Adrian's clients and a selection of the work he has done

ENTERPRISE SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT

Working with rural social enterprises to explore various development issues (including governance, new product and social accounting) through the Plunkett Foundation and Regional Development Agencies.

Managing and delivering a national pilot programme to create new routes into employment for people experiencing mental ill health. Supported by the Small Business Service and attracting international interest, click here to view a short movie (6.5Mb) profiling this project.

Supporting clients of Burnley Enterprise Trust, Cambridge Co-operative Development Agency and Business Link West Yorkshire to develop social and private enterprises from new start businesses to externalisation of public services, transformation of grant-funded charities and succession.

Guest speaker for National Association of Criminal Rehabilitation Organisations on how models of enterprise development can support offenders to reduce their risk of re-offending.

Instigated development of specialist incubator for social enterprises in the East of England


TRAINING

Guest lecturer to undergraduates of Cambridge University and University of Sheffield on social enterprise

Associate tutor to the Co-operative College in developing and delivering training programmes and modules

Development and delivery of general and specialist training seminars, workshops and programmes for various Business Link operators' advisers and clients on social enterprise, as well as mentoring their advisers.


FEASIBILITY STUDIES

Support to various organisations undertake feasibility studies on proposed new enterprises, as well as diversifications of existing charities and enterprises for national support agencies and Business Link operators


SOCIAL ACCOUNTING / IMPACT EVALUATION

Project management of social audit for local charity and local enterprise support agencies.

Support to development and piloting of social accounting 'toolkits' with Social Firms UK, Co-operativesUK, and new economics foundation

Support in instigating and developing a social accounting 'hub' for Lancashire


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Delivery of national pilot project to create a new model to support adults experiencing mental ill health and their care workers to (re)gain employment – invited to speak at various conferences on the successes and approaches used. (click here to see the movie clip)

Strategic placement of East of England Mutual & Co-operative Council and Social Firms Eastern Region within other regional and national partnerships.

Secured commitment from other regional and sub-regional bodies to support new regional Social Enterprise Partnership (Social Enterprise East of England), despite apparent conflicting agendas between them; also facilitated development of regional website / web ‘portal’ for the social enterprise sector in the Eastern region.

Successful delivery of 12-month ESF training project for co-operatives and social enterprises in 5 months

Managed regional enterprise supporting ex-homeless into employment (one of 9 franchised social enterprises within the Aspire network) to become the best financially performing region with the highest number of people gaining work and ‘moving on’.

Instigation of projects within local worker co-operative (Daily Bread Cambridge) that were directly linked to its objectives but creating wider community benefit, and in doing so created regional interest and securing partners from private, statutory and NGO sectors.


RESEARCH

Speaker for UK Society of Co-operative Studies on the relationship between co-operative and social enterprises; and differences in co-operative development in rural and urban contexts

Researched the co-operative childcare sector to inform Co-operativeUK's development of a national support and development programme to this sector.

Researched legal and governance models for social firms in collaboration with Social Firms UK to inform the development of their guidance and support programmes.

Evaluated mainstream Business Link training provision to asses their suitability to be marked directly to social enterprises in their current format.

Mapped local social enterprises to fit with corresponding Business Link operator's IT systems

Undertook unparalleled research and benchmarking of training issues for social enterprises

Invited by the Department for Trade and Industry to join their 'experts panel' in mapping social enterprise throughout the UK

Consulted by the Bank of England on financial issues facing social enterprise.


SECURING FUNDING / INVESTMENT

Development and delivery of a portfolio of funded projects and commercial services to move enterprise support agencies to become more self-sustaining – in one instance this equated to an increase in turnover of 400% and increase in reserves of 300% within an 18 month period.

Development of plans and projects to enable regional forums to secure up to £1m investments; Business Link operators to secure revenue to support their social enterprise advisers,

Management and enhancing of a social enterprise exclusive Community Development Finance Initiative through increasing its activity and securing additional investment.

 

For full details of all the clients that Adrian has supported and the work undertaken with each, please click here to see his 'blag sheet'.
 

Email Adrian on aa@adrianashton.co.uk or call him on 07786 492313

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