11 May 2022
Wealth management company Brewin Dolphin has partnered for a second time with the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) this time to support the SSE’s Procurement Readiness programme,a free entrepreneurial support programme that helps established social entrepreneurs to understand the procurement process and how to bid for and win public and private sector contracts. The partnership follows the successful collaboration with the SSE in 2020 for its Start-Up Plus programme.
During a rigorous interview and assessment process, ten entrepreneurs covering a diverse range of social enterprises, from tackling the causes of poverty, to empowering healthcare professionals and helping refugees gain employment skills, were chosen for the Procurement Readiness programme. The course, which is due to complete in June, combines online and in-person learning sessions together with practical tips from business and procurement experts.
Rosie Richardson-Aitken, senior corporate responsibility manager, Brewin Dolphin, said: “We are pleased to be part of the School for Social Entrepreneurs’ first Procurement Readiness programme. The SSE’s extensive industry knowledge identified that many social entrepreneurs find it hard to scale up their businesses to be able to win private and public sector contracts. This course has been specifically designed to help them bridge this gap and we are delighted to be following the journey of these inspiring social entrepreneurs.”
Sacha Rose-Smith, director of entrepreneurship support & delivery, School for Social Entrepreneurs, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Brewin Dolphin in running a blended entrepreneurial support programme for social enterprises looking to expand into procurement. The cohort is diverse, working on exciting projects ranging from sustainable tea products that provide employment for refugees, through to getting young people into the outdoors. We can’t wait to see how they develop throughout their journey with us and use their organisations to change lives and transform communities.”
Among the social entrepreneurs taking part are:
Stella Heng, who works for Islington (London) based specialist tea company, NEMI Teas, which provides hospitality training, work experience and job readiness skills to support refugees entering the UK workforce. The aim of the enterprise is to tackle the inherent disadvantages refugees face when they arrive in the UK.
Stella Heng said: “As the refugee situation continues to escalate in the UK, there is a dire need for innovative solutions to help refugees to better integrate into the broader society, and that is why NEMI Teas exists. We hope to be able to train thousands of refugees by 2025 and place them in full-time employment, through the sale of our teas, whilst making the least impact on the environment.”
Hussameddin Alsamann, who works for Breadwinners, a Brixton (London) based organisation that supports refugees and young asylum seekers into employment by training them to sell artisan baked goods at markets, online and through wholesale. As well as work experience, the enterprise offers mentoring and training programmes. They have noted that 90% of the refugees they have helped have since found employment.
Hussameddin Alsamann said: “Breadwinners is my first job since arriving in the UK. I joined the organisation because it helps young refugees to get a foot on the job ladder in the UK, which in turn helps with their physical and mental wellbeing and self-esteem.”
Edinburgh-based Elaine Brown whose business Edinburgh Remakery is committed to putting an end to waste by providing services and training in repair and reuse and by supporting the local community in adopting circular economy practices.
Community activities include creative workshops, gifting of tech devices to people in need, the repair and safe disposal of old electronics and selling refurbished tech and furniture.
Elaine Brown said: “The Edinburgh Remakery believes in having courageous conversations with businesses and communities about repair and reuse. We exist to empower communities to make a difference to our planet.”
She added: “The SSE’s Procurement Readiness programme has been amazing, it came along at the perfect time, as it offers useful hints and tips and has helped me enormously. My fellow participants are all running inspirational social enterprises and we have built connections that will last beyond the course.”
Solihull-based Katie Washbourne whose social enterprise Ordinary Magic provides children with tailored mental health support at the point of need. Her enterprise works with schools and the local council as well as directly with children via holiday and after school clubs to provide mental health support groups and health and wellbeing workshops. She also runs the Magic Bean coffee shop employing local young people who are struggling to get a job because of their mental health. The enterprise is one of the few in Solihull that has the expertise to provide mental health services.
Katie Washbourne said: “At Ordinary Magic, we aim to ensure that no child who is struggling with their mental health and asks for help has to face fear, isolation or loneliness.”
Richhill (County Armagh) based Gareth Rees, who is the operations lead for Madlug (Make A Difference Luggage), a business that operates a ‘buy one give one’ policy whereby for each bag sold, they give a pack away travel bag to a child moving through the care system in the UK and Ireland. To date they have given over 52,000 bags to children moving through care.
In a recent collaboration, the business created 13,000 bespoke bags for retail giant Ikea and hopes to work with more retailers to provide merchandise for this cause.
Gareth Rees said: “40,000 children enter the UK care system every year, most have their belongings moved in black bin bags or plastic shopping bags. Madlug wants to empower its customers to give dignity to children in care.”
Oxford-based medic Hinnah Rafique, who founded the multi-award-winning national enterprise, Generation Medics, to support current and future healthcare professionals, particularly those from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds, to succeed in their careers. They run a range of programmes for children and young people across the UK, including mini medical school holiday camps and pop-up hospitals in schools, in addition to a wide range of online programmes hosted in their innovative virtual healthcare careers academy, and are supported by the NHS. They have recently launched a successful programme, in partnership with the government, that is supporting adults who are looking to retrain and enter the healthcare workforce.
Dr Hinnah Rafique said: “We are delighted to have been selected to take part in this programme. This is a fantastic opportunity that has come at the perfect time for us. We’re currently scaling up our support so even more young people and adults from disadvantaged backgrounds to explore, strive towards and succeed in healthcare roles.”
Annie Berrington, whose Keighley (West Yorkshire) based enterprise Get Out More helps people to engage with nature to aid their physical and mental wellbeing. The enterprise runs outdoor programmes, including forest schools, outdoor play and community engagement programmes, for people of all ages across Bradford and beyond. They use local woodlands, parks and green spaces to bring people together to be active and feel good.
Annie Berrington said: “We need nature – and nature needs us – now more than ever. We’re really proud of the work we have done over the past ten years supporting people in Bradford and Keighley to access nature spaces on their doorstep and experience the wellbeing benefits of getting out more. We want to see communities feel connected to each other and proud of where they live, helping to look after our environment for the next generation”
Bristol-based Xanne Carey, who is social enterprise manager for Emmaus Bristol, an organisation that helps people out of homelessness and poverty by providing a home, food, support, training and work experience for up to thirty formerly homeless men and women. It also provides family homes and move-on homes for those in housing need. In addition, the enterprise runs charity shops selling donated furniture and household goods as well as an Ebay shop and a house clearance service.
Xanne Carey said: ““Our aim is to support those marginalised through homelessness or poverty to regain a sense of purpose and self-worth. Having meaningful work to do has significant benefits to both physical and mental wellbeing and each resident finds a role in one of our enterprises where they participate, to the best of their ability, to help generate the income that supports them.”
Manchester-based Oladamola (Babz) Babalola whose health and wellbeing social enterprise, Freshrb, offers creative video production services to raise awareness of marginalised health themes and conditions among young people and students. The mediums used include digital media productions, expressive arts and creative media workshops. The enterprise hopes to franchise its current business model to different cities.
Oladamola Babalola said: “Our aim is to build awareness of and engagement with marginalised health conditions from a creative perspective whilst empowering people living with disabilities, life-limiting and long-term health conditions to be part of the development process for our services.
“As a cancer survivor, learning about media production was empowering through my chemotherapy treatment, giving me the skills that have been the bedrock of this social enterprise.”
PRESS INFORMATION
For further information, please contact:
Richard Janes richard.janes@brewin.co.uk / Tel: +44 (0) 20 3201 3343
Siân Robertson Sian.Robertson@brewin.co.uk / Tel: +44 (0) 20 3201 3026
Chloe McFarlane chloe.mcfarlane@brewin.co.uk / Tel: +44 020 3201 3490
Payal Nair payal.nair@brewin.co.uk / Tel: +44 (0) 20 3201 3342
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Brewin Dolphin
Brewin Dolphin is a UK FTSE 250 provider of discretionary wealth management. With £56.3* billion in total funds, we offer award-winning, personalised wealth management services that meet the varied needs of our clients including individuals, charities and corporates.
Our services range from bespoke, discretionary investment management to retirement planning and tax-efficient investing. Our focus on discretionary investment management has led to significant growth in client funds and we now manage £49.4* billion on a discretionary basis.
Our intermediary business manages £18.3* billion of assets for over 1,700 advice firms either on a discretionary basis or via our Managed Portfolio Service, the MI Brewin Dolphin Voyager fund range and Sustainable MPS.
In line with the premium we place on personal relationships, we’ve built a network of 33 offices across the UK, Jersey and Republic of Ireland, staffed by qualified investment managers and financial planners. We are committed to the most exacting standards of client service, with long-term thinking and absolute focus on our clients’ needs at the core.
For more information on the recommended cash acquisition of Brewin Dolphin by RBC Wealth Management announced on 31 March 2022, visit: https://www.brewin.co.uk/group/investor-relations
*as at 31st March 2022.