Winners from Mid Ulster at Social Enterprise Northern Ireland Awards in Belfast
Brought together by Social Enterprise NI (SENI), winners and finalists from across Northern Ireland are living proof of social enterprises’ unique grassroots power to tackle inequality and strengthen communities.
Winners at the event at the Crowne Plaza in Belfast, included Teresa Canavan from Rural Action in Cookstown who was voted Leader of the Year with her sustained effort in creating community-led action to generate lasting impact for rural areas.
Heron Bros from Magherafelt also won the Social Value Partnership award for their collaboration with Cancer Focus, CAN (Compass Advocacy Network) and Womens’ Tec. Going way beyond volunteering, these social value partnerships enable social enterprises to learn and earn from private businesses by creating supply chain opportunities and employment pathways.
The night of the Social Enterprise Awards for NI is always a loud one, because this is the only time throughout the year that many of these vital, life-changing organisations have the opportunity to shout about what they have achieved. This evening was no exception, with the room packed full of social entrepreneurs, dedicated staff and many of the beneficiaries of organisations like The Resurgam Community Development Trust, winner of the Social
Enterprise of the Year for their nine profit-generating social enterprises that provide employment, training and fund their youth and community work across NI. Habitat for Humanity ReStore won Environmental/Circular Economy Social Enterprise of the Year which helped 138,000 people access low-cost materials to improve their homes, provided a new home for 57 of kitchens and diverted 1600 tons of reusable materials from landfill across Ireland.
Amanda Johnston, Interim CEO of SENI said: “SENI is incredibly proud to once again lead the sector's biggest celebration, made possible through the support of our sponsors and partners. It is not always easy, but we do it because we believe that whatever the challenge, social enterprise is part of the solution and should be celebrated for the amazing sector it is.”
While normal award ceremonies celebrate excellence, these awards tell a much bigger story. In towns, cities and rural areas of Northern Ireland, people are being excluded from everyday life, communities are crumbling and hope for a more prosperous future is thin on the ground. The result is pressure on public services that are out of budget and out of the loop on finding a flexible on-the-ground solution.