Inspiring speakers then took the stage again, such as Nick Stanhope from We Are What We Do who explained how small actions can create big change, as evidenced by their success with the Anya Hindmarch bag.

The day drew to a close with the announcement of the new winners of the Make Your Mark in 60 Seconds competition. William Hammersley and Chris Hannaway, two 18-year-old friends from Bath scooped this year's Make award to develop FroYo, an ethical, healthy and locally sourced frozen yoghurt. The event finished with a concert that ensured all the young delegates left on a high note.

Voice08 kicked off early Wednesday morning with an inspiring opening plenary and some welcome Government announcements. New coalition chair Claire Dove listed the achievements of social enterprise and added that she believed there is still so much more that can be done. She said: “We believe it is time for a business revolution - and we want to hear your ideas for making this happen.”

After the Prime Ministers message, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Hazel Blears then announced the welcome news that her department was setting up its own social enterprise unit. She outlined three key areas of work saying: “First of all, I want to increase the access to financial support for community enterprises.“ Second, I want to make sure that community enterprise runs right through my Department's DNA. My third promise is that I'm going to keep working with business, encouraging them to develop stronger links with community groups.”

Keynote speaker Arunesh Singh from the Scojo Foundation gave an inspirational presentation about the power of social enterprise to transform lives in India.

And Kris Murrin from WhatIf ended the plenary on a high note by making the audience “stop being so English” and get some real networking done by hugging nearby strangers. 

 Page: 1, 2, 3, 4