Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Stephen Sears, Chief Executive, ECT Group Ltd

Stephen Sears has been the guiding light at ECT since 1980. Today ECT is the UK’s largest community recycling organisation, providing services to some two million people in partnership with 18 local authorities. ECT now has a £13 million turnover social business offering services in recycling, public and community transport.

Stephen established ECTs first community transport service and he led the development of the business as it expanded into recycling and engineering. ECT also runs recycling centres, garden and kitchen waste collection services plus a business rubbish recycling service. At the beginning of 2003, ECT used its experience in community transport to win its first commercial bus service contract, now operating in West London.

Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Suzanna Jacoby, Community Foster Care

Suzanna established Community Foster Care in 1999, still in her twenties. This social enterprise has placed 200 children with foster families as well as creating 100 jobs in its Gloucestershire community where it is located. CFC has pioneered the model of using social services receipts to fund a social enterprise which in turn serves particular social groups and wider regeneration.

This year CFC had almost £1m turnover employing 9 full and 30 part-time staff along with 40 foster carers. CFC is viewed by many as a model for independent fostering agencies. Suzanna has plans to offer CFCs services in neighbouring counties as well a launching a new remand foster scheme.

Suzanna’s leadership at CFC very clearly demonstrates the qualities of a successful social entrepreneur.

Upstarts Acheivment Award

James Cornford

James Cornford was chosen for this award due to his impressive track record of work and results supporting the UK social economy and social enterprise. Most recently he worked with the late Michael Young establishing the first School for Social Entrepreneurs in Bethnal Green. Over the last six years this centre of excellence has blossomed into 6 regional schools. He is currently trustee of the Institute of Community Studies, the School for Social Entrepreneurs and the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs (UnLtd).

Best Revenue Model Award

Shared Interest Society Ltd

Shared Interest raises money from people who wish to invest to aid people in the developing world improve their quality of life. Established in 1990, Shared Interest has grown rapidly to reach total share capital today of £18 million and 8,350 members. Members pool their investments and share the risks to lend on fair terms to support producers of fair trade goods. This model enables producers to pay wages, materials and equipment until these costs can be recovered from sales to consumers.

Since 1995 Shared Interest has developed a unique triangular fair trade lending model. It works as a relationship between them, the producers and fair trade buyers like this. When a buyer places an order, they make an advance payments to the producer and when the goods are delivered, Shared Interest pays the balance. The buyer may then take a period of credit before they pay them back. In essence, members money is used to enable producers to have the cash they need to produce goods and fill orders, and the fair trade buyers to have time to sell these goods before they need to pay.

Best Elected Advocate for Social Enterprise Award

Councillor Mike Storey CBE, Leader, Liverpool City Council

In 2000, Councillor Storey pioneered the creation of Bulky Bob’s, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Furniture Resource Centre, one of the UKs leading social enterprises. Bulky Bob’s is contracted to carry out domestic collections of bulky household waste in Liverpool. The creation of the business was only possible due to the awarding of a six year contract with an annual budget of £500,000.

Councillor Storey has also instigated the creation of Liverpool Plus, which is responsible for driving forward the social business agenda in the city. The City Council has committed more than 2million to Liverpool Plus over the next four years to develop social businesses and has recently identified the council’s own translation and interpretation service to become one of the first social businesses to be established by Liverpool Plus. Four more public services, which are currently provided by the city council, are being prepared for ‘conversion’ into social businesses.