Nine social enterprises are on the shortlist for the English heat of the national Social Enterprise Awards.

The shortlist shows the breadth and diversity of social enterprises working across England. It includes social enterprises working in health, childcare, technology, training, employment and the environment, and ranges from community based enterprises to international organisations.

The winners will be announced at a special reception held at 10 Downing Street on Social Enterprise Day - 19th November. They will then go on to compete alongside winners from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for the overall UK prizes, which will be decided by online public voting and announced 3rd December.

The Social Enterprise Awards find and reward the best social enterprises in the UK, and are run by the Social Enterprise Coalition.

Angela Smith, Minister for the Third Sector said: "I am very pleased that we are supporting the Social Enterprise Awards, however I don't envy the judging panel; from what I've seen there are thousands of really incredible social enterprises doing excellent work; picking the best of them will be a tough job.

"The best social enterprises are innovative and inspiring business models, and are proof of what can be achieved when social and environmental values are placed at the heart of business practices."

Jonathan Bland, CEO of the Social Enterprise Coalition, added: "I'd like to congratulate all nine nominees for their great achievement in reaching the shortlist in this, the first year of the Social Enterprise Awards.

"It is really fantastic to see the quality and diversity on display in the shortlist - a fitting testament to the vibrancy of the social enterprise sector.

"The awards are an opportunity to celebrate the success of our nominees, but also to recognise the work being done to improve lives and strengthen communities by the thousands of other social enterprises across the UK."

Social enterprises are businesses run for social and environmental purposes.

There are approximately 62,000 social enterprises in the UK with a combined turnover of at least £27 billion, and they contribute £8.4 billion per year to the UK economy.

The nine nominees are:

Best new social enterprise

Central Surrey Health
Central Surrey Health was established in 2006 and provides nursing and therapy services to a population of around 280,000 people. It was one of the first social enterprises of its kind to emerge from the NHS, is co-owned by its staff and is focused on streamlining services to improve the experience for its users.

Bikeworks
Bikeworks is a social enterprise based in Tower Hamlets in East London. The organisation began trading in 2007 with the intention of using bikes to tackle environmental, social & economic challenges in London. As well as providing training to get more people cycling, the company also runs a cycling for health programme, recycles and refurbishes second hand bikes and in the process creates training and employment opportunities for disadvantaged communities.

Open Door
Open Door delivers health and social care services to residents of East Marsh, Grimsby which is in the top 10% of deprived wards in England. The organisation was developed using input from the very people who would go on to use its services in a deliberate attempt to connect with the most vulnerable and excluded communities in the area including drug users and sex workers.

Best social enterprise (Turnover less than £1million)
Brighter Future Workshop
BFW operate a totally unique recycling operation that recycles mobility equipment, it is then returned to the disabled community for reuse. Its workshop provides equality for people with various types of disabilities; they work along side qualified technicians in live, hands on workshop recycling mobility equipment.

Mill Race IT
MillRace IT provides a recycling services to businesses. It is a social firm based in Essex and works with organisations like the JobCentre Plus and Shaw Trust to provide work and training placements to people who have been long-term unemployed.

Unlimited Potential
Unlimited Potential is a democratically-controlled social enterprise, based in Salford, which supports people to live happier and healthier lives by helping them to take control and develop the ability to fulfil their potential. It is rated on the national SE100 Index as the second fastest growing social enterprise in health and social care in the UK and is a holder of the Social Enterprise Mark.

Best social enterprise (Turnover £1million+)

Global Ethics
Global Ethics is the organisation behind the One branded products - most famously One Water. All One products are sold in order to generate funds for humanitarian projects in developing countries. 100% of Global Ethic's profits are donated to these humanitarian projects. Following the success of One Water Global Ethics have recently branched out with One Condoms to tackle the problem of Aids in developing nations.

London Early Years Foundation
London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) is London's largest childcare charity and social enterprise. Its core purpose is to build a better future for London's children, families and local communities through a commitment to excellence in Early Years education, training and research. Thanks to a socially inclusive pricing model, LEYF help more than 1100 children each year make a great start in life, whatever their background.

Turning Point
Turning Point is the UK's leading social care organisation. It provides services for people with complex needs, including those affected by drug and alcohol misuse, mental health problems and those with a learning disability. The organisation has been operating for forty years, has contracts with more than 200 PCTs and local authorities and a track record of finding innovative ways to deliver services to respond to the needs of each individual.

The awards are sponsored by The Office of the Third Sector; the Department for Children, Schools and Families; the Department of Communities and Local Government; Hempsons; Partnerships UK; Unity Trust Bank, the Wates Family Enterprise Trust. The media partner is The Daily Telegraph.


To find out about the shortlists for Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, please go to: http://www.socialenterpriseawards.org.uk

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