Wednesday 20th October 10.30am – 2pm
Sharing Knowledge
Forming Strategic Alliances for Social Firm Creation or Go It Alone?
We feel there is a discussion to be shared that takes into account the view of all sectors within communities across Wales.
It doesn’t matter if you are creating a Social Firm/enterprise independently, as part of a bigger organisation/group or a public body looking to externalise a public service, many of the universal business practices, opportunities and challenges will be very similar.
What is clear is that by collaboration, be it the sharing of knowledge, experiences, models of good practice, will all help in building a community focused, vibrant and market led sustainable Social Enterprise Sector within Wales.
Please click this link for your invitation to attend Social Firms Wales AGM & Debate.
Remploy Bridgend is making a bold statement “We are greening up our factory credentials and increasing our business sector offerings by moving into the renewable energy generation and reprocessing sectors; we are retaining and building our automotive sector to encompass new products which in themselves contribute to the combined strategies of the Waste Strategy for Wales, The Green Jobs Agenda for Wales and Zero Carbon Britain 2030”
Bridgend is now one of 5 Remploy factories across the UK which is piloting the way forward in a new and exciting project called the Remploy Social Enterprise Project. Remploy is an essential social business and the UK’s leading provider of sustainable employment opportunities for disabled people and those experiencing complex barriers to work. Remploy believes that sustainable employment is the key to a brighter future, creating significant personal, social and financial outcomes for all.
The Bridgend factory has been transformed; it is now a light, well organised, clean environment with our own ‘in-house’ cleaner and ‘pride in our workplace’ team. We are planning to generate power from wind and solar and extract water from an on-site well. We have achieved a notable cultural transformation with an inclusive policy to ensure that all voices have a channel to be heard and opportunities to contribute. In the latter part of 2010 we will be assembling and testing solar panels which will fulfil the demand being created by the feed-in tariff.
Our first major business offering in the reprocessing sector is the deconstruction of mattresses – impending legislation will soon ban mattresses from landfill and everyone will have to find alternative solutions – this in itself is providing the opportunity for more business as we at Remploy Bridgend work hard to find solutions for the recovered materials; exporting these to the Far East is not a route we wish to travel as this does not dovetail with our combined drivers of providing meaningful work for
disabled people and contributing towards the Waste Strategy for Wales, The Green Jobs Agenda and Zero Carbon Britain 2030.
We welcome visitors, please contact Deborah Thomas, Social Enterprise Manager to arrange.
Deborah Thomas
Social Enterprise Manager
Remploy
Brocastle Avenue
Waterton Industrial Estate
Bridgend
CF31 3YN
Telephone 01686 653982
Email: Deborah.thomas@remploy.co.uk
