Today is Social Enterprise Day – a moment to raise awareness of our pioneering business model and celebrate the more than 100,000 social enterprises in the UK working to benefit people and planet. Social enterprises are businesses that trade for a social or environmental purpose. Like any other business, we look to make a profit, but it is what we do with that profit that sets us apart: reinvesting the majority to further our vital mission.
Our business purpose is to improve the lives of people living with M.E/C.F.S by educating professionals who have a duty of care over them about the disease. We give 50% of our surplus to M.E/C.F.S biomedical research.
Since we started trading in 2018, we have educated healthcare, education, and business professionals through our online training courses, webinars, podcasts, articles in industry magazines, collaborative NHS partnerships, and National Lottery Community Fund-Wales funded face-to-face training day in Cardiff. We have also offered support to budding social entrepreneurs looking to create change for their specific community.
As part of the social enterprise community, we like to ‘buy social’ and support others in the sector – so we encourage you to do the same. With lots of us shopping for the festive season, why not look for presents with purpose? Check out Social Enterprise UK’s Gift Guide and eBay shop, where you can get a 10% discount with code SEDAY10.
Whether it’s creating jobs and opportunities for people on the margins, delivering people-powered public services or taking on the climate emergency, social enterprises are showing us that another way of doing business is possible – one that puts people and the planet first. We are proud to be part of this movement.