Two firsts for Selwood Housing setting the standard in social enterprise

Selwood Housing is the first organisation in Wiltshire and the first housing association nationally to be awarded the prestigious social enterprise mark, an independent accreditation which tells customers that a product or service is creating a social or environmental benefit.

Prospective conservative party parliamentary candidate for Chippenham, Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones awarded Selwood Housing the mark at their Trowbridge office this week saying:

“This is a superb achievement. I would like to congratulate Selwood Housing on attaining the Social Enterprise Mark. It highlights the important role that they are playing in working with our local communities and supporting our neighbourhoods.

“This award is great for Selwood Housing and great for Wiltshire.”

Chair of Selwood Housing, John Alford added:
“We are very proud to receive the Social Enterprise Mark, not least leading the way as the first housing association and the first organisation in Wiltshire to achieve the Mark.

“The Mark acknowledges how we already contribute to the community through our work with our tenants and in our neighbourhoods. We are committed to create and support more social enterprises in the future to strengthen the communities that we work with.”

Lucy Findlay from RISE, manager of the Social Enterprise Mark, stated:
“This is an important achievement for both the people of Wiltshire and housing associations everywhere. Recent research* revealed that 7 out of 10 customers want to buy from firms who put their profits back into the community rather than into the pockets of shareholders. We believe Selwood Housing are blazing the trail, locally and in their sector!”

Whilst presenting Selwood Housing with the Social Enterprise Mark, Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones met with staff to understand more about Selwood Housing’s work in Melksham, Holt, Bradford on Avon and surrounding areas.
Social enterprises are businesses set up to tackle social or environmental issues. So rather than generating profits for owners or shareholders, their main aim is to earn income through trading to create further social or environmental benefits.

The Mark offers social enterprises a simple way to inform customers about the wider social or environmental impacts they provide and it gives social enterprises a competitive edge in these economically-challenging times. For customers, it offers an instantly recognisable label to identify social enterprises; reminding them that by supporting a social enterprise they are helping to create benefits for people and the planet.

The Social Enterprise Mark is funded by the National Lottery through the BIG Lottery Fund. The Social Enterprise Mark is sponsored by the Co-operative Group South & West and Triodos Bank.