Social Saturday on 15 October 2016 is a national event celebrating social enterprise in the UK. As one of the thousands of social enterprises in the UK, BH Live will mark the day with a campaign to encourage local people to buy sustainable products from not-for-profit businesses.
Social enterprises are businesses that trade to fulfil a social or environmental mission. There are currently around 70,000 social enterprises in the UK, employing nearly a million people and contributing £24 billion to the economy.
BH Live is the South Coast’s leading operator of leisure and event venues; a social enterprise that designs and builds engaging experiences to inspire people and enrich lives. It is driven by three social objectives; to encourage more people to get more active, generate bigger audiences to cultural events and support the local economy through business events.
BH Live operates in nearly 40 venues, leisure centres, and cafés and bars across the South of England, working in partnership with Bournemouth Borough Council, Portsmouth City Council, GLL, Fusion Lifestyle and Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre for the Arts.
Last year, BH Live hosted more than 500 events, sold over half a million cultural, sporting and entertainment event tickets and recorded more than 3 million attendances. This was 200,000 more than the previous year. BH Live also supported more than 4,500 jobs, both directly and indirectly. An estimated £66.3 million was also generated for the local economy through business and cultural tourism.
“Social Saturday is an opportunity for us to celebrate the positive impact we are making to people’s lives and communities,” says Peter Gunn, Chief Executive for BH Live.
BH Live invests its surplus to encourage wider participation and improve its services.
Peter Gunn adds: “Buying from us, whether it is getting tickets to see a show, choosing to take part in an activity in one of our centres, arranging a business event, or just relaxing in a Terrace Café, contributes toward making an even bigger difference, furthering our social objectives and supporting the local economy.”
Subsidised health and wellbeing initiatives, supported by BH Live, include the Bournemouth After Cancer Survivorship, Make Your Move and Exercise Referral programmes. These enable more people to enjoy the health and social benefits of being more active.
BH Live also runs an Access Scheme and Experience Card to promote discounted access to events and activities. This supports those on low income and encourages wider participation. Subsidies broaden the cultural programme in its venues and its youth theatre and educational programmes enable more people to experience and learn about live performance.
In the business community, the local economy is supported as BH Live continues to attract large-scale business events, conferences, exhibitions and banqueting to the region. And buying from its Terrace Cafés supports local suppliers, Fairtrade and Water Aid projects around the world.
Behind the scenes its carbon footprint and energy consumption are reduced with CHP, Solar PV and LED lighting schemes installed in conjunction with its local authority partners.
Social Saturday is a national campaign led by Social Enterprise UK and the Cabinet Office.
“Social enterprises across Britain are giving local communities a real boost, using the power of business as a force for good,” says Peter Holbrook CBE, CEO of Social Enterprise UK, “They’re changing people’s lives for the better, helping with regeneration, and protecting the environment from harm.
“Social Saturday is all about shining a spotlight on social enterprises. Just like ordinary businesses they sell products and services, but they’re different because they reinvest their profits to make a difference. So when you buy from a social enterprise your money goes much further. Please get involved and unleash your purchasing power this Social Saturday!”
Minister for Civil Society Rob Wilson adds, “Social Saturday is a great opportunity for people across the country to buy social and celebrate the fantastic role played by social enterprises. Social enterprises are leading the way in creating a vibrant and growing social economy, which is why Government is a Social Saturday partner for the third year running”
Find out more about BH Live and the difference being made to people’s lives and communities at bhlive.org.uk.
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Notes to Editors:
For more information about BH Live please contact:
Elizabeth Symmons, PR & Corporate Communications Executive
E: press.office@bhlive.org.uk
T: (01202) 055562
About BH Live
BH Live is the South Coast’s leading operator of leisure and event venues; a social enterprise that designs and builds engaging experiences to inspire people and enrich lives.
With more than three million visits a year and over £36.5 million turnover, the organisation is changing lives – placing it at the heart of the UK’s growing social economy.
In 2015/16 BH Live hosted more than 500 events, sold over half a million cultural, sporting and entertainment tickets. They welcomed 2.4 million active participants into its leisure centres and 118,000 conference and exhibition delegates into its venues. This contributed an estimated £66.3 million to the local economy through business and cultural tourism.
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