Salford is to be the North's first Social Enterprise City

Social Enterprises are changing the world a little bit at a time.

Why? 

Because, unlike most businesses, those following the social enterprise model trade in order to make improvements to communities, the environment, tackle social problems or provide people with chances in life they may not get otherwise. The motivation is social change, not necessarily profit.

Currently there are 70,000 of these types of business in the UK contributing £19billion to the economy. Recently, a range of social enterprise partners in Salford submitted a bid to Social Enterprise UK to become recognised nationally as a Social Enterprise City. That bid has been successful and today sees the announcement that Salford is the UK's very first Social Enterprise City.

In an event at the University of Salford at MediaCityUK later today, the official announcement will be made and a Social Enterprise marketplace will happen, giving different businesses the chance to show off what they do. Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, often described as the godfather of social business, has sent a video message to congratulate the city. Salford's Mayor, Ian Stewart, will also make an announcement to the local Council today.

Local organisations like RECLAIM, Unlimited Potential and Result CIC are amongst the many providing life changing opportunities to young people, disabled people, recent immigrants to the region and many more marginalised groups. Others take a different approach, like Salford's Garden Needs which takes the concept of a garden centre and uses it to provide support and opportunities for people with learning or mental health issues, using gardening as a form of therapy amongst other projects. 

Jane Cordell, named one of the top 100 most influential disabled people in the country last year, spoke to Time Out Manchester and had this to say about the Salford announcement:

'Social enterprises are growing at a much higher rate than that of traditional profit focussed businesses, which is great news for those people interested in social change and community building. The announcement that Salford is to become the North's first Social Enterprise City just goes to show how our region in particular are reacting to the current situation politically, given the cuts which affect peoples' ability to cope with difficult circumstances or challenging conditions. It's really great news that such organisations have been recognised and this will encourage more to thrive.'