Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme helps fledgling businesses.
Eighteen entrepreneurs from School for Social Entrepreneurs Midlands (West Midlands cohort) have graduated from the 2015/16 cohort of the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme, in partnership with School for Social Entrepreneurs, at a ceremony at Studio Venues, Birmingham.
The entrepreneurs have participated in the year-long programme, benefiting from financial support and comprehensive learning support including a business mentoring scheme. They all received start-up grants of £4,000 from The Big Lottery as part of the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme and this, together with the action learning programme delivered in partnership with School for Social Entrepreneurs and support from their Lloyds Banking Group mentor, has enabled them to take their social enterprises to the next level and plan for the future.
Launched in 2012, the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme, in partnership with School for Social Entrepreneurs, is designed to support social entrepreneurs in communities and, through them, help stimulate economic growth and regeneration across the UK. Recent research by CAN Invest and Investing for Good demonstrates the positive impact of the programme on people, businesses and communities: by 2017 the programme will have created over 7,000 jobs and supported 1.1 million beneficiaries. The programme is also supported by The Big Lottery Fund.
Paula Rogers, Head of the Social Entrepreneurs Programme at Lloyds Banking Group said: “This year’s cohort of students has made significant progress since joining the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme, in partnership with School for Social Entrepreneurs, and it is fantastic to see them developing their ideas and businesses first-hand with the support from the programme. As part of our commitment to helping Britain prosper, we are proud to witness the considerable impact these social entrepreneurs are having in their communities and wish them all success for the future”.
Charles Rapson, CEO of SSE Midlands said, “We have an outstanding group of social entrepreneurs graduating from the 2015/2016 cohort and the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme has played a considerable role in supporting their development this year. We look forward to watching their continued success and positive impact they are making in their local communities”.
Already, in their first year of business, these eighteen West Midlands based social entrepreneurs, alongside nineteen social entrepreneurs from the East Midlands cohort at SSE Midlands have created 50 paid jobs, engaged 77 people as volunteers and helped over 4,200 disadvantaged individuals. Since SSE started in the Midlands in 2013, the 83 social entrepreneurs they have supported, have created over 250 jobs, engaged over 1000 volunteers and helped over 17,000 disadvantaged people.
