Social Enterprises punching above their weight

Social enterprises are vital to the UK economy and society as a whole. There are well over 100,000 social enterprises in the UK and they contribute roughly ￡60bn to the UK economy and employ over 2 million people. Despite the economic and political turbulence of recent times, social enterprises are growing in size, hiring more staff and increasing their impact. 

This growth has also led to greater equality with 40% of social enterprises being led by women, 13% are BAME led, and 35% have BAME directors making social enterprises much more representative of the population as a whole, versus non-social enterprises and SME's. What has become so obvious is that this sector has punched above its weight when the country was in disarray, manufacturing PPE kits, delivering medicines to vulnerable people, staffing helplines and also through food deliveries to vulnerable families.

Since COVID-19 hit, social enterprises and community groups have been playing a vital role across the UK and we’ve seen many stepping up to support those in need. Bubble & Squeak is a kids-run social enterprise led by adult founders and coordinators Elly & Lydia. They are tackling food waste in East Acton and have adapted their organisation to deliver emergency food parcels and packed lunches to local families in need.

The organisation delivers fresh fruit and vegetable food packages to 30 families every week. The surplus produced is provided by Felix Project and City Harvest. In addition to this, the organisation delivers 55 packed lunches on Tuesdays and Thursdays provided by Thomas Franks through the Mayors Fund Kitchen Social Programme.

The response, co-ordinated by Bubble & Squeak, works closely with Old Oak Primary School and Old Oak Community & Children’s Centre to receive referrals for vulnerable families as well as for those who are self-isolating and need support with getting extra food supplies.   

One family referred from Old Oak Centre shared that her husband is self-employed and is the sole breadwinner for the family. They have three children. He has been told to shield for 12 weeks and the family are going through financial difficulties as they had no income and the government's support scheme for self-employed kicked in very late.  

“I am so grateful and blessed to be receiving these parcels weekly. My children look forward to the packed lunches on a Tuesday and Thursdays and the weekly delivery of surplus vegetables.”

Local Peabody resident Fleur Sutton who heads up the food drops, added that the deliveries have acted as a positive way for a local, friendly face to say hello from a distance during a challenging time for families and other residents. Fleur said: “Parents have told me the food drops break up the day and give them a chance to get creative with different kinds of fresh food”.  

Another Peabody resident who helped was Harry, dropping off packed lunches to families on Du Cane Road on his bike. Without people like Fleur and Harry, many families would not be able to get the food drops as the organisation was stretched and volunteers came at the right time.

Hatch is working with Bubble and Squeak through our Hatch Impact Accelerator, where they became part of our first online programme as we switched everything online in response to COVID19. The programme supports sustainable economic growth whilst supporting our ventures with tools and knowledge to increase their impact they have.

However as the world faces the triple threat of economic stagnation, social division and environmental breakdown, we will see social enterprises meeting these challenges head on.

For Hatch, it’s never been more important to support and invest in the businesses which create jobs, opportunities, and have a positive impact on society. The Hatch Rapid Response and Recovery Programme aims to help social enterprises cope with unprecedented disruptions, mitigate the impact, adapt their business models, and recover so that they can survive and keep thriving.  

There are several types of support social enterprises can receive through our programme:

Resources: A helpful list of resources, opportunities, articles and online communities which can be found here: https://hatchenterprise.org/resources/

Events: Webinars, panel discussions, clinics, and workshops with expert speakers. Find out more about upcoming events: https://hatchenterprise.org/our-events/

1-2-1 support: Receive bespoke coaching, mentoring, consulting and pro-bono support from an expert advisor to work on your key business challenges. Find out more: https://hatchenterprise.org/1-2-1-expert-support/

Hatch is able to support another 150 social enterprises through our Rapid Response Programme thanks to a grant awarded through Postcode Innovation Trust, with thanks to players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.

Of you want to support diverse and impact founders, you can do so here: https://hatchenterprise.org/donate or get in touch with us to see how we can collaborate!

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