The significant impact of social enterprises in transforming lives and communities in the East Midlands through new ways of "doing business" is highlighted on a visit to the region today by Cabinet Office Minister Phil Hope.
The Minister is touring two of the region's award-winning socially and ethically-driven enterprises - Newark-based 'Unique Coffee Bar and Scrap Store' and 'Hill Holt Wood' on the Nottinghamshire/Lincolnshire border - to pay tribute to the inspiring work of their staff and founders, and to encourage other entrepreneurs to follow their example.
Phil Hope said: "It is great to see two truly inspiring organisations, focused on helping young people, leading the way to a culture of socially-driven enterprise in the East Midlands. Unique and Hill Holt Wood are examples to anyone who says you can't combine a profit-making business with social and environmental goals. You can - and ventures like these are doing exactly that.
"The sheer size of the sector, estimated at 55,000 organisations, and its power to create positive social change, is why the Prime Minister has put social enterprise at the heart of Government with an action plan launched last year. My priority, as Minister for the Third Sector, is to ensure this is followed through with the right conditions - in the East Midlands, and elsewhere in the country - for the sector to thrive."
Unique Social Enterprise CIC provides a range of services for often disadvantaged young people, including a drop-in coffee bar, alternative education courses and work experience. Unique also run an environmental re-use project; the 'Unique Scrap Store' where safe surplus-to-requirement materials from local business are collected and sold at low cost to the general public as well as play, arts, youth and community organisations. Unique was voted 'East Midlands Project of the Year 2006."
Unique Chief Executive, Matt Stevenson-Dodd said: "We are delighted to welcome Phil Hope to Unique Social Enterprise, particularly as it provides him with an opportunity to see the Unique Coffee Bar in action.
"Unique Coffee Bar is an award winning, 100% sustainable youth drop-in centre funded by our Alternative Education social enterprise. Last year we received 13,564 visits from young people. With Phil's previous experience as a youth policy advisor, and current brief for social enterprise, we are certain he will be interested in our plans to replicate the success of Unique Coffee Bar across the region, helping other communities provide young people with something to do, somewhere to go and someone to talk to."
Hill Holt Wood, founded in 1995 by Nigel and Karen Lowthrop, is a leading example of sustainable development, providing a community resource where local people have access to the site, facilities and information. The enterprise operates under a service level agreement with North Kesteven District Council to provide countryside services and specialises in 'offgrid' and eco-construction such as straw bale building. The enterprise also provides alternative education opportunities, training and preparation for excluded school-children, young offenders and unemployed or otherwise disadvantaged young people. Hill Holt Wood won an Enterprising Solutions Award in 2004, as well as last year's Social Enterprise Award at the Lincolnshire and Rutland Business Awards.
