Social Enterprise

Ripples Story: “Enterprise on the menu”

by Leave a Comment

In this article, Neve Howells-Aitken, a Rank Fellow, shares her experience of being part of a management team that ran a successful student social enterprise at a South Wales college, which provided sustainable, inclusive, and affordable meals for the student body.

Hot to Go (HTG) is a student-run social enterprise based in UWC Atlantic College, which serves as a restaurant for the student body. It was founded by a student in 2019 and has been dedicated to fulfilling its three core values on campus and in the wider South Wales community: charity, community, and sustainability.

HTG attempts to emulate a working restaurant as closely as possible; we have a head chef, sous chef, and head pastry chef who lead a team of more than twenty people in the kitchen weekly. The front-of-house team has bartenders, baristas, head waitresses and a dedicated team of over 20 rotating waitstaff. I got involved in HTG in August of 2022 and worked as part of the management team until March 2024, when I passed down the position as my time at the college ended.

Charity, being one of the core values at HTG, means our impact on the community is always at the forefront of events and services. This year, we have successfully donated over £3,500 to scholarship fundraisers at the college to directly impact our college community. This will help future students by contributing to the financial aid required to attend UWC. Additionally, we strive to make HTG as inclusive as possible. This is vital as we aim to serve all students, who are a highly diverse group of people in many ways. The gap between the socio-economic backgrounds of Atlantic College students is relatively large; however, we never want this to stop people from affording our food and enjoying themselves with us. Because of this, we offer a free dining experience for those who qualify for the school’s ‘Student Financial Services’. This has sometimes been challenging, as the costs we incur have risen dramatically over the last two years due to the cost-of-living crisis. First and foremost, we are a charity, so our aim to serve all students on campus has been unwavering.

Our efforts to be sustainable have also proved challenging; however, they have been a brilliant endeavour for growth and learning. HTG has always been vegetarian to minimise emissions and make food accessible to as many people as possible. At the beginning of the year, I completed a research project analysing the impacts of only using hyper-locally sourced ingredients on HTG.

The limited produce we would have access to, with the infrastructure and resources available, would negatively impact our desire to share global culture and possibly limit the menu, which would restrict customers and our impact on the charity.

We are able to serve an extremely diverse menu because of our collaborations with national groups on campus and the unique background of every chef. People love to come and enjoy the delicious dishes we prepare. We can unite our campus community as a team, serving between 50 to 100 students and staff weekly.

HTG has been an incredible experience that I will value for the rest of my life. Not only has it taught me the intricacies of running an enterprise, ignited a passion for food and helped me nurture personal skills surrounding finance, leadership, and organisation; but it has allowed me to enjoy making a positive impact on my community

Neve Howells-Aitken

Rank Fellow

Ripples Story: “The spirit of enterprise”

by Leave a Comment

In this article, Alan Qualtrough, Editor at The Stonehouse Voice CIC, discusses how the Rank Network has fostered a flourishing social enterprise network and entrepreneurship in Plymouth.

Nudge Community Builders

The Rank Foundation’s focus on Plymouth sowed the seed of enterprise, which has blossomed vigorously. Enterprises run by individuals or small teams have flourished, as have larger organisations such as Nudge Community Builders, who specialise in bringing abandoned buildings back to life. Nudge focuses on Plymouth’s Union Street, which they have made one of the most exciting UK streets for urban regeneration. Their mission to transform derelict buildings into community spaces has been a great success. They have reclaimed more than 4,000 square metres of abandoned structures, a remarkable 37% of the empty buildings on Union Street. And the Rank Foundation has been with them every square metre of the way.

One of Nudge’s most recent acquisitions is the former C101 nightclub, which has been derelict for many years. The other is the Millennium, a vast landmark building and architectural Art Deco gem at the very edge of the city centre. Nudge was able to buy the Millennium with Art Work Eat and with the support of The Rank Foundation and Power to Change. Coincidentally, the building was a former Gaumont cinema built by Arthur Rank in 1931 to show his films about Methodism.

Nudge was set up in September 2017 after Hannah Sloggett and Wendy Hart had been Chair and Vice Chair of Stonehouse Action for 10 years and realised the importance ownership has in how communities can change. The pair immediately started reclaiming a shop that had stood derelict for years. After volunteers rebuilt and restored it, it’s now called Union Corner, a thriving community hub.

A pub called The Clipper was next to be ‘nudged’. Then came The Plot, an abandoned warehouse space now crammed with small enterprises and a food hall. Planning permission has been granted to turn the Millennium’s ground floor into eight medium-sized workshops. Although the building has yet to be cleared out, future plans for C103 include social housing and a hydroponic farm.

When Nudge set out in 2017, they received a re-cyclable grant loan from Rank that set them on their way and replaced the neglect and dereliction with energy and enterprise. “ Without Rank, we wouldn’t have started, “ says Wendy.

Pollenize CIC

It’s unusual for a social enterprise to work in the scientific field— especially one so critically important to humanity—but Pollenize is making a success of it. In 2018, best friends Matt Elmes and Owen Finnie failed to find local honey to relieve hay fever symptoms. They sought innovative and accessible ways to keep honeybees in urban landscapes. They say the rest is history (and the future).

After developing a business plan and undertaking apiculture training, Pollenize set up a network of 11 community beehives with native honeybees across Plymouth landmarks. Public members could get involved and share the honey crop each year. Pollenize used this to create a lasting positive impact in the city. In 2020, Owen participated in the Plymouth Rise programme and was coached in all aspects of social enterprise.

Five years on, Pollenize has a team of 12 and has been on an incredible journey with bees, moths, and butterflies. They are investigating their vital role in a healthy planet and, most importantly, what we can do as humans to protect bees. Through academic partnerships, innovation, and AI technology, Pollenize is developing ways to track and improve biodiversity, allowing insects to recover and our environment to flourish. As a result, the social enterprise has gained tremendous momentum. It has become a key player in driving environmental research and social change within the city and beyond.

Their energy and enterprise are impressive. Last year, they raised £119,750 in funding and distributed 1443 seed packets, with 2,000 square metres of wildflower meadow created. A total of 44 individuals joined them for community beekeeping, five bee hotels were installed across Plymouth, and two innovative products were launched – Floradex and Hornet AI.

Floradex is part of their Tech for Good campaign, which was developed in collaboration with the University of Plymouth. It is an AI-powered tool that empowers landowners and businesses to create pollinator-friendly habitats. The Nest Sweeper Project is their most recent crowdfunding campaign involving fighting the invasive species, the Asian hornet.

As they expand nationally, Pollenize now collaborates with farms across the UK, installing research beehives and moth boxes to monitor pollinator health.

Bikespace CIC

In 2010, Gareth Thomas gave up his full-time teaching job to offer an alternative learning route to pupils excluded from school. He hired a small industrial unit in Devonport, Plymouth. He set up Bikespace, a social enterprise that uses bicycles for social and environmental good.

By the time you have read this story, Gareth will have moved to Madrid, where his wife is to work as a full-time teacher. But he will have left behind a remarkable legacy. In recent months, when he was organising his move to Spain, he transferred the organisation to a Worker Cooperative and will no longer be involved. “I’m very confident they will succeed,” Gareth says. The full-time Bikespace employees will take the reins and appoint directors; all have equal rights.

Hard work and enterprise are behind Gareth’s success story, but the Rank Foundation helped. Gareth participated in Rank’s Rise programme in Plymouth, which equipped him with the enterprise skills to move forward. He says, “The Rise programme gave me the confidence and network to pursue more significant contracts. I worked with a fellow Rise participant, Dataplace, to scope out markets. I got a lot of insight from a Witness Statement from Co Cars, Exeter. The first contract Bikespace won after the Rise programme was a Trail Therapy scheme during which participants learn basic bicycle repair skills and set off on weekly off-road cycling trips in all weathers. At the programme’s start, they receive a helmet, jacket, gloves, and a recycled bike to keep.

A more lucrative outcome soon followed. Gareth won a contract to operate a Beryl Bike e-bike network in Plymouth, which has 510 bikes and 40 in Saltash, Southeast Cornwall. It is the second-most extensive e-bike network in the UK, and it has meant hiring nine full-time staff to maintain and repair the bikes and moving to a larger industrial unit. “The Rank Rise programme forced me to go networking, and it worked,” says Gareth.

In Plymouth, the initial Rank ripples of 2017 are turning into a torrent of positive social change.

Alan Qualtrough

Editor at The Stonehouse Voice CIC

Ripples Story: “Building relationships”

by Leave a Comment

In this article, Elenid Roberts, Transport Coordinator at Yr Orsaf, describes how her organisation transformed an empty building into the Cymru Fydd community hub, a beacon of support and opportunity in Gwynedd, North Wales with help from our Profit for Good Programme. 

Located in the heart of Dyffryn Nantlle in Gwynedd, North Wales, Cymru Fydd is part of Yr Orsaf, a community enterprise providing support and opportunities for the community. This includes an accessible community hub for friendly advice and support with everyday needs such as cost of living, meeting spaces for people to hire for various activities, workshops, and workspace. It also houses a co-working space for individuals to use. There is an enterprise centre for young adults to develop the skills and confidence to start and run their own businesses. We also provide a community transport scheme using our electric vehicles for vulnerable people. It targets those affected by lack of public transport, a growing problem in rural parts of Wales. We also run an electric bike hire scheme to encourage people to reduce their carbon footprint and improve their health.

Last year, we were fortunate to be part of Rank’s Profit for Good Programme. It has allowed us to gain not only financial support but also provided us with the tools and a safe space to develop the skills and knowledge that are required to run a successful and sustainable business.

When we started the Profit for Good Programme, we were in the early stages of our enterprise, which was transforming an empty building (Cymru Fydd). During construction, we faced many uncertainties and delays. During this time, with Profit for Good guidance, we built relationships with skill-set organisations such as local colleges to offer varied workshops and training for young entrepreneurs. We also partnered with three other like-minded community transport organisations based in Gwynedd. Together, we are expanding our services and developing new bus routes that will allow us to help and reach more individuals. Through collaboration and intensive marketing, we have generated interest and have started to receive bookings ready for when we open.

Our enterprise is more effective due to the learning through the project. I have gained confidence and increased my knowledge through participating in the session and learning from other experiences. I have had the opportunity to raise problems I have faced with the Action Learning Set and have been supported in thinking about practical solutions to these challenges. As a result of the programme, Cymru Fydd and I have increased our impact. We are confidently looking forward to opening our doors at the end of the month.

Elenid Roberts

Transport Coordinator at Yr Orsaf