Case Studies

Case Studies

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Image shows 3 people behind the desk at a cafe
Cafe van Gogh

Café van Gogh is a restaurant with a social and environmental mission in Brixton. Apart from serving delicious vegan and seasonally changing food, the restaurant also provides employment and training opportunities for people additional needs, like learning disabilities and mental health challenges.

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Photo of school children with solar panels
Egni Co-op

Egni Co-operative was established in 2013 and provides rooftop solar on schools, businesses and community buildings. It has installed solar panels on almost 100 sites across Wales.

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Wolverton Communtiy Energy - outside of a building with solar panels on
Wolverton Community Energy

Wolverton Community Energy are based in Milton Keynes. They develop and manage community-owned solar PV and supply greener, cheaper solar energy to local businesses, the majority of which are charities and social enterprises. In addition, they run projects which help to improve energy efficiency within their community. This includes the Home Energy MK programme, supporting homeowners wishing to stop heat loss from their homes and cut energy costs.

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Kidsbrook Sports Centre
Kidsgrove Sports Centre Community Group

Kidsgrove Sports Centre Community Group is a CIO set up to save and then re-open Kidsgrove Sports Centre. Following extensive refurbishment the sports centre re-opened in 2022 and is now operated by the charity. Through the charitable community ownership model, every penny spent in the centre gets reinvested. Back into the Centre and back into the community. No shareholders. No profit-making. Just local community facilities for all.

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An image showing an hall full of gymnastics equipment
Tumble Gymnastics & Activity Centre

Tumble Gymnastics and Activity Centre is a facility that offers physical activity and wellbeing for everyone regardless of age and ability in a family fun environment creating a unique experience. Focused on gymnastics, their social mission is to encourage and support young people and adults who are currently physically inactive to increase their activity levels to improve their physical and mental health.

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A big grade II listed building in Bacup, Lancashire
Valley Heritage

Valley Heritage is a not-for-profit organisation established in 2015. It seeks creative approaches to bring historic buildings back into use while simultaneously supporting the growth and development of the local community. 

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Man and two children gathered around a laptop
Fair for You

Fair for You improves people’s lives through responsible lending, helping families access the things they need and supporting them along the way. They believe that affordable finance should be accessible to a wider range of people including many of the 17.5 million people excluded from mainstream finance due to low or fluctuating income or life events.

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Louis encourages a young client – building core strength.(Taken as a still from video on their website)
Omnis Circumvado CiC

Omnis Circumvado CIC is a specialist sports coaching company dedicated to providing inclusive and adapted physical activity opportunities to people of all ages with complex needs.

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Woman drinks from pretend tea cup with two children
London Early Years Foundation

LEYF runs 40 nurseries across 12 London boroughs, delivering high quality Early Years education and care to children aged from birth to five years old. 

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Woman smiling inside house
Contento Social Homes

Contento Social Homes exists to improve the support for survivors of domestic abuse and their children by providing safe accommodation and skills to improve their wellbeing.

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A group of adults and children in a brightly lit classroom setting. The adults are assisting the children with various activities, some of whom are using adaptive equipment. Wooden climbing bars are mounted on the wall, and there are benches, tables, and colourful educational tools in the background.
Paces Sheffield

Paces is a leading charity for children and adults with Cerebral Palsy and other neurological disorders. They used social investment to refurbish and fit out their new premises, making it fit for purpose. 

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Holly Hutchinson and her business partner - Circus Strong
Circus Strong

Circus Strong is a community organisation dedicated to providing friendly, judgment free aerial circus and fitness classes. They especially welcome the LGBTQ+ community and individuals who suffer from depression, loneliness and anxiety.

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Greater Change Team
Greater Change

Greater Change is a Community Interest Company that helps individuals to become free of homelessness.

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Collaborative Women - Case Study
Collaborative Women

Collaborative Women comprises CW Housing and CW Community. It was founded to address gender-based inequalities experienced by women in Trafford which lead to isolation, poverty and life limiting/life-threatening circumstances. 

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The Bike Project Team
The Bike Project

The Bike Project are a charity that takes in second-hand bikes, refurbishes them and donates them to refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. The bikes help them to access food banks and other critical services as well as improving their general wellbeing. 

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Cornerstone Placce
Cornerstone Place

Cornerstone Place is a social enterprise which supports homelessness charities to add fit-for-purpose properties to their portfolios.  Our unique ‘Shared Upsides’ model transfers more than 50% of the value in our project to our charity partners.

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Freedom Foundation
Freedom Foundation

Freedom Foundation is a Nottingham based social enterprise working to improve children’s physical and mental wellbeing through music, dance, and mentoring.

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Win Turbine courtesy of Ambition Lawrence Weston / The Landmark Practice
Ambition Community Energy

Ambition Community Energy (ACE), is a Bristol-based social enterprise generating clean, affordable energy, run by the people of Lawrence Weston. 

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Group of people at Gloucestershire Gateway Trust
Gloucestershire Gateway Trust

Gloucestershire Gateway Trust (GGT) is a social and environmental regeneration charity on the largest peripheral social housing estates around the edge of Gloucester by the M5. 

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Inner City Music
Inner City Music

Inner City Music is an award-winning charity that exists to celebrate music and its power to engage, inspire and unify. 

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Volunteer at Trees for Life, replanting
Trees for Life

Trees for Life is home to the first (known) rewilding centre in the UK and their vision is of a revitalised wild forest in the Highlands of Scotland, providing space for wildlife to flourish and communities to thrive.

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Group of people at Central YMCA
Central YMCA

Central YMCA is the world’s first YMCA, established in 1844, and a leading UK education, health and wellbeing charity. Their work includes creating alternatives to traditional education such as apprenticeships and study programmes, training fitness professionals who inspire communities, developing qualifications through an awarding organisation and helping people improve their health and wellbeing through the largest gym in central London.

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Homebaked Bakery
Homebaked Bakery

Homebaked is a co-operative bakery and community land trust, located opposite Liverpool FC’s Anfield stadium, serving their award-winning pies to both football fans and locals alike. 

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Farm Urban
Farm Urban

Farm Urban is a social enterprise based in the Baltic Triangle in Liverpool and they operate the city’s first vertical farm whilst also delivering a range of educational and outreach programmes.