Welcome to the February Sport Social Enterprise Newsletter! 

Hi 

Last week we hosted the first sport SEN meeting of 2022 which had a focus on Climate Change. We heard from Kieran Daily (Social Investment Scotland) on the new Social Enterprise Net Zero Fund and Pauline Hinchion (Scottish Community Finance) on Community Bonds. It was also a good opportunity to hear from members on plans to help address the climate crisis and move towards net zero.   

We’ll be planning some more sessions in the coming months and are keen that members share and support each other on this agenda. We are keen to organise some community learning exchanges to help with this, so, if you would be up for hosting a visit and sharing with others please get in touch or if you have an organisation in mind that you would like to visit get in touch and we can try and make it happen.  Visits can be face to face or virtual and all costs are covered. 

We are delighted to be working with Sport SEN members on the Community Wellbeing Exchange (formerly Pockets and Prospects). Earlier this month we invited ‘notes of interest’ from Sport SEN members to which we got an encouragingly high level of interest.  With a good geographical spread and focus on different sports, offering different approaches, the participating organisations include: Eat Sleep Ride CIC, Projekt42, Outfit Moray, Kanzen Karate, Coach My Sport and Newmilns Snow & Sports Complex.  Participants will have access to an allocation of £1000 to spend on a wide range of activities and services that aim to address mental health & wellbeing.  

We are now putting out a Supplier Call Out – for organisations who may be interested in providing services and activities. These activities and services listed will aim to address mental health & wellbeing needs, whether in relation to the needs of their workforce, the people who access their services or to the wider community.   If you would like to be added to the list of suppliers, please get in touch.  NB: All activity will have to take place by the end of May 2022.

What are social enterprises up to? 

Bookings are now open for the 2022 season at Cullen Sea School. Building on our most successful season to date in 2021, plans are in place to develop and grow the sea school to decrease reliance on external funding. Customers can now book for coastal rowing, kayaking, paddle boarding, sailing, beach cleans and coast path litter picks, photographic sessions, and an online talks series. New for 2022, Cullen Sea School is introducing discounted block bookings for sailing sessions and introducing Ladies Paddlesports Sessions and Summer Evening Paddlesports session. See more here.  

Congratulations to Health by Science on the opening of a new gym for stroke survivors. The new gym is next door to their existing premises 98 Giles St, Edinburgh. Health by Science, a social enterprise that provides rehabilitation services for stroke survivors have opened up a new gym in Leith, Edinburgh. The gym will offer exercise after stroke classes and activities to survivors who were discharged from the NHS after rehabilitation.  Physiotherapist Stuart Maytham said "A lot of people are nervous about what happens next when they're released from the hospital, so this is an opportunity just to get back into doing things and meeting the minimum health guidelines."

Funding and Support 

Tech Landing Community Fund: The grant will provide one-off, start-up funding of between £50,000 - £120,000 per organisation, to establish or further develop Tech Lending Hubs, where tablets will be loaned to residents in temporary accommodation on a temporary basis. Successful applicants will need to demonstrate that they will be actively collaborating with community groups to ensure that the provision of a tablet loaning service will have a transformative impact.  

Baillie Gifford Grassroots Sport: This fund is aimed at supporting grassroots sports organisations. Grants are available for helping people to participate in sport by improving quality and participation in sport - all ages and abilities, all sports (excluding elite participation), widening access to sport by removing barriers to participation and improving the sustainability of clubs. 

Sports Facilities Fund: Next Deadline April 2022. Greater prioritisation will be given to projects and applications supporting Return to Sport objectives and outcomes following the Coronavirus Pandemic. As well as those that can clearly demonstrate an embedded inclusive approach such as Changing Lives Through Sport and Physical Activity and target participants in/from SIMD areas or Disability, BAME or other protected characteristic groups. 

Social Enterprise and Net Zero: The purpose of the fund is to support these social sector organisations (SSO) in their journey to become carbon neutral, and to develop the circular economy. Through the fund, we are interested in supporting activities that will reduce carbon footprint. Some examples of these activities are below. Please note this is not an exhaustive list and we are keen to see a range of activities come forward: Reducing energy consumption; Improving energy efficiency; Developing or moving to renewable energy sources; Transitioning to sustainable transport options; Scaling local food production and supply; Minimising or re-purposing food waste; Developing circular economy products, services, processes and practices. 

CEIS: The Enterprise and Communities Team specialise in helping third sector organisations increase their social impact through trade and enterprise. With a team if expert advisors working across all disciplines to help reach your goals. 

Partners and Stakeholders
 

sportscotland is looking for your feedback on our support, advice and guidance over the past year. It has been a challenging year as COVID-19 restrictions lift and sport returns and we want to hear from partners and stakeholders about how we have supported the sector over the last 12 months. Please complete this short survey which takes less than 10 minutes to complete. Your feedback will help us evaluate and report on the last year and help us plan future support. The survey will close on Friday 4 February 2022.  

Sported - Research: Sported has seen that sustainable access to local facilities by community groups enhances their ability to deliver regular, safe, impactful sessions to local people, providing greater opportunity to tackle prevailing inequalities. The purpose of this research was to develop a better understanding, from the Sported network, of the challenges groups face and the solutions that they have found in this regard.   

Understanding Disability in Sport: The University of the West of Scotland in collaboration with the Observatory of Sport in Scotland is currently seeking participation in research aimed at understanding disability and sport in Scotland. This study aims to identify the factors that most influence the inclusivity of sport to people with disabilities of all levels of ability, no matter their impairment or their social or economic circumstances. To help achieve this aim and to gain a better understanding of the participation of people with disabilities in sport and recreation, we are seeking participants. 

Fair Work in Practice Session (Wednesday 23rd February, 10.30am): This session, jointly hosted by SENScot and SCVO, designed to learn about and share Fair Work practices that social enterprises and the wider third sector have implemented within their organisation. In addition to speakers talking through Fair Work practices they have embraced; Scottish Government will also provide an update on the Fair Work Nation consultation and the upcoming refresh of the Fair Work Action Plan. Register here.