Dear ,

Last week, we mentioned that we were hopeful of some positive news with regard to the new Single Intermediary in advance of its intended starting date of 1^st July. We are now able to say that four SENscot staff members will be moving over to the new Single Intermediary next month. Those who will be moving over include: Kim Wallace as Director of Membership; Jayne Chappell as Membership Manager; Janice Nicol in the Business & Enterprise Management role; and Georgie Price as Policy Officer.

Also, we are able to confirm that the Transition Group will be holding its first meeting on Friday, 1^st July. The Group has a six-month remit to report back with recommendations on the shape of the new Intermediary, its governance, representation and activities, so that it can truly reflect the make-up and meet the needs of the sector in Scotland.

Finally, for information, next week will be the last SENscot newsletter as the organisation winds down operations at the end of June. Fittingly, it will be the 100^th (and last) edition of the newsletter since the merger in July 2020 – not forgetting the 1030 previous editions going back to 1999, then known as the ‘Senscot Bulletin’. Guess it’s the end of an era.

The debate on the Good Food Nation (GFN) Bill took place in Holyrood on Tuesday of this week. This twitter thread from the GFN Campaign gives an update on proceedings. Their conclusion acknowledges that improvements are now being made to the bill – but also recognises that there is still much to be done. The Larder’s Angela Moohan has written this opinion piece on the current food crisis for both the Scottish and UK Govt’s to declare a National Food Emergency.

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We’re sorry to hear that Linda White is moving on from her role as Co-ordinator with West Lothian SEN (WLSEN). Although her time at WLSEN was relatively short, Linda oversaw a very busy year for the SEN, marked by a number of ‘firsts’. These include the delivery of a strategic framework to guide and inform its activities along three priority actions; the digitisation of WLSEN’s operations, a refreshed website and new ways of working including What Impact and Community Lab; and enhanced policy and governance including cyber security, and collaboration with stakeholders including West Lothian College and Net Zero Community Scotland. As well as seeing a 17% increase in membership over the year, Linda’s time also saw the creation of  West Lothian Wellbeing in partnership with over 15 other organisations. We wish Linda the very best in her next role.

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The Social Enterprise Bridging Loan Fund, managed by Scottish Communities Finance Ltd (SCF), has been used by many organisations across Scotland to access affordable and small scale loans. However, SCF’s primary role has been to support communities across Scotland to raise investment capital that can be used to meet the aspirations of communities by the issuing of Community Bonds. Community Bonds allow ordinary people to invest their money in local initiatives. In return they receive a financial return for themselves and a social return for their community. This is a case study on how Linlithgow Community Development Trust has made community bonds work for its community.

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Over the last two days, The Gathering has been taking place in Glasgow – with a programme that has included over 80 workshops, seminars, and training sessions. One session of particular interest -and a bit different - has been the launch of a graphic novel, Social Enterprise Stories, produced as part of the Common Good Comics project – and coinciding with this being Scotland’s Year of Stories. The project is a collaboration between Glasgow Caley’s Archive Centre; the Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health; and Magic Torch Comics CIC. To get a flavour of the work of the project, check out this short video.

Eyemouth-based social enterprise ReTweed was in the news last week as the result of being the beneficiary of an exceptional example of philanthropy. Since 2017, ReTweed had been collaborating with a retired local architect, David McGill of International Tartans. Sadly, David passed away recently – but having had a passion for ‘social justice, regeneration and the promotion of community enterprise’, he bequeathed all the rights and licences of International Tartans to ReTweed – who are now seeking to grow International Tartans as part of its trading-up activities:

Further to last week’s piece on celebration on the Isle of Eigg; and news of a possible buy-out of further land at the Bays of Harris, the biggest community buy-out in the South of Scotland received a major boost last week with the announcement that the Scottish Land Fund is to grant Langholm Initiative £1m in its efforts to purchase Langholm Moor from the Buccleuch family. With the community needing to raise £2.2m by July, this award is seen as a ‘major game-changer’:

With the current contract for business support to the sector coming to an end in May 2023, Scottish Govt has now published a Prior Information Notice for potential bidders. Also, importantly, Scottish Govt is also carrying out this survey aimed at potential bidders and beneficiaries of the service to help shape the new contract to ensure it continues to meet the needs of the third sector going forward. The survey will be open until Friday, 24^th June 2022. The existing contract is being delivered by the Just Enterprise Consortium:

Reminder: The 2^nd round of Scottish Govt’s Investing in Communities Fund is now open for applications. Round 2 will cover the period from April 2023 through to March 2026. Deadline for applications is 2pm on Tuesday, 28^th June 2022:

Couple of sets of awards that will be of interest: First up, are the Scottish SE Awards 2022 which are now open for applications – with a closing date of Monday, 18^th July 2022; next are the 2022 SURF Awards for best practice in community regeneration. Application process closes on Monday, 5^th September at 5pm:

Glasgow SEN member, Bike for Good is on the lookout for a Marketing and Sales Manager. The successful applicant will be responsible for strategy and delivery for Bike for Good – including its social enterprise work, current income-generating activities and other projects such as the city-wide online cycling hub Aye Cycle Glasgow. Closing date is Sunday 26^th June 2022:

Friday, 24^th June 2022 (10am) – Our final Sport SEN Session will focus on opportunities and support for members post June 2022. We will be joined by speakers from Sported, sportscotland and Social Enterprise Scotland. See link to register: