UK: Women sweep social enterprise awards

Women dominated the awards for social enterprise and social entrepreneurs held in London in May, taking all four of the awards created to recognise individual achievements.

The annual Edge Upstarts awards aim to celebrate excellence in social enterprise and showcase people who present innovative and sustainable solutions to social problems.

Ed Miliband MP, the newly appointed Minister for the Third Sector, who presented the awards said: ?The Edge Upstart Awards recognise some of the most innovative and inspirational social entrepreneurs in the country and I wholeheartedly congratulate all those who have won awards. They have shown a combination of entrepreneurial flair and a passion to give something back to the community that both tackles key social and environmental issues and brings crucial benefits to the UK economy.?

The winners are…

Social Entrepreneur of the Year – Safia Minney of People Tree – a fair trade fashion clothing online retailer. Safia has received the award for bringing fair trade into the mainstream by recently convincing high street retailer Topshop to stock People Tree’s stylish and sustainable range of fair trade clothing to the benefit of some of the world’s most marginalised communities.

Social Enterprise Trainee of the Year – Carol Hughes a trainee driver at Bulky Bob?s – a recycling social enterprise that provides domestic waste collection services for large items such as furniture. Carol – a single parent with four children – has been awarded in recognition of her ability to juggle work, training and childcare. Carol is currently the only female driver at Bulky Bob?s which has a team of 38 men.

Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year – Amy Carter (age 25) – founded Bespoke Experience – a sustainable fair trade tourism company which sets up eco resorts in areas of extreme poverty to benefit the local community and environment.

Social Enterprise Mentor of the Year – Heather Wilkinson of Striding Out – an enterprise that actively coaches and supports young social entrepreneurs. Heather was recognised for the support she provides and her determination to make the company a success so that the next generation is able to benefit from her experience.

Social Enterprise Team of the Year – Hoxton Apprentice Restaurant – The restaurant was awarded for its team?s commitment to working together effectively and in turn maximising the positive impact of the social business. Its apprentices are mainly people that are homeless and long-term unemployed who after learning personal and career skills, are transformed into confident team members.

Social Enterprise of the Year – Training for Life – awarded in recognition of its innovative approach of providing training in various industries for thousands of disadvantaged people in high-deprivation areas. It has effectively diversified to accommodate different needs and is a highly successful and easily replicated model.

The Edge Start-up Award – MPS Training – an independent school that specialises in teaching disaffected boys the skills needed to be successful in the construction industry.

www.edgeupstarts.org/awards