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14/03/2011
Blue Sky has been named Social Enterprise of the Year
The Social Enterprise Coalition has named Blue Sky as the Social Enterprise of the Year for England 2011. Blue Sky will go through to the UK finals being held at Voice11 on 30th March at The O2 in London. Leader of the Opposition, Ed Miliband, will speak and present the Best Social Enterprise Award. More than 1,000 people are expected to gather at the evening reception.
Set up in 2005 with Groundwork Thames Valley as lead partner, Blue Sky is the only company in the country where you need a criminal record to get a job. Blue Sky creates employment for ex-offenders by winning grounds maintenance and recycling contracts from local authorities and private sector companies. Their aim is to reduce re-offending and offer a second chance to some of society’s most excluded members. Blue Sky began in the Heathrow area and has grown into a national organisation, which now employs over 400 ex-offenders.
Blue Sky describes itself as “a social enterprise in the truest sense”. Existing only to provide jobs to ex-offenders, Blue Sky offers a “proper job with a proper company”, with employees delivering a successful, commercial enterprise. To date, only 16% of employees have re-offended, a quarter of the national average.
Mick May, Founder and CEO of Blue Sky Development and Regeneration, said: “We are delighted to have received this award from the Social Enterprise Coalition. We set up Blue Sky as a business with one, clear, social objective – reducing re-offending - which has driven us since day one. It therefore means a great deal to us to be recognised as a successful social enterprise.”
The award comes at a time of growing recognition with Blue Sky winning at the Charity Awards in 2010 and being named in January as one of two ‘Social Action Partners’ that staff from 10 Downing Street will be supporting during 2011.
The Social Enterprise Coalition is the UK’s national body for social enterprise. The Coalition represents a wide range of social enterprises, regional and national support networks and other related organisations.
