Social Enterprise Day provides an opportunity to celebrate the Social Enterprise sector and shine a light on the contribution that social enterprises make to people, communities and the environment across the world.
Social enterprises like Forward Carers are businesses that trade to tackle social problems, improve communities, people’s life chances, or the environment and share a desire to make a positive difference in the world. Forward Carers’ mission is to create Carer Friendly Communities, places that open their eyes and hearts to unpaid Carers. We achieve this through our Carers’ Hubs, including Birmingham and Walsall Carers Hub, our award-winning Carer Friendly Photo ID Card and by working with businesses to help them become Carer Friendly. In the UK, social enterprises contribute £60 billion to the economy and employ over two million people, according to Social Enterprise UK!
With so many organisations working to do good, we are thrilled to have been included in the Top 100 Social Enterprises in the UK for the past three years running, and to have been shortlisted as a finalist in the category of Public Services Social Enterprise of the Year at the forthcoming UK Social Enterprise Awards.
Social enterprises like ours are instrumental in:
- Filling Gaps: We step in where there is a need, providing essential services that may otherwise be unavailable.
- Driving Innovation: We bring new ideas to old problems, often leading the way in creating sustainable and inclusive solutions.
- Community Building: We focus on local needs, reinvesting profits to create a positive impact and fostering community cohesion.
- Economic Stimulation: We contribute to the economy not just through employment, but by circulating money locally and supporting other local businesses.
For Forward Carers, our success is achieved not through profits for shareholders but by building communities that understand, value and support unpaid Carers. As a non-profit organisation, we invest our profits into achieving our social mission, so when we profit, Carers profit.
We measure our impact by the difference we make to Carers and the community – since 2014, we have supported over 43,000 Carers and families.
Over the coming year, we’ll continue working with others who share our values and pioneering innovative new solutions to support Carers, such as Bridgit, our online assistant that has been shortlisted for an award.
Social enterprises across the UK are changing lives and communities which is why Forward Carers is proud to celebrate and be part of Social Enterprise Day. If you want to help us build Carer Friendly Communities or to find out how we can help you support you to become a Carer Friendly Workplace, get in touch at carerfriendly@forwardcarers.org.uk .
