Four local social entrepreneurs have been awarded a total of £16,000 in funding for the development of their socially impactful ventures.
The four individuals were amongst a number of entrepreneurs who pitched their ventures to a panel at the Resilient Communities Do It Award pitch event last December. Jill Duke, Sharon Wilson-Hodgson, Marco Notrangelo, and Naomi MacIntosh each received up to £5,000 to go towards start-up costs alongside a tailored package of ongoing support and 1-1 coaching from UnLtd.
This pitch event was organised by Dundee-based social enterprise, The Circle, in partnership with national funding body, UnLtd. The event is part of UnLtd’s Resilient Communities programme which works with local social entrepreneurs to build resilient and enterprising communities through supporting people to create their own solutions that improve the places they live in.
Founder and CEO of The Circle, Kirsty Thomson, said: “Thanks to these social entrepreneurs and the projections they will deliver we can expect to see an improvement in the lives of a number of people living in Dundee. We look forward to witnessing the social impact they will create.”
The ventures will operate to benefit individuals residing in Dundee, including individuals who are recovering from addiction, girls and young women impacted by gender inequality, and those who are struggling to find and access support for issues arising as a result of the pandemic.
Jill Duke, founder of Empowerment Academy for Girls, and one of the recipients of the funding, successfully completed The Circle Academy programme one week before pitching.
Alvina Menzies, The Circle Academy Manager said: “It was an inspiring experience to be involved in the UnLtd pitching event at the in December. The entrepreneurs awarded are most deserving and I'm excited to watch their projects progress. What was even more rewarding was to see one of our Cohort 3 candidates use their 12 weeks of learning on The Circle Academy Full Circle programme to help pitch their project idea in a well thought through, structured and confident manner and to receive one of the main rewards as a result was the ultimate reward!”.
The Circle
The Circle is an award winning 'More Than Profit' organisation that supports businesses to make a difference to communities by providing affordable consultancy, training and workspaces, within an inclusive and friendly community.
