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Over £2m up for grabs for Lancashire’s social enterprises

Social enterprises across Lancashire are being encouraged to apply for social investment, offered by a Merseyside-based funder, to help them become more sustainable and enhance their social impact.

First Ark Social Investment (FASI) works with social enterprises and charities across the North West and is especially keen to partner with organisations in Lancashire.

FASI, together with Lancaster University and the Social Enterprise Network for Lancashire (Selnet) is offering local social enterprises the chance to attend a free ‘social investment workshop’. Held on 23 September, from 12.30 – 3.30pm, at FASS Meeting Room 2, North Campus, at the University, it will offer individuals face-to-face funding advice, support around applying for investment and there’s an opportunity to listen to talks by all partners.

FASI recently received an additional commitment of top-up funding from The Growth Fund, a partnership between The National Lottery Community Fund, Big Society Capital and Access – The Foundation for Social Investment. This additional backing will enable FASI to offer up to an additional £2.3m in ‘blended’ finance investments, made up of grants and loans, to social enterprises across the North West, including Lancashire.

Léann Hearne, Group Chief Executive Officer at First Ark Group, said:

 “We’re looking to work with any social enterprises in the area that promote social investment – from an organisation that upskills unemployed people, to a creative enterprise or sporting venture.

“If you’re wondering about how to grow your social organisation or charity come along to our free workshop at Lancaster University and speak to one of our team and listen to informed speakers.

“Many organisations in Lancashire might not be aware of the funds and strategic support we offer. We’re here to help social enterprises grow, become more sustainable, increase their social value and make a real difference within their communities.

“We’re particularly keen to support organisations in the area and want to raise awareness of how FASI can help create additional social impact and develop financial sustainability.”

Glyn Jones, Commercial Programme Manager at Lancaster University, added:

“Funding is a vital part of business growth and key to sustainability. It’s also one that causes the most concern for entrepreneurs and company owners. Social investment is a great option to consider through First Ark Social Investment, especially when supported by organisations like Selnet, which has a deep understanding of the social space in Lancashire.

“Selnet and First Ark both support our aspirations. Selnet is a great example of a pro-active network that positively contributes to the success and sustainability of its members, and First Ark’s social business model chimes with our aims in population health and sustainable care.”

Liz Tapner, Chief Executive Officer at Selnet, Lancashire’s social enterprise network, commented:

“Selnet is here to help Lancashire social enterprises to develop. We’re thrilled be working with First Ark Group again, in collaboration with Lancaster University. Many organisations might be wary of social investment, assuming it is too complex or out of reach to achieve. This is a great chance to understand how it actually works in practice, how it can enable organisations grow, access new opportunities and have an even greater impact.”

To book a place on the free social investment workshop please register here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/social-investment-workshop-tickets-67193053231

To apply for funding from FASI please visit:

https://firstarksocialinvestment.com/pre-eio/

 

 

Download the press release here

 

 

 

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Selnet CEO shortlisted for UK Social Enterprise Awards

The Selnet team are delighted to announce that our CEO, Liz Tapner, is a finalist in the UK Social Enterprise Awards.

The Awards recognise organisations for their business excellence and contribution to society, as well as the achievements of people working at the heart of the sector. Liz is shortlisted in the ‘Women in Social Enterprise’ category, which celebrates women working in the senior leadership team of a social enterprise who represents excellence in her field of work.

Winners will be announced at an Awards ceremony and gala dinner in a central London venue on Wednesday 28 November.

On announcing the shortlist, SEUK said “Congratulations to those organisations and individuals who have been shortlisted for this year’s UK Social Enterprise Awards! Once again we had an incredible response to the Awards with so many fantastic applications. The quantity and quality of work being done across the UK is hugely inspiring and a real testament to the strength of social enterprise in this country.”

 

Earlier this year Liz was awarded one of the UK’s first Honorary Fellowships by SEUK.

 

 

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National Fellowship for Lancashire social enterprise leader

The driving force behind Selnet – the Social Enterprise Lancashire Network – has been awarded one of the first Honorary Fellowships of the national body, Social Enterprise UK.

The Honorary Fellowships were awarded to 15 outstanding sector leaders who have taken their own organisations from strength to strength but also play a large part in shaping, guiding and championing the social enterprise movement as a whole. Recognising those who have contributed to creating a diverse, thriving and truly impactful community of businesses, the Fellowships celebrate key individuals who are making great strides to drive the sector forwards now.

Selnet Chief Executive Liz Tapner was named along with the leaders in the social enterprise world alongside the founder of the Big Issue magazine, Lord John Bird, and Sophi Tranchell MBE of pioneering Fairtrade company Divine Chocolate.

Since joining Selnet over 10 years ago, Liz has grown the organisation from a small project to a major body which represents and supports the social enterprises that operate across Lancashire.

When you think of social enterprise in Lancashire, you think of Liz Tapner. She has put her heart and her soul into the job and the board is delighted that she has been recognised on the national stage by Social Enterprise UK.

Liz is undoubtedly one of the main reasons why Selnet has been so successful over the last 10 years and we’re delighted to have her at the helm.

Graham Jones

Bootstrap Enterprises

Liz led Selnet in securing a £9.2m project called Building Better Opportunities, funded by the Big Lottery Fund and the European Social Fund where a partnership of 64 organisations are helping the most vulnerable in society to be more resilient and closer to the world of work.

Social Enterprise UK is a national body which regularly has the ear of government to advise them on issues within the sector and, as it has been running for 15 years, has appointed 15 honorary fellows

Speaking of her appointment, Liz said: “It is a huge honour for me personally and a great testament to the work that we achieve here in Lancashire. My job is to secure and manage contracts, but I get my satisfaction from seeing the work being undertaken by the social enterprises that we represent who are helping people when they need it most.

I am supported by a fantastic board of directors drawn from social enterprises across Lancashire and have an amazing team working with me.

And we don’t work in isolation – our projects are often delivered in partnership, particularly with Lancashire County Council, the LEP, local authorities and funding bodies nationally and across Europe.” 

It’s a view echoed by the chair of the board, Graham Jones from Bootstrap Enterprises, based in Blackburn. He said: “When you think of social enterprise in Lancashire, you think of Liz Tapner. She has put her heart and her soul into the job and the board is delighted that she has been recognised on the national stage by Social Enterprise UK.

“Liz is undoubtedly one of the main reasons why Selnet has been so successful over the last 10 years and we’re delighted to have her at the helm.”

 


 

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Urban Organic (UK) CIC

Contact: Alan Hulme

Tel: 0796 700 5330

 

Email: info@urbanorganic.org.uk

Web: www.urbanorganic.org.uk

 

ABOUT US

Urban Organic (UK) CIC, Blackpool, is a social enterprise that was created to harness the therapeutic ability of gardening to improve wellbeing in people who would otherwise be socially excluded. Operating across the Fylde we engage, socialise and inspire people to make real changes to their diet, the way they buy food, their environmental awareness, their mental health and their ability to engage with and inspire others.

 

 


 

 

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Growth Vouchers

How can they help you to grow your business?

 

growth

The Growth Vouchers programme can help you find the expert advice and support you need to grow your business.

The Growth Voucher contributes 50% towards the cost of expert advice up to a maximum of £2,000.

 

Professional advice can be funded in a number of areas, including;

  • Raising Finance & Managing Cash Flow; examples include advice on the overall financial health of your business, improving cash flow management, credit control or advice on how to negotiate with banks and investors.
  • Marketing Attracting & Keeping Customers; examples include advice on effective marketing strategies, market research, targeting existing and potential customers, using social media to extend your reach into new markets, pricing strategies and selling skills.
  • Making the most of Digital Technology; examples include advice on product development and market testing, customer service, building online sales, and technology improvements.
  • Improving Leadership & Management Skills; examples include advice on planning for the future, change management, and how to build and improve the management potential of you and your team.
  • Recruiting & Developing your Staff; examples include advice on how to hire, train and manage staff, employment law and regulations, and performance management systems. 


Is my business eligible?

  • Do you have less than 50 employees
  • Have you been trading for at least one year
  • Is your business registered in England
  • Your business has not paid for strategic advice or received less than 200,000 euros of public money in the last 3 years


How do I apply for a voucher?

Complete the short application form by visiting www.gov.uk/apply-growth-vouchers

For more information regarding the programme and frequently asked questions please visit www.winning-pitch.co.uk/growth_vouchers or email growthvouchers@winning-pitch.co.uk

 

Please email growthvouchers@winning-pitch.co.uk for an electronic copy of this text and growth voucher logo.

 

 

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Selnet-uk.com Privacy Policy

This privacy policy sets out how Selnet uses and protects any information that you give us when you use this website.

Selnet is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.

Selnet may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from 25/06/2012.


What we collect
We may collect the following information:

  • name, contact information including email address
  • demographic information such as postcode.
  • other information relevant to customer surveys and/or offers

What we do with the information we gather

We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular for the following reasons:

  • Internal record keeping. 
  • We may use the information to improve our products and services. 
  • We may periodically send promotional emails about new services, special offers or other information which we think you may find interesting using the email address which you have provided. 
  • From time to time, we may also use your information to contact you for market research purposes. We may contact you by email, phone, fax or mail. We may use the information to customise the website according to your interests.

Security
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.


How we use cookies

A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer’s hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.

We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about web page traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.

Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website, by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us.
You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.

Links to other websites
Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.


Controlling your personal information
If you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by writing to or emailing us at admin[at]selnet-uk.com.

We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so. We may use your personal information to send you promotional information about third parties which we think you may find interesting if you tell us that you wish this to happen.

You may request details of personal information which we hold about you under the Data Protection Act 1998. A small fee will be payable. If you would like a copy of the information held on you please write to Selnet Ltd. Unit G14, PTMC, Marsh Lane, Preston. PR1 8UQ.

If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible, at the above address. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.

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