"Making a difference while making a profit isn't easy," UK social enterprises awarded for doing just that

Post Reporters
Last night, Social Enterprise UK hosted the 15th Social Enterprise Awards at LSO St Luke’s in London, sponsored by The Independent on Sunday. The event spotlighted some of the most succesful social enterprises in the UK spearheading innovation in business to tackle deep-rooted social challenges. 
 
Eleven enterprises made the winners list out of the 70,000 social enterprises in the UK, currently contributing more than £24bn to the UK economy each year. 
 
Peter Holbrook, Social Enterprise UK chief executive, said: “The award winners fought off fierce competition and wholly deserve to be recognised on a national stage for their contribution to society.
 
"Making a positive difference while making a profit isn't easy, this is why social enterprises - businesses that give back – are so extraordinary,” he continued.
 
Host, comedian and television presenter, Sue Perkins entertained guests and presented the winners with bespoke trophies made by the social enterprise, Impact Arts. 
 
Social Enterprise UK worked with a number of social enterprises in its supply chain to organise the event, including The Brigade Bar & Bistro, which catered for the 250 guests.
 
The overall social enterprise of the year awards was won by the Link Group, a social business formed in 1962, to provide new and improved homes for rent and sale, community regeneration services. Link Group now provide support and care for individuals to over 10,000 people in 26 Scottish Local Authority areas. 
 

Co-wheels Car Club CIC won the environmental social enterprise award with its national car club that enables its members to access cars on a ‘pay by the hour’ basis, encouraging people to think more about their journey, and to only take the car when it’s the best option, helping to cut car use and tackle climate change. It now operates in more than 35 towns and major cities across the UK with 4,400 members and 190 vehicles.

Nigel Kershaw OBE, group chairman and CEO of Big Issue Invest, the Big Issue's social investment arm, was championed for his personal contribution to social innovation in the UK and recongnised with the Social Enterprise Champion award.

As CEO of Big Issue Invest he has always been determined to invest in and regenerate communities, preventing people from having to live on the streets. Since 2005, Kershaw has run the organisation that has invested more than £20m in 160 social enterprises, reaching almost 1.7 million people. 

Big Issue Invest were also recognised for its partnership with Unity Trust Bank, the specialist bank for the social economy,  with the social investment deal award. The two social economy organisations partenered up earlier this year to enable the social enterprise, Sandwell Community Caring Trust, to buy a high-quality 62 bed residential care home for elderly people with dementia.

Mainstream business showed their growing interest in the social enterprise space pulling together as sponsors of the event and individual awards. The Independent on Sunday was the headline sponsor of the Awards, with category sponsors including RBS, BP, Landmarc, PwC, CAN Mezzanine, Charity Finance Group, Nuffield Health, the Social Economy Alliance, InterContinental Hotels Group and SITA. 

You can read the full winners list here.