Stockport based Jo McGrath has been named a finalist in the prestigious UK Social Enterprise Awards, which recognise businesses that are transforming communities and tackling climate change.
Jo, Chief Executive of Sector3, has been recognised as a Social Enterprise champion and is a finalist in the Women in Social Enterprise Award category having dedicated her career to championing the Social Enterprise sector across the Northwest of England.
Over the past two years she has been heavily involved with establishing Sector3, the infrastructure support organisation for the voluntary, charity, faith and social enterprise sector (VCFSE) in Stockport.
Sector3 joins together community minded?groups, organisations and change-makers across Stockport to?support neighbourhoods to thrive.
Jo has played a huge part in bringing the Social Enterprise support programme, Proper Good, to Stockport, an £8.25million investment and support programme in Greater Manchester. The Proper Good initiative enables Sector3 to support Social Entrepreneurs to build and grow their social businesses so that people, place and planet can profit.
Social enterprises are businesses that trade for a social or environmental purpose. There are an estimated 100,000 social enterprises in the UK contributing around £60bn annually to the UK economy and are set up to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing society.
Previous winners have included a legal firm representing vulnerable people, a crowdfunding platform helping homeless people into work, and a network of zero waste supermarkets – demonstrating the diversity of the social enterprise in the UK.
Commenting on being shortlisted Jo said:
“I am honoured to be shortlisted amongst other great women who champion social enterprise across the UK. I am passionate about reducing inequalities and I see growing a social economy as a powerful, sustainable way of doing this. I will continue to use any platform available to me to continue to grow the movement of social entrepreneurs! Thanks for the recognition but I could not do what I do without a wonderful team around me with shared values and a passion for the sector.”
Commenting on the Awards, Chief Executive of Social Enterprise UK Peter Holbrook said:
“The UK Social Enterprise Awards are the ultimate showcase of the impact and excellence of social enterprises. These are trailblazers and standard setters for how to do business better, in ways that put people and planet first. They empower and uplift communities. They show us all how we can do business in a way that helps the environment. And they do all this while facing the same challenges as other businesses.
“In these turbulent times, they are a beacon of innovation, optimism and resilience. Those who have made the shortlist of these awards have proven their business’ ability to weather the storm of the pandemic, keeping their business and their mission on track.
“The challenges we face as a society demand new approaches and a shift in the way that businesses big and small act. The entries for this year’s award continue to inspire, innovate and show us all how businesses can help us meet many of these challenges head on.”
The UK Social Enterprise Awards are awarded by Social Enterprise UK, the UK’s leading membership body for social enterprises and recognise excellence and innovation in UK social enterprises. Jo will be joining other shortlisted organisations and guests at a prestigious awards ceremony held at London’s iconic Roundhouse on Thursday 8 December.
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