North West social enterprise recognised in national photography competition
A social enterprise in Chester has been voted runner up in a national Social Enterprise Photography competition, it has been revealed today. Chester and District Housing Trust’s (CDHT) entry was also the regional winner for the North West. The competition called for images which show how social enterprise is not just business as usual.
Social enterprises are businesses run for social and environmental purposes. They reinvest their profits back into the business or the community they serve so they can fulfill their social and environmental goals.
The photo shows an employee from the Trust Works division of the company practicing their plastering skills to gain a new qualification. CDHT is a certified “Investor in People” and encourages learning and development for staff. Supporting employees to gain new qualification boosts their employability and skills, but also improves customer service as it means that Trust Works staff can make more repairs on their first visits to properties.
The photo, along with winners from the eight other regions of England, is on display today at a No.10 reception to mark Social Enterprise Day – a national day to celebrate and promote social enterprise.
David Wrigley, Assistant Director of TrustWorks at Chester & District Housing Trust said:
“We were delighted to be involved in such an initiative and even more pleased to win. The photo shows Sarah Perry one of our TrustWorks team members gaining her plastering skills qualification. CDHT is training not just its colleagues but its residents too and was one of the first employers to be involved with the Workability Plus scheme. We are committed to multi-skilling and see many benefits for everyone involved including the communities we serve. Initiatives like this and others have the potential for new employment and training opportunities for up to 44 of our local residents.”
Jonathan Bland, CEO of the Social Enterprise Coalition which manages the competition, said:
“Following the great success of last year’s photography competition, the Coalition was delighted to manage the contest for a second year.
Photographs are a brilliant way to capture the diversity of the social enterprise movement, and the stories behind the images can be the key to raising public awareness of just what it is that makes social enterprise more than just business as usual."
CDHT will be presented with a framed copy of their winning photograph which will also be displayed at Voice10 – the national conference for social enterprise.
The national winner was Millfields Trust – a social enterprise in Plymouth in the south west of England committed to the regeneration of the local community. This photograph, along with the runner up will appear in the next edition of The Big Issue magazine due out next week.
Notes to editors:
• For further information or interviews please contact Katherine Harvey, communications officer at the Social Enterprise Coalition at katherine.harvey@socialenterprise.org.uk or call (w) 020 7793 2286
• Social Enterprise Day (Thursday 19 November) is a national celebration of Social Enterprise. Run by the Make Your Mark: Change Lives campaign – a coalition of national partners across the fields of enterprise and education, including the Social Enterprise Coalition and the Office of the Third Sector – it is part of Global Entrepreneurship Week (16-22 November) which involves thousands of events and activities: http://www.gew.org.uk/
• The Social Enterprise Coalition is the UK’s national body for social enterprise. As the voice for the sector, the Coalition provides a platform for showcasing the benefits of social enterprise while supporting and representing the work of its varied members, influencing national policy and promoting best practice. www.socialenterprise.org.uk
• Chester & District are a “Two Stars and Excellent” Housing Association working in Cheshire West and Chester as a social enterprise providing a service to the residents of 6,200 properties. http://www.cdht.net/default.asp
• Social enterprises are businesses run for social and environmental purposes. They reinvest their profits back into the business or the community they serve so they can fulfill their social and environmental goals. They put ethics, transparency and sustainability at the heart of how they operate.
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