Report by: Rob Squires, Network Co-ordinator – Third Sector
Day 1 (16th Jun 09)
The 1st Northwest social enterprise trade fair
Organised by: Social Enterprise North West
Venue: Aintree Race Course
Day 1 of my grand tour was the first regional social enterprise conference at Aintree Racecourse, in a large building shaped like an aircraft hanger. The event was organised as a trade fair, with around 100 exhibitors, including trading social enterprises, and a wide variety of infrastructure support agencies. As I travelled on the train to the venue I wondered if I would know many people there, and was pleased on arrival to meet many friends, old and new. Of note amongst these were Co-ops UK who assist with the excellent Making Local Food Work project, and can provide free training and advice around food co-ops, legal structures, and governance issues.
Day 1 of my grand tour was the first regional social enterprise conference at Aintree Racecourse, in a large building shaped like an aircraft hanger. The event was organised as a trade fair, with around 100 exhibitors, including trading social enterprises, and a wide variety of infrastructure support agencies. As I travelled on the train to the venue I wondered if I would know many people there, and was pleased on arrival to meet many friends, old and new. Of note amongst these were Co-ops UK who assist with the excellent Making Local Food Work project, and can provide free training and advice around food co-ops, legal structures, and governance issues. Also present were Voluntary Sector North West, who are a Target: Wellbeing partner, and are currently championing the sector in the development of the new RS 2010 regional strategy. In the afternoon, I went to a talk by Simon Nooks who is head of strategy and performance for NWDA and is therefore a big fish in the RS 2010. Inequalities is a current emerging issue within the Strategy, with the release of the Equality Trust's new research which has proof from 50 countries, that economies with high levels of inequality perform very badly, in almost every way.
There is solid evidence of increased physical and mental health problems, obesity, drug abuse, imprisonment, lack of trust in community, violence, teenage birth, and chid well-being - all of which are issues that Target: Wellbeing projects aim to reduce. It would seem that since economic inequalities continue to grow, it is not all about economic growth and trickle down theory anymore. In addition to the business as usual economic growth priority, it would seem that the RS 2010 policy makers are actually considering measures to reduce financial inequalities in the region as well!
Day 2 (17th Jun)
Sustainable Funding Annual Gathering
Organised by: NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations)
Venue: New Welcome Centre, London
Day two took me to the capital, for a conference on Sustainable Funding, organised by NCVO - the National Council for Volunteer Organisations. This seemed like a somewhat prodigious occasion, compared with the more gritty northern social enterprise do, the day before. There was lots of rhetoric about civil society, and good examples of 3rd Sector organisations that have diversified their income, in order to develop more sustainable funding strategies.
I am running an Introduction to Sustainable Funding training session soon, for Target: Wellbeing projects, and will be passing on some of the info gleaned from this conference then.
Day 3 (18th Jun)
Groundwork Northwest staff conference
Venue: University of Manchester
Back in Manchester for the Groundwork Northwest staff conference, which was organised by a team in the same office as Target: Wellbeing. I'm feeling a bit more on home-ground here :-)
I went to an interesting workshop lead by Richard Caulfield, Chief Exec of VSNW and Ian MacArthur, regional director of Groundwork Northwest. Richard led a discussion about sector branding, and whether Voluntary and Community sector is more appropriate than Third Sector? Apparently NCVO, the sector lead are not happy with either, and prefer the term 'civil society' or sector. Richard also speculated that if the Conservatives win the next election, the Office of the Third Sector will probably be re-branded as the Office of Civil Society, or something like this. Interesting .. this may explain why NCVO are steering away from the terms VCS and 3rd Sector.
Both Richard and Ian MacArthur sit on 4NW, which is the new Regional Assembly, where they advocate 3rd Sector (VCS?) issues. There was more discussion in this workshop about the influence that the Equality Trust's new research is having on policy makers within RS 2010. Interestingly the Equality Trust report talks about Equality not Growth, and Global Warming. I am interested to see how the RS 2010 will propose to deliver sustained economic growth, whilst simultaneously reducing CO2 emissions, and increasing the health, well-being and happiness of people in the region.
A highlight of the day was the Green Triangle Awards, for the best Groundwork projects in the NW. Offshoots Permaculture project, which is part of the Target: Wellbeing portfolio won the prize for the Environmental Action category. Pictured is Phill Dewhurst from Offshoots, along with two volunteers, receiving their award from Cllr Neil Swannick (Manchester). You can watch the the promotion film for Offshoots that was shown at the ceremony, here on Youtube.
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