Social Firms UK

The European Social Firms of the Year Awards, which took place during the Social Firms UK and Social Firms Europe CEFEC annual conference, celebrated some of the fantastic work taking place across Europe was showcased and celebrated in style.  Those winners in full:-

Bookdonors were awarded the Future Jobs Fund placements at the start of January 2010 which gives us support to employ 15 people for 6 months. We have already taken on 8 people over the last few months with another 7 starting with us in the near future.

The fund was announced in the 2009 Budget and the money is to be spent between October 2009 and March 2011. The fund is run by the Department of Work and Pensions in partnership with the Department for Communities and Local Government, with input from Jobcentre Plus Regional Government Offices.

The fund aims to create 170,000 additional jobs, primarily aimed at 18-24 year olds who have been out of work for nearly a year to deliver real benefits to communities. From early 2010, everyone in between the ages of 18 and 24 who has been looking for work for a year will get an offer of a job, work experience, or training lasting at least 6 months.

The Scottish Business Diversity Awards 2009 was held on Thursday 26 November in the Glasgow Science Centre. Bookdonors won the award for best Social Enterprise/Social Firms Category. This award category recognises good practice and innovation in creating employment opportunities for disadvantaged people within this sector.

Aberdeen-based Social Firm, the bread maker (www.thebreadmaker.org.uk), won the ‘Best New Social Enterprise’ category in the national heats of the Social Enterprise Awards at the Scottish Parliament on 17 November. CEO Donald Anderson and his Vice Chair picked up the award from Cabinet Secretary John Swinney. Social Firms are businesses set up to create employment for people disadvantaged in the workforce - the bread maker is an artisan bakery and coffee house which provides meaningful work and training for adults with learning disability.

The Social Enterprise Awards recognise and celebrate the vital work carried out by the most successful social enterprises in the UK in terms of their: - impact on society and/or the environment; - innovative approach to addressing social/environmental needs; - quality of business.