The Editor's Post: Definitely maybe the best celebration of social enterprise rock 'n' roll stars

This year we took the NatWest SE100 awards to Manchester. In the same week that the ageing Britpop stars Oasis staged their homecoming concerts in front of tens of thousands of fans at the city’s Heaton Park, on Tuesday evening we took over a slightly more intimate venue to celebrate the UK’s most impressive social enterprises.

Now in their 15th year, we’ve usually celebrated the awards at NatWest’s bright, smart conference centre at its HQ in the City of London. This year’s event took place within the dramatically dark walls and sparkly disco ball lighting of Band on the Wall, a music venue steeped in history (the “longest continually operating musical venue in the city”, according to COO John Shepherd) which is a hub of musical, social and learning activities for the local community. 

Not only did we have a social enterprise venue, but the catering was provided by Open Kitchen, which makes use of food that would otherwise go to waste (“Every day our chefs play the biggest, tastiest, most sustainable game of Ready, Steady Cook that the world has ever seen,” explained Open Kitchen’s Lyam Bradley on stage). Photography was by social enterprise Saz Media. Interval entertainment was from wellbeing and singing social enterprise Shared Harmonies. And, of course, Pioneers Post is a social enterprise itself. We made this happen alongside our partners and event sponsors NatWest Social & Community Capital.

We started off the evening by interviewing multi-medal-winning Paralympic athlete Hannah Cockroft and Greater Manchester’s High Sheriff Martin Ainscough made an appearance in his full ceremonial outfit.

Most importantly, of course, were the evening’s award winners, who enthusiastically took to the stage to share their passion for their work with the audience and celebrate their achievements. Read all about them here.

It’s a big step to take an annual event to a new venue, let alone a new city, but it turned out fantastically well – and so many people have said it was the best ever SE100 event. Let’s see where we go next year! 

A big week for UK social enterprise and social investment

We’re unusually UK-focused this week. Not only were we celebrating the UK’s best social enterprises at the SE100 awards, but the country’s government has been busy demonstrating its support for the social enterprise and social investment movement. 

On Monday, the government launched a significant social outcomes fund focused on supporting vulnerable children and families. With £500m behind it, experts agree with the government’s description that the Better Futures Fund is, to date, the world’s largest fund of its kind. 

And yesterday, the prime minister Keir Starmer launched a Civil Society Covenant, designed to establish the parameters of partnership between the voluntary sector, social enterprises and others (collectively termed ‘civil society’) and the state. That the PM himself turned up to the launch is telling; in 1998, when what might be regarded as the covenant’s predecessor, the Compact between the government and the voluntary sector, only a home office minister, Paul Boateng, was there to represent the government. Starmer said he envisioned “a new way forward – where government and civil society work side by side to deliver real change”. Let’s see what happens.

This week's top stories: 

UK government announces £500m social outcomes fund to support vulnerable children

UK's best social enterprise pioneers revealed at SE100 Awards 2025

Impact 101: What is a B Corp?

The Impact World this Week: 17 July 2025

Top image: wellbeing and singing social enterprise Shared Harmonies gets the UK's social enterprise community to sing along at the 2025 SE100 awards. Picture by Saz Media.