The RBS SE100 Index has announced the names of 27 social ventures shortlisted for its annual awards event.

The winners will be revealed by five leaders in the social sector including the founder and CEO of People Tree, Safia Minney, the Minister for Civil Society Rob Wilson MP and Ian Cowie, chairman of SME banking at RBS/Natwest during the UK’s social investment conference Good Deals later this month.

Sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland, this year will mark five years of the RBS SE100 Awards, which aim to celebrate and promote social enterprises that work in a variety of sectors – including retail, hospitality, healthcare and community development – all over the UK. 

Duncan Sloan, RBS head of community banking, said: “The social enterprise sector is a valuable part of the UK economy and it is our aim to support its development. The RBS SE100 awards allow us to celebrate the successes of the UK’s social enterprises.” 

The shortlist is divided into five award categories – Sustainable Growth, Social Impact, Trailblazing Newcomer, Resilience and Storyteller – with the winners of each category receiving a share of £30,000.  

Among those in the running for this year’s awards are Goodwill Solutions – a warehouse service provider that creates employment and training opportunities for long-term unemployed people, ex-offenders and those from disadvantaged backgrounds – and Belu – an ethical bottled water company that supplies the House of Lords and House of Commons. 

The winners have been decided based on their vital statistics, which are available on the RBS SE100 Index. The Index is an online listing of social ventures, ranked and scored according to their growth and social impact. 

“Sometimes social enterprises need funding to get off the ground, other times they need access to the right networks to ensure they can evolve. The RBS SE100 Index provides just that, and is a key initiative in our commitment to the success of the social enterprise sector,” said Duncan Sloan.

Shortlisted social ventures

Growth champion nominees

• Manor House Development Trust
• Ripplez CIC
• P3 Charity
• Co-Wheels
• Changing Lives in Cheshire
• EBP
• Goodwill Solutions

Impact champion nominees

• Cockpit Arts
• FRC Group
• Patchwork People
• Goodwill Solutions
• Social adVentures
• Wellbeing Works

Trailblazing newcomer nominees

• The Bidgley Power Foundation
• Realise Futures CIC
• Bad Idea organisation CIC
• Citizen Bank

Storyteller award nominees

• Patchwork People
• John Taylor Hospice
• CAUSE 4
• The Fig Tree
• Landlife National Wildflower Centre
• Shared Interest

Resilience award nominees

• BELU 
• The Reader Organisation
• FRC Group
• John Taylor Hospice

Tickets are still available for the RBS SE100 Awards and Good Deals, the UK’s social investment conference. 

Now in its seventh year, the theme of this year’s conference is ‘Playtime’s Over’. Speakers including Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills Vince Cable, chief executive officer of Acumen Jacqueline Novogratz and co-founder of Wavelength Liam Black will discuss and debate the biggest challenges facing the social economy and will paint a picture of the future of the social investment market.

Header image: Safia Minney

Photo credit: People Tree