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Social Enterprise Coalition activity 
Taking social enterprise to the 2010 party conferences Over the past two weeks the Coalition has been on the road representing social enterprise at the 2010 party conferences. First up was the Liberal Democrat's event which took place in Liverpool from 18-22 September. On the fourth day of the conference the Coalition hosted a breakfast meeting with Ed Davey MP who expressed great interest in the potential of social enterprise to support the government's ambitions. This week the team travelled to Manchester to attend the Labour party conference where Ed Miliband, a long-standing supporter of the social enterprise movement, was unveiled as the new Labour party leader. You can read the views on his win from some within the sector on Social Enterprise Live. Peter Holbrook, CEO of the Social Enterprise Coalition and Ceri Jones, Head of Policy and Research, were also delighted to take the opportunity of being in the north west to visit Brighter Future Workshop in Skelmersdale – a fantastic organisation which won the Best Social Enterprise award at the inaugural Social Enterprise Awards last December. Next week the Coalition will be holding a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham in partnership with the think tank Demos. The title for this event is "Social Enterprise and the Big Society: Turning Policy into Practice" and speakers will include Francis Maude MP, Fay Selvan, CEO of the Big Life Group and Peter Holbrook, CEO of the Social Enterprise Coalition. The panel will be chaired by Jenni Russell, a columnist for the Sunday Times and the Guardian newspapers.
Peter Holbrook responds to new research on the scale of social enterprise New research released by the Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC) this week highlighted the need to accurately measure the size of the social enterprise sector. In response to the report Peter Holbrook, CEO of the Coalition, said: “The predicted massive growth of the social enterprise sector in the coming years will demand a much stronger identity and infrastructure. Individual social enterprises will need to be defined more clearly if they are going to play a much bigger part in UK economy, not only in the delivery of public services but across all areas of business. Without more clearly agreed parameters, the progression of social enterprise will be put in jeopardy, a risk we cannot afford at this moment of opportunity. The Social Enterprise Mark shows that an organisation is a true social enterprise. “In order to monitor the growth and impact of the sector it is also vital that there is a collective effort from government and from those within social enterprise to commit to improved research and tracking. Only then will we really be able to measure our success and contribution to society and the economy.” To view the research report visit the TSRC website.
Assistance for researchers The Coalition is keen to help researchers working in the field of social enterprise but our limited resources mean that we are unable to respond to every individual that contacts us. So, in response to the high number of requests we receive for assistance, we will now be holding a monthly open hour, inviting researchers to come in and meet with us to discuss their work. We hope that it will also act as a meeting place for researchers to link with each other. The next of these open hours will be taking place on Thursday 14 October 2010 at 3.00pm at our headquarters with Head of Policy Ceri Jones and Senior Research Officer Lidija Mavra. For more information contact Lidija on lidija.mavra@socialenterprise.org.uk
Last chance to enter to win Social Vision 2010 Social enterprises have just one day left to enter to win a cash prize in a national photography competition. ‘Social Vision: business at its best' is looking for images that capture the unique and transformative work of social enterprise. Now in its third year, the photography competition is, for the first time, being jointly run by Triodos Bank and the Social Enterprise Coalition, in association with Social Enterprise magazine. Business at its best is about transforming lives through enterprising ideas and solutions; it's about social and environmental missions guiding the way to financial stability and a more just and sustainable world. We're looking for images that show the passion, people and places using enterprise to drive positive change. So if you're working for a social enterprise, why not take a photo that highlights your day to day activities and tell us the story behind the image? The winning photographer will receive a cash prize of £750. The social enterprise featured in the photograph will also win £750 along with one year's free membership to the Social Enterprise Coalition, an entry ticket for two people to Voice 11, a year's subscription to Social Enterprise magazine and £1000 worth of print advertising in Social Enterprise magazine. Regional heats will be taking place in each of the nine English regions and in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland before the finalists go head to head to win the overall prize. The UK winner will be decided by an online public vote. All of the shortlisted images will go on display in London during November and will be used to create a new 2011 calendar. The deadline for entries is Friday 1 October 2010 at 5pm - to request an application pack visit the Social Vision webpage.
News 
O2 launches dedicated package of support for social enterprises Earlier this month O2 launched a new package of support specifically designed for the UK’s 62,000 social enterprises. The package, which has been created in response to a 2010 consultation of over 200 industry leaders, social enterprises and entrepreneurs, includes financial benefits such as free mobile broadband as well as devices and accessories to support this burgeoning sector. This latest step in the ongoing journey O2 is taking to support social enterprises began earlier in 2010 when it became the first major corporate to recognise the Social Enterprise Mark. Having launched its consultation in May, the respondents identified three key areas where O2 could best support the sector: raising awareness of the sector, using the business’s marketing channels to promote enterprises and providing attractive mobile and broadband packages together with technical support. Having listened, O2 has today responded with a package that includes: - One month free line rental
- Free mobile broadband for three months
- Bill credits for each successful customer referral
- A Bluetooth headset with selected sustainable devices
As well as consulting the sector to create the first ever package of its kind, O2 will also be regularly updating the offer in line with feedback from social enterprises to ensure it continues to meet their mobile technology needs. Simon Devonshire, Head of SME Marketing at O2 and Founder of Social Enterprise One Water said: “At O2, we work hard to understand the challenges SMEs face to ensure that we meet their needs. An increasing number of small firms are delivering products and services with a conscience and building social enterprises that are gradually forming a bigger, better cornerstone to society. We see this as an exciting growth area for SMEs and want to be at the forefront of championing the sector, making sure it gets the recognition and opportunities it deserves. In addition to launching a bespoke mobile package for Social Enterprises we are also committed to raising awareness of this important sector amongst both our customers and our 12,000 employees across the UK” To obtain the social enterprise package call 0800 7816602, or go to www.o2socialenterprise.co.uk to find out more. The support of social enterprise is a Think Big initiative – O2’s commitment to making a big difference to People and Planet. O2 support of social enterprises in the UK As part of its wider pledge to support the sector, O2 has also committed to: - An internal campaign to build awareness and understanding of social enterprise amongst all 12,000 of O2’s staff, from the board directors to the contact centre teams. In October O2 will be running a social enterprise farmers’ market at its UK headquarters and has recently conducted a major internal event at social enterprise Hill Holt Wood.
- Sourcing customer gifts from social enterprises such as Divine Chocolate, the fairtrade chocolate company.
- Generated mainstream awareness of the sector through communications channels including the O2 website, in-store and business magazines and leaflets.
 Penny Newman joins Social Enterprise Mark Co One of the UK’s leading social entrepreneurs is to join the Board of Directors of the Social Enterprise Mark Co. Penny Newman, until recently CEO of the Jamie Oliver Foundation and previously Cafedirect, will be bringing her expertise in both marketing and business development, to the organisation. Penny says: “Fairtrade was a barely recognised concept when I first joined Cafedirect and now it is part of our everyday lives. The social enterprise sector is in a similar place as those early days of Fairtrade. We need to make sure that social enterprise is on everyone’s lips and that everyone appreciates its value and benefits whether they are a supplier, a customer or an employee.” The Social Enterprise Mark, defined as the brand for social enterprises, was launched nationally in February this year and there are now more than 260 organisations using the Mark across the UK. For more information on the Social Enterprise Mark visit the website. For more on this story visit Social Enterprise Live.
Events
The Guardian Social Enterprise Summit 2010: The key to Big Society? 16 November 2010
London Scaling up social enterprises to deliver public services. After a sell-out event last year, the Guardian is proud to announce the launch of the Social Enterprise Summit 2010. The event will focus on how social enterprises can deliver public services, giving practical business advice and examples of best practice from across the country. For more information and to register your place, visit guardian.co.uk/socialenterprise.
Commercial Capabilities for the NHS – Delivering Quality, Efficient Services Conference and Exhibition 15 February 2011
London The Health White Paper ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS’ published in July 2010, set out the vision for NHS reform - a service configured to deliver increased quality of services, whilst developing a patient-led service, focused on local empowerment, clinical leadership and a sustained emphasis on improving and rewarding outcomes. This involves a radical change in the health service and this conference from GovToday will examine the policy issues and practical solutions behind the new approach, harnessing the collective purchasing power of the NHS and driving better quality and value for money in the provision of NHS services. For more information and to book a place visit the event website.
Resources 
The Novas Scarman Box Clever Range of Social Enterprise Learning Tools Novas Scarman East Midlands currently offer a wide range of unique, innovative and interactive social enterprise learning tools which have been specifically designed to demystify the topic of social enterprise and help make learning easy and enjoyable. These hands-on tools are available to support groups, students, community development initiatives and individuals in understanding social enterprise and initiating new initiatives. The key focus is to deliver learning and support the formation of ideas in a simple, enjoyable, yet very informative way. They can be used flexibly with people from a wide range of all ages, cultures, backgrounds and levels of educational attainment and provide a resource for effective engagement and demystifying understanding of social enterprise. The learning tools are particularly designed to clarify and maintain entrepreneur interest and learning in areas of social enterprise decision making, team building, marketing, finance, business planning and social enterprise legal structures. Novas can also offer ‘Training the Trainers’  and OCN accredited ‘Introduction to Social Enterprise’ training if required. Popular learning tools include: The Ingredient Boxes; Spot the Social Enterprise Opportunity Cards, The Boulder Exercise CD, Power Tool Kit Set and Box Clever Enterprise (there is now also a Box Clever Business). For more information please email eastmidlands@novasscarman.org or telephone 0115 9484600.
Member profile 
On Your Bike On Your Bike is a social enterprise providing a comprehensive service to local cyclists in the West Country. Currently based in Wellington, the company aims to encourage more people to cycle and to reduce waste sent to landfill by recycling and selling old or unwanted bikes. On Your Bike also offers young people who face challenges securing employment the chance to train as a bicycle mechanic. www.on-your-bike.org Jobs  Advertise your social enterprise job here!
Advertise and search for jobs on the number one social enterprise job page. Social Enterprise Coalition members get great deals on advertising rates and it's easy to get your job uploaded to allow you to focus on running your business. For more information email James Yabut at james.yabut@socialenterprise.org.uk or visit our job page.
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