to the indigO2.  The ceremony, hosted by actor and comedian Alexander Armstrong, saw 25 finalists compete across seven categories. The Leader of the Opposition, Ed Miliband, attended to give a speech and present one of the seven awards.

Speaking after the event, Peter Holbrook, CEO of Social Enterprise UK, said:

“It was an emotional and uplifting evening. The Social Enterprise Awards are an opportunity to take the time to celebrate everything that social enterprise is doing to improve the lives of people across Britain and their communities. The seven winners are to be congratulated on their remarkable success. Nights like this help remind us what social enterprise is all about, and the passion and innovation shown by all our finalists is truly inspiring.”

The winners:

• Social Enterprise of the Year - Sponsored by CAN
  Newington Credit Union, Northern Ireland

• Social Enterprise Start up of the Year
  Vi-Ability Educational Programme, Wales

• Social Enterprise Leader of the Year - Sponsored by CDFG
  John McMullen, Bryson Charitable Group, Northern Ireland

• Young Person’s Social Enterprise of the Year
  Stonelaw High School, Scotland

• Social Enterprise Partner of the Year - Sponsored by PwC
  West Lindsey District Council, England

• Social Enterprise Mark Holder of the Year
  GLL, London

• Social Enterprise Unsung Hero - Sponsored by O2
  Alasdair Nicholson, Third Sector Hebrides, Scotland

The winners of the England heat of the Social Enterprise Awards were announced on 1 March. They went on to represen England in the UK finals.

The England winners:

• Social Enterprise Start Up of the Year - Lodsworth Larder
• Young Person’s Social Enterprise of the Year – Ecovation
• Social Enterprise of the Year - Blue Sky Development and Regeneration
• Social Enterprise Leader of the Year - Fay Selvan, CEO of The Big Life Group

Social Enterprise UK worked in partnership with the Social Economy Network in Northern Ireland, Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition in Scotland and the Wales Cooperative Centre in Wales, to deliver the awards.  The awards were supported by O2, the social enterprise CAN, the Charity Finance Directors’ Group and Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC). Drinks and canapés were provided by the social enterprise Cafe Sunlight.

The social enterprise CAN is giving £16,000 worth of bespoke consultancy to the Social Enterprise of the Year winner and three runners-up, to help them measure their social and economic impact.

This fantastic prize will award the winner £10,000 worth of SROI support and £2,000 worth for each runner up. Measuring social return on investment helps organisations to understand, manage and communicate the social and economic value they create.

CAN supports social enterprises and charities to scale up their businesses and maximise their impact. It provides business support, capital and office space.

Click here for more information on SROI.