Team members from Leading Lives were delighted to attend the ‘Let’s Get Social’ half-day conference for East-Anglian based social enterprises organised by Dot-to-Dot Training and Consultancy.
There were some brilliant guest speakers, panellists and workshop leaders including Matt Parfitt from Grace Enterprises, Claire Staddon from Emmaus Suffolk, Alice Moxley from Pivot, Christian Stannard from Social Investment Business, Fran Hyde and Emma Wakeling from the University of Suffolk, Adam Brown from BRIX, and Andy Skinner from AMS Business Consultants.
We enjoyed hearing first hand the trials and triumphs of incredible businesses that support a variety of people in different ways, and how they are creating lasting social impacts. It was also brilliant to have the opportunity to network with so many like-minded entrepreneurs, determined to change the world of business.
When we first became a social enterprise in 2012, there were around 68,000 social enterprises contributing £24billion to the UK economy, figures released today by Social Enterprise UK show that now there are 100,000 social enterprises contributing £60 billion to the UK economy.
As important as these figures are though, most of the real impact of social enterprises is they have on people. Supporting individuals to live with dignity, enjoy better physical and mental health, and feel empowered to lead the life they choose.
We came away from the conference proud to be part of such an innovative and passionate social movement that puts profits at the service of purpose.
