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SE100 2024: Top 100 UK social enterprises revealed
The breadth and depth of social enterprise activity across the UK is being celebrated today with the launch of this year’s NatWest SE100 – the list of the UK’s top 100 social businesses.
From a technology company promoting wellbeing and preventing crisis situations such as debt and homelessness – through to a community interest company set up to counter misogyny and male bias in the comedy industry.
From a restaurant in the south-west of England that aims to give everybody in the community access to hyper local, seasonal food on a “pay-as-you-can” basis – to a social business in Scotland nurturing diverse talent in the performing arts, screen and event sectors.
Social enterprises TellJO, Funny Women, The Long Table Stroud and Be United (see photos and list below) are just four of those who made it onto the SE100 roll call for 2024.
In his SE100 application, William North, director at the Long Table Stroud, said: “The Long Table is a restaurant that strives to answer the question, ‘What if everyone in our community has access to great food and people to eat it with?’ Food, particularly in the context of restaurants, has been unaffordable for many… Eating restaurant quality, hyper local, seasonal food should not be a luxury.” The Long Table, which is a community interest company, has created a ‘pay-as-you-can’ model so that people from all backgrounds can feel welcome. During the last year the restaurant served nearly 35,000 meals out of which more than 3,000 people ate a meal “paid forward by someone in our community – meaning those with nothing could eat restaurant quality food for nothing”.
Lynne Parker (left), founder and CEO of Funny Women, also set up as a community interest company, commented: “I’ve spent two decades empowering women into comedy careers and promoting the importance of humour and wellbeing in the workplace. A feminine perspective is essential for diversity both personally and professionally.
“I am proud that Funny Women is my life’s work and recognition is so important. Thank you for including me in the NatWest SE100 list.”
Explaining the impact of her social enterprise’s work, TellJO’s Zoe Beeston wrote: “Whether it’s increased bills, stress, or physical/mental health issues, it can be hard to know where to go for support. Or how to ask for it. We work with organisations to proactively offer their customers a digital wellbeing check… It generates personalised signposts, for financial, physical or mental health support.”
The organisation was able to provide a £20 return on investment for every £1 spent for one water company client. While after completing a wellbeing check, users feel on average 8.6 out of 10 better. In user feedback one service user said: “If I hadn’t had the link for TellJO, then my home was actually at risk. I don’t really know where I would be right now.”
Be United is based in Leith, Edinburgh, but its journey began in 2013 in Durban, South Africa, where co-fouders Emma Sithole and Boysie Gumede recognised an urgent need for created outlets of expression within the community. “The voices of young people eager for extra-curricular activities, yet facing a void of opportunities, was the spark that ignited Be United,” explains the social enterprise on its website. This mission carried the founders to Scotland, where the ethos of equity and inclusion has continued to drive the organisation’s activities. It is now “a driving force in the evolving Scottish cultural and creative sector” and has worked with major organisations such as Edinburgh International Festival, Virgin and Amazon.
The SE100 was created by Pioneers Post more than a decade ago in partnership with Social & Community Capital, the independent social investment charity set up by NatWest bank.
Victoria Papworth, CEO of NatWest Social & Community Capital, said: “We celebrate the innovation and dedication of this year’s SE100 list. These amazing social enterprises are more than businesses; they’re real-life examples of how an unwavering commitment to social change can make a real difference. Social & Community Capital has supported these awards for more than a decade and we recognise not only the top 100 named here, but the many other social enterprises also doing such great work across the UK.”
Tim West, founding editor and CEO of Pioneers Post, said: “From funny women to food, and from multi-million pound businesses with years of experience under their belts, to start-ups barely a couple of years into their social enterprise journey, in some ways these businesses could not be more different. But what links them together of course is their unswerving motivation for using the tools of innovation, investment and entrepreneurship to tackle deep injustices and inequalities across our communities.
“Where they see challenges to society or our environment, not only are these social businesses finding effective solutions but they are building approaches that mean their impact can be sustained and often scaled in the long term.”
The SE100 list was selected according to several different criteria to reflect both business and impact issues – including financial performance, how thoroughly they measured and managed their impact, and their commitment to both climate issues and to taking positive action on equality and diversity.
To enter the SE100, applicants were asked to complete a detailed SE100 Social Business Survey, which was carried out online between March and May 2024. The survey also collected data on how social businesses are performing, looking at areas such as growth and investment, as well as taking the temperature of how they are feeling about their prospects for future success. More details from this research will be revealed in Pioneers Post later this month.
The NatWest SE100 also includes awards for leading social enterprises across seven categories. The finalists were announced last week and the winners will be revealed at a special awards evening hosted by NatWest in London on 16 July. This will be a hybrid event delivered both in-person and online. Registration for the in-person event is open until 2pm today (12 July) through the banner link at the top of this story, but you can join the waiting list or sign up to join us on Zoom.
ACH (Ashley Community Housing)
Bristol & Bath Regional Capital
Clean Slate Training and Employment
Diversify Education and Communities
East Brighton Food Cooperative
Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise
Stroud District Furniture Project
SVH Inc (Strong , Vibrant, Happy and Incorporated)
You can read more about the NatWest SE100 in our SE100 Collection.
More questions? Read the NatWest SE100 Criteria and FAQ – or get in touch via SE100@pioneerspost.com
PS Thanks for reading our stories. As an entrepreneur or investor yourself, you’ll know that producing quality work doesn’t come free. We rely on our subscribers to sustain our impact journalism – so if you think it’s worth having an independent, specialist media platform that covers social enterprise stories, please consider subscribing. You’ll also be buying social: Pioneers Post is a social enterprise itself, reinvesting all our profits into helping you do good business, better.
The NatWest SE100 Index and Social Business Awards is an annual programme created and delivered by Pioneers Post in partnership with NatWest Social & Community Capital – and supported by Buzzacott, Social Investment Business, Hogan Lovells and Impact Reporting. The programme aims to list, celebrate and learn from the UK’s 100 most impressive social enterprises every year.
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