Edition No. 85 - Thursday 10th February No images? Click here ![]() ![]() Dear , On Monday, SENScot was informed that its bid to act as the Single Intermediary for the social enterprise community in Scotland was unsuccessful. This statement from our Board was circulated to all members later the same day. It goes without saying that this decision by Scottish Govt was extremely disappointing to both staff and trustees at SENScot – and the week has been taken up with a number of internal discussions on the short and longer term implications for our staff and all concerned as a result of the Govt’s decision. This process will continue in the coming weeks, and we will do our best to keep people informed of developments, as we go through this process. Over and above our immediate organisational concerns, there is also a real concern at the implications the Govt’s decision will have for the local and thematic SENs and their members – as well as for the vast number of small, locally-based social and community enterprises across the country – who are the bedrock of our sector. Scottish Govt’s ambition is to ‘broaden the church’ as much as it can – engaging, where possible, with the private sector as well as aligning it with some international perspectives on social enterprise. SENScot’s offer, unfortunately, did not meet these ambitions sufficiently – choosing to put its primary focus on frontline organisations, working in local communities across Scotland whilst recognising the need to be inclusive and engage with the diversity of organisations across the sector. It had been hoped to be able to put forward a collaborative approach to achieve this ambition but, despite our best efforts, this was not possible. We would also like to note our sincere thanks and appreciation for the vast number of messages of support we have received in recent days. It might be a bit early to say what exactly the future holds – and there could be some twists and turns along the way. However, as things stand, funding ceases at the end of June and that will mean the end of the road for SENScot. That said, SENScot can bow out in the knowledge that it has made its own distinctive contribution to shaping and supporting the existing social enterprise community in Scotland. In July 2020, Social Firms Scotland merged with Senscot to form Social Enterprise Network Scotland. Prior to this, the board of Senscot had agreed to donate its ‘records’ to the SE Collection Archive at Glasgow Caley. By way of an introduction to the Senscot Archive, a document has been developed charting a timeline of Senscot’s activities from its founding in 1999 up to the merger with Social Firms Scotland in July 2020. For those who may be interested, you can read The SENScot Story here – 20 pages covering 20 years. -------------------------------- As many readers will be aware, SENScot has been engaged in leading a Community-led Tourism Pilot over the last 12 months. The Pilot, managed by Creetown Initiatives Ltd, works with local and national partners to provide support to the communities of Brechin and Girvan to develop their tourism offer and put community at the heart of the decision making process. As part of the Pilot, and with this being Scottish Tourism Month, SENScot is hosting a Community-led Tourism week (21st-25th March) – which includes a series of online conversations on community-led tourism and the opportunity to connect with industry, communities and policy makers to talk about the opportunities and barriers facing community-led tourism in Scotland. See link for full list of events. --------------------------------- Last week’s launch of Scottish Govt’s much vaunted National Strategy for Economic Transformation has already attracted criticism from a number of quarters. Two, in particular, are worth noting for people working in our sector. This piece by Anna Fowlie (SCVO) says that, in spite of being integral to the social and economic fabric of the country, the strategy fails to recognise the importance of the third sector – with commitments being made to business throughout the strategy, not being matched by those to the third sector. The Wellbeing Alliance Scotland (WEAll) also provided this response to the strategy, stating ‘there is no evidence that this Strategy has had input from citizens and communities across Scotland’. ![]() Clackmannanshire’s first community share offer went live yesterday (9thMarch). The Alloa Hub is seeking to raise £50,000 to secure the future development of a community-owned & run multi-purpose hub in the heart of Alloa & Clacks. There will be no ongoing support from the Council – with the Hub being operated by the community for the community. See link for further details and how to purchase shares: Glasgow SEN member, ApparelXchange works to reduce the volume of childrenswear ending up in landfill. Last week, it launched a New Survey, to help understand more about parents and carers, and their approach towards buying clothing and footwear items for young people. It takes around 5 mins to complete: The Plunkett Foundation recently received funding from Scottish Govt to create a network of community pub groups in Scotland - to enable peer to peer learning and provide groups with free bespoke business advice and training. Working with their partners, Co-operative Development Scotland and Community Shares Scotland, they are running a series of online networking sessions and training events for groups at all stages of their journey from across Scotland. Next dates are Wednesday, 16th March – and Thursday, 31st March: Edinburgh SE member, the Grassmarket Community Project is currently looking to recruit a Service Manager. Closing date for applications is Monday, 4th April 2022. See link for full details: Wednesday, 16th March (10.30am) - SEN Session: Social Enterprise: Sustainably tackling poverty through employability. Speakers include: The Poverty Alliance on context and policy landscape of poverty in Scotland; the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on research relating to poverty through an employability lens; and FARE Scotland on how they create pathways into employment, providing industry-led training and work experience for people who experience poverty. See link above to register – or contact Jayne for more info: Thursday, 31st March 2022 (10.30am) – A SEN Session for SE Counselling Service Providers. With SEN members reporting a continuing increase in demand for counselling services, this session will provide another opportunity for social enterprises to come together to share their thoughts on what opportunities and challenges this is currently posing and how they are responding. For more info’, email mary@senscot.net: Tuesday 5th April 2022 (10.30am) - Employability SEN Meeting –- An informal session, connect with other social enterprises who have an employability focus, discuss common issues, and relevant policy areas/developments and share your successes. We’re also keen to hear how you are (or are not) engaging with No One Left Behind and your Local Authority. Email Jayne to register Thursday, 7th April 2022 (2pm) - Health SEN Meeting - an informal session to connect with other social enterprises who have a health & wellbeing focus, discuss common issues, and relevant policy areas/developments and share your successes. See link to register: |