Social enterprise

Our State of the Sector Survey in 2013 found that there were 3,093 voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations in Manchester, with an estimated income of £477 million. The sector employed the equivalent of 12,400 full time staff and 94,300 volunteers gave 370,000 hours, with an estimated value of £332 million. Decision makers took note of the survey results, we know it increased their understanding of the sector. Some of the key facts (3093 organisations, 94,300 volunteers) are now widely quoted by colleagues in the Council, the NHS and other bodies such as Big Lottery Fund.

Voting is now open to vote for the Best Community Space Spirit of Manchester Award 2016.

Award criteria
A community space can be a piece of land or a building available for use by the community. Organisations needed to show:
• Best use of a community space
• How the space is seen as central within the community
• The impact it has within the local community

The Spirit of Manchester Awards is a series of awards celebrating and highlighting all the excellent work being carried out in Manchester’s voluntary and community sector. As well as providing recognition to the sector in these hard times, we want to raise the profile of the sector amongst the general public and encourage local giving and active citizenship.

A new social enterprise is looking for kitchen facilities which may not be in use all the time. "Leancuisine" is hoping to find spare capacity and resources which aren't always in use to develop a new initiative to promote a healthy diet and provide food to homeless people.

Ben Dolman, one of the people developing this initiative, said:

"We are looking for kitchen space to allow us to teach people how to cook healthy food on a low budget, with the food that is cooked then being given out to homeless people by our volunteers.