Thought Leadership

For impact to work, it can’t exist in a silo. Most profit-focused businesses are beholden to their shareholders and owners to generate as much revenue as they can, with no real obligation to give back. That is not the focus of social enterprise. Our business model centres purpose, and the best way to purposely serve your community is to work with the community. Cooperation is the name of the game. A strong role model of purpose-led community activity can be found in Ashford, named a Social Enterprise Place thanks to its collaborative ecosystem. “Collaboration throughout the social enterprise sector in Kent is really important,” said Rebecca Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Social Enterprise Kent (SEK). “We find through networking and bringing people together at conferences, events and training sessions, it creates a touchpoint to spark ideas and raise issues. It’s about bringing people together as a team and not working in silos is what makes the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector stronger.” Our member SEK have nurtured this impact community as they have done for the past 40 years. To find out more, we visited them at their new, volunteer-run SE Kitchen, now their second social supermarket in the county after Ramsgate. Ashford MP Sojan Joseph visiting the SE Kitchen They transformed this former art supply shop into a real community space, providing affordable and healthy grocery options from food charity FareShare as well as other suppliers working closely with local farmers (it is the garden of England after all). Of course, this work wouldn’t be possible without vital partnerships. In fact, they work with more than 100 partners, consistently delivering at least £1 millon a year in funding, allowing them to support great projects like the Social Impact Gateway or Thanet Social Enterprise Boost. From working with East Kent Health Care Partnership to highlight health inequalities to partnering with corporate organisations such as Amey for their Elevate programme creating apprenticeship opportunities for care leavers, they demonstrate how these conversations across organisations form a lynchpin of positive influence. After a delicious lunch provided by Lily’s Social Kitchen, we visited more of the local social enterprises which make up the rich network of organisations in our Places programme. These were some of the businesses championing the movement: Chatting with the volunteers at The Beehive Ashford The Beehive Ashford - a shop which not only sells second-hand clothes, but also provides skills workshops, a volunteer-run café, and hosts several clubs including knitting and a book club. It also offers women referred by local services a place to access free clothing. Made in Ashford - a vibrant and popular gift shop which started its life as a pop-up ten years ago. It houses the handmade craftworks of more than 70 artists from across Kent in-store and online. The Coachworks - a trendy, repurposed multi-use space by the train station hosting street food, live music and entertainment events, and workspaces. Going back to the central theme of collaboration, it shows there’s a concerted effort for social entrepreneurs in the area to pool their resources, doing much more for the community, local economy and environment than they could on their own. A spirit of camaraderie which helps deliver a better, holistic service. As a Social Enterprise Place, Ashford proves its status as a hot spot for social impact activity thanks to this ethos. Browsing the crafts at Made in Ashford Rebecca added: “It’s been fantastic having Social Enterprise UK down here to see our work. The theme has really been about collaboration across the board with other social enterprises and charities, the wider business community and our public sector partners. It makes our programmes better, allowing our entrepreneurs to be given the right tools and funding to solve the specific problems they are facing in their local community.” As our flagship data shows, there are more than 131,000 social enterprise businesses in the UK, all working towards benefitting people and planet in their own ways. Imagine the possibilities of replicating the collaborative efforts of the impact community we’ve seen here in Ashford across the whole country? This is why we do what we do, and we’re proud to see it going from strength to strength.

If the government was in any doubt about the challenges facing those starting social enterprises, a mixed group of stakeholders presented it with a vivid picture this week.   It was the most recent evidence delivered to the second roundtable of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Social, Cooperative and Community as part of their ongoing inquiry into growing diverse business models.   The highs and lows of social enterprise  Give Your Best (pictured above) was a side hustle that grew into a business for founder Sol Escobar and was supported by ‘tech for good’ grants from organisations such as Innovate UK. Escobar told the inquiry she didn’t know what a social enterprise was as her initiative first began to flourish and described how vital the support ecosystem was.   “I did every single incubator and accelerator I could possibly find, because … I didn't know how to grow this organisation, and they really have just taken me from step to step and taught me how to run this organisation and scale it to become revenue-generating,” Escobar said.  Now 800 to 2000 items of donated clothing are chosen by people in clothing poverty every week through the social enterprise, helping to tackle the £140m worth of clothing that is thrown away annually.   Starting a social enterprise might be an option if you have certain advantages, but what if you don’t? The financial implications for those in this situation were made stark by Bayo Adelaja, founder and CEO of Do it Now Now, which annually supports approximately 150 Black leaders of organisations with business training and grant funding. "Most of the people in our community are earning under £18,000 a year and 27% of them didn't attend university, but they remain pillars of their society and are leaders and changemakers within their community," Adelaja said. "The income they're receiving each year is approximately £32,000 and around 40% of that comes from the salary sacrifice of the directors themselves. The vast majority of them are working full-time jobs and about 40% of them have never received grant funding.”  Adelaja asked the APPG to consider how the government could put in places systems and processes that empower people who don't have the access, schooling or business training of others, but are creating social enterprises in response to communities that need services delivered annually. In particular, she recommended that funding not be project-based, with multi-year funding schemes introduced instead.   “We’ve limped our way through”  Escobar had earlier credited School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) as being instrumental in her development as a business founder. Whilst acknowledging that the “nudge economics” of SSE’s match trading grants and bringing social entrepreneurs together in supportive cohorts to bolster confidence had both worked well, SSE CEO Alistair Wilson was less optimistic about the support ecosystem in general.  "It is interesting to reflect that second-tier support organisations in this country are hanging by a thread. We've limped our way through the last 15 years, and many organisations have gone bust. If the government wants to see this sector thrive, they've got to get behind it in a more serious way," Wilson told the inquiry.  He went on to say that he thought the UK had slipped from being world-leading in social enterprise to “being in tenth place, if you’re lucky” and that he hoped the government would consider how to get the UK’s leading status back. Wilson was backed by Louise Cannon, Director of Social Entrepreneur Support at UnLtd, who also asked that long-term ecosystem building be considered by the government.   Matt Smith, CEO of social investor Key Fund made the point that support organisations like SSE were crucial for equipping passionate social entrepreneurs with the skills and experience to run a business. Like Wilson, he expressed concern at the lack of support organisations that existed now compared to 15 years ago.   Smith also thought that more grant funding could level the playing field in areas of unequal opportunity such as those described earlier in the session by Adelaja. “There's a gap where grants should be playing the role that friends and family would in more affluent communities,” he said.  Fellow social investor Seb Elsworth, CEO of Access called for more mainstream providers to participate in social investment, particularly the state-owned British Business Bank, which manages loan guarantee schemes aimed at SMEs and targets a rate of return of 1.5% for its overall portfolio. “We know most social enterprises are looking for relatively small-scale, flexible, patient, unsecured lending. Providing that kind of finance is difficult to do on a purely commercial basis,” said Elsworth.  Two further evidence-gathering sessions will be conducted before the APPG delivers a report to the government later this year.

GLL has been appointed by City of Lincoln Council as the interim operator for Yarborough and Birchwood Leisure Centres. This follows the immediate closure of both centres after the previous operator ceased trading on 3 April 2025.  GLL will manage the indoor and outdoor facilities at both leisure centres for an interim period of two years, ensuring the rapid restoration of vital leisure services for Lincoln residents. GLL is now working with the council to prepare both centres for reopening this summer.   Chris Hebblewhite, Director of Standards and Compliance at GLL said: "We look forward to working with City of Lincoln Council and the local community to reopen these facilities as quickly and safely as we can to deliver the best possible leisure services at Yarborough and Birchwood Leisure Centres.  "We'll be reaching out to customers this summer providing further details on programmes, memberships and the lessons & courses that will be available through our customer brand BETTER.  "Speaking as someone who was brought up in Lincoln and knows the city's leisure facilities well,  I greatly appreciate their importance to everyone’s health and wellbeing and therefore we are focused on preserving and enhancing that legacy. "Over the course of the next couple of months we’re replacing gym equipment and improving the look and feel of the facilities. There will also be employment opportunities with roles across fitness, customer services, lifeguarding and management." Cllr Naomi Tweddle, Leader of City of Lincoln Council, said:  "We are extremely pleased to confirm the appointment of GLL as our interim operator of these vital leisure centres.   “Their experience and proven capability will be essential in getting both Yarborough and Birchwood Leisure Centres back up and running for the community." GLL and City of Lincoln Council will work together to update residents as progress is made towards reopening both leisure centres.  gll.org

PossAbilities, the vibrant social enterprise on a mission to help people “live the life they choose,” has been officially named one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2025 and they’re absolutely buzzing. The award celebrates outstanding workplaces across the UK, highlighting organisations that lead the way in employee engagement, wellbeing, inclusion, leadership and team spirit. Even more impressively, this was PossAbilities’ first ever year entering the awards and they’ve gone straight into the Big Organisation category with a bang! Unlike traditional awards, this recognition isn’t handed out by a judging panel, it’s earned through honest, anonymous feedback from the people who know the organisation best: its staff. PossAbilities people shared what it’s really like to work there, and the message was clear: this is a workplace full of heart, humour, and purpose. At the core of PossAbilities’ work is a powerful mission of supporting vulnerable people to live independently, connect with others, discover passions and build fulfilling lives . But that commitment doesn’t stop with the people they support it extends to the people doing the supporting too. Professor Donna Hall CBE, Chair of the Board, said: “We are incredibly proud of our talented team and everything they deliver. This recognition is a direct result of their passion, commitment, and the exceptional leadership of our incredible CEO Rachel Law, her team and across PossAbilities. We care deeply about the work we do, and just as much about creating a happy, inclusive, and inspiring workplace where everyone can thrive.” From support workers and coordinators to the back-office wizards who keep everything ticking, PossAbilities is powered by people who bring compassion, creativity and energy to their work every day. And that energy is infectious, shaping a culture that’s supportive, forward-thinking, and fun (yes, fun is allowed at work). This Sunday Times award confirms what PossAbilities already knew: that making a social impact and being a great place to work aren’t mutually exclusive, they’re a perfect match. possabilities.org.uk About PossAbilities PossAbilities are a social care organisation delivering a range of services to adults across the Northwest and West Yorkshire, including supported living, outreach, day services, shared lives, short breaks and an employment service.  We support individuals to live the life they choose.

The categories for the UK Social Enterprise Awards have been created to reflect the diversity within the social enterprise community. More information, including detailed category criteria, can be found on the application portal. Please not that for most of these awards social enterprises need to have been trading for at least two years with the exception of the One to Watch Award. The applications portal will be open from 12pm on Monday 2 June. UK Social Enterprise of the Year Sponsored by Keegan & Pennykid The overall award for a social enterprise that has a clear vision, excellence in impact, and that has demonstrated and promoted social enterprise beyond the sector. Apply now One to Watch Award Sponsored by PwC The One to Watch Award is for a start-up social enterprise. Key to winning this award is an ability to clearly articulate their future vision and how they are going to achieve it. Apply now Prove It: Social Impact Award For a social enterprise that can truly demonstrate and communicate their impact with their stakeholders. Apply now ‘Buy Social’ Market Builder Award For a social enterprise, public sector body or private sector organisation that has demonstrably made efforts within its own organisation and remit to create more opportunities to buy from social enterprises. Apply now Social Investment Deal of the Year Sponsored by Good Finance For an organisation that has been part of a great investment deal in the last 12 months that has helped the social enterprise to grow or the movement as a whole to develop and flourish. Apply now Public Services Social Enterprise of the Year Sponsored by GLL For a social enterprise for whom the majority of their income comes from the public sector and which delivers public services (for central or local government, NHS, criminal justice or other statutory body). Apply now Consumer Facing Social Enterprise of the Year For a social enterprise that delivers a retail product or service to the general public. Apply now Education, Training & Jobs Social Enterprise of the Year For a social enterprise in the education, training or employment sectors that can demonstrate excellence in vision and strategic direction, and clearly evidence their social, environmental and community impact. Apply now Environmental Social Enterprise of the Year Sponsored by Landmarc For a social enterprise in the green and environmental sector with a clear evidenced environmental impact. Apply now Social Enterprise Building Diversity, Inclusion, Equity & Justice Award Social justice is fundamental to the social enterprise movement. This category is open to all social enterprises who are addressing issues around diversity, inclusion and equity. Apply now Social Enterprise Women’s Champion of the Year For a woman working in the senior leadership team of a social enterprise who represents excellence in her field of work. Apply now International Impact Award For a social enterprise working internationally, and which are having a big impact in their field. This award is open to UK-based organisations only with existing international operations. Apply now Community-Based Social Enterprise of the Year Sponsored by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation This award is for a social enterprise that trades for the benefit of their community, making a real local impact. Apply now Social Enterprise Innovation of the Year A new award is recognising a social enterprise that has brought something truly innovative to market in the past year. Apply now Tech for Good: Technology Social Enterprise of the Year For a social enterprise that uses technology to achieve social impact. Apply now

North East Lincolnshire is pioneering a radical model of mental healthcare that is improving outcomes and cutting waiting times. The key: empowering patients and treating them holistically. The data tells its own story: 94% of emergency mental health referrals seen within four hours compared with just 50% across England. 81% of patients in settled accommodation compared to 24% nationally. Older patients at risk of harming themselves or others are restrained over 50% fewer times than the English average. 80% of staff say they would be happy for a friend or relative to be treated by Navigo compared to the 64% average for mental health providers nationally.* Clearly, Navigo - the social enterprise that delivers mental health services for the NHS in North East Lincolnshire - is making breakthroughs that elude many other providers. What are they doing differently? Jobs, homes, human connection That question is answered succinctly by Simon Beeton - Navigo’s Chief Executive. While conventional mental health services seek to “diagnose, treat, and discharge”, Navigo takes a holistic approach, not only helping people address their mental health condition but also working with them to find “somewhere to live, somewhere to work, and someone to love (or, at least, really get on with!)”. It’s an approach rooted in three transformational observations that fundamentally challenges how healthcare is currently delivered by the NHS. People are complex wholes - treating any medical condition, let alone a mental health one, without understanding the wider context of factors affecting patients’ lives will always be limited in its impact. There are very often social and economic drivers behind poor mental health which simply cannot be ignored when trying to help a person recover: debt, poor housing, unemployment, poverty. Mental health care should be as much about helping people regain a sense of agency and control in their lives as treating the condition. Approaches that reinforce passivity or helplessness can exacerbate as much as ameliorate mental ill-health. For Navigo, that means adopting holistic, empowering treatment frameworks but it also means going much further than conventional mental health services in supporting people. Nowhere is that more apparent than in Tukes. Named after William Tuke - the pioneering mental health campaigner and innovator - the initiative uses Navigo’s resources to help patients secure employment, develop skills and, maybe most importantly, form the human connection that comes from having a job. This is why Navigo - unlike any other NHS mental health service you may have come across - owns a garden centre, a cafe and a cleaning service to provide a job, income and training for their patients. It’s also why Navigo operates as a social landlord, as well as working closely with other social landlords, to provide the affordable, decent accommodation that so many with mental health conditions struggle to find and retain. Lighting a beacon for Barbara That principle of giving people agency and self-efficacy by addressing the wider conditions of their life runs so deep in Navigo that it has shaped its whole corporate structure. Navigo is effectively run as a co-operative that not only gives employees a major say in the organisation but also gives the same rights to patients who can get deeply involved in the running and shaping of the service. Indeed, you are just as likely to hear the people helped by Navigo being referred to, and referring to themselves, as ‘members’ than as ‘patients’. It’s also why Navigo is often described by its people as a ‘community’ or even a ‘family’ rather than a healthcare service or organisation. It’s a model that helps create that crucial space for human connection but is also credited with generating a culture of openness to innovation that drives so much of what Navigo does. Patients inevitably know best what needs to change to improve their experience and hasten their recovery. They also have little tolerance for the usual organisational obstacles placed in the way of necessary improvements. Thus Navigo is always looking to do things the best way they can and, if necessary, cut through the institutional noise that stops that happening. Barbara is a perfect illustration of this principle. Deeply unhappy with the fact that her husband who had severe dementia was being placed in a care home many miles away due to lack of appropriate accommodation, Barbara needed, and demanded, change. Always proactive when the wider system generates a problem, Navigo decided to act. Three new centres were set up providing forty places for older people with dementia and/or mental health conditions all located within North East Lincolnshire. One of the facilities was named Barbara’s Beacon to honour the key role Barbara played in making the change happen. And, of course, the same holistic and empowering approach that runs through all of Navigo’s work underpins the care provided at Barbara’s Beacon and the other new centres. So, Navigo is proving that compassionate, holistic, empowering care for patients need not be sacrificed in the pursuit of a more responsive, efficient service. In fact, the stats quoted at the start of this article show precisely the opposite: that the key to delivering a more responsive, efficient service is precisely that compassionate, holistic, empowering approach. But, after all, those are just stats and abstract principles. Far better to hear how Navigo’s ethos changes lives in practice by listening to Jemma. Jemma came to Navigo as a profoundly shy and fearful person with borderline personality disorder. But over time she changed: increasingly helping other Navigo members deal with their challenges, she ultimately set up and ran a support group for people who self harm. Her story provides an eloquent insight into the “big family” that is Navigo and the way it transforms lives. You can find plenty of other testimonies from staff and members alongside Jemma’s on the same YouTube channel. *Data sourced from What Makes Us Navigo. By Adam Lent This case study forms part of a series we are producing together with the healthcare consultancy Baxendale and think tank King’s Fund, to demonstrate the innovation shown by social enterprises delivering health and social care.

His Majesty The King visited Impact Hub Yorkshire today (15 May 2025) to meet with individuals and organisations helped by the social enterprise and mark its transition to a Yorkshire-wide entity. During his visit, The King unveiled a special plaque to mark both the five-year anniversary of the Impact Hub, and its transition from Impact Hub Bradford to Impact Hub Yorkshire. Founded during the pandemic, over the past five years Impact Hub Bradford has helped thousands individuals and hundreds businesses. Part of a wider network of 120 Impact Hubs globally, Impact Hub Yorkshire is just one of four in the UK.  The Impact Hub network forms the largest collective of impact makers globally, and have a strong focus on people and planet, whether that be helping to connect different communities, or change the lives of individuals and businesses for the better, in a sustainable way.  Impact Hub Yorkshire’s CEO and founder, Kamran Rashid said: “It was an honour to host His Majesty The King at Impact Hub Yorkshire’s offices here in Little Germany, Bradford, and show him the work our organisation does. “Our members spoke passionately about their own experiences and the projects that Impact Hub has helped to facilitate. Having the recognition of this visit is an important milestone for us all, as we look towards an exciting future helping individuals and organisations throughout Yorkshire.” Amongst the organisations introduced to The King, and supported by the Impact Hub, were Green Street; Pandoras Box Deserts; Tasif Khan Community Boxing Academy; IK School of Tailoring; and the African Caribbean Achievement Project.  The work Impact Hub Yorkshire delivers is as varied as it is extensive.  The social enterprise has recently led a project focussed on bringing regeneration and inward investment to Little Germany, the area of the city centre that the Impact Hub is based in. This has included shining a spotlight on this important heritage asset, which has the highest density of listed buildings in Europe.  The King last visited Little Germany in 2008, then as Prince Charles, when he spoke passionately about the area’s rich architectural heritage.  Other projects led by Impact Hub Yorkshire have included supporting boxer Tasif Khan on a number of initiatives, which has included community outreach and education resources, aimed at inspiring young people to create a positive impact on the city.  The change to Impact Hub Yorkshire will allow the organisation to scale up what it is able to deliver, both in terms of size of project and geography. Impact Hub Yorkshire will further celebrate its five years of success at a special gala dinner in June – the first evening dinner to be hosted at the refurbished ballroom at Bradford Live.

Academic research shows how power dynamics between social investors and social enterprises can shift in the face of major economic and social shocks, such as COVID. Dr Julia Morley from the London School of Economics explains the key findings of her recent paper Talking Across Purposes. Social investing has become a transformative force, directing private capital towards social enterprises to achieve financial returns and social good. In the UK alone, the sector saw investments totalling £830 million in 2021, highlighting its significant growth and impact. However, the diverse backgrounds of stakeholders, including investors, social enterprises, and policymakers, often lead to communication challenges, particularly regarding the terminology used within the sector. Language and misunderstandings: The ambiguous nature of key terms is at the core of many misunderstandings in social investing. For instance, the definition of "social impact" can vary widely among stakeholders. For some, it might mean quantifiable outcomes like employment rates, while for others, it refers to more nebulous benefits, such as improvements in well-being. While initially beneficial in allowing varied parties to find common ground, this ambiguity can also lead to significant challenges as projects develop. Can ambiguity be useful? Ambiguity does have its advantages. It enables a broad range of stakeholders to engage with the idea of social impact without being bogged down by rigid definitions. This can foster collaboration across different sectors and viewpoints, facilitating initial agreements and partnerships that might not otherwise be possible. The downside: Over time, however, the benefits of this ambiguity diminish. Different interpretations of the same terms can lead to misunderstandings and misalignments between investors and social enterprises. These miscommunications can create friction and inefficiencies, hindering the sector's overall effectiveness. Push for precision: In response to these challenges, there has been a move towards standardisation and clarity in the language used in social investing. Investors, often holding greater power in these discussions, have led the push for defining terms and setting standards. This has included the creation of glossaries and training programs aimed at aligning the sector's language with investor expectations. Shifting power dynamics: The COVID-19 pandemic shifted power dynamics within the social investment sector. The crisis underscored the importance of knowledge of the operational realities of delivering services to beneficiaries and shifted the balance of authority over knowledge to social enterprises. During this period of instability and change, their local knowledge of beneficiaries’ needs and frontline operational issues gave their views more weight relative to the traditional financial expertise that investors had previously leveraged. This shift in the balance of power was short-lived, however. As the status quo returned, so did the perceived relevance and value of investors’ financial expertise in social investing. Conclusion: The experiences during the pandemic have provided valuable insights into the importance of language in social investing and how significant disruptions can shift the authority of knowledge, alter power dynamics, and shape how the meanings of terms – and hence practices within the sector - evolve. As the sector continues to grow, both investors and social enterprises must remain aware of these dynamics to foster an inclusive and effective social investing environment. Key takeaways: While initially helpful, the ambiguity in social investing terminology can lead to challenges as misunderstandings become apparent. Standardisation efforts are crucial but do not reflect all stakeholders’ interests equally. Significant destabilising events, like the pandemic, can reshape power structures, offering lessons on how to manage and negotiate terms in social investing more equitably. The full paper which this piece summarises can be found here.  This article is part of SEUK’s Social Enterprise Knowledge Centre University Network – to find out more please contact research@socialenterprise.org.uk