Posts Tagged ‘swansea’
Swansea social enterprise celebrates winning prestigious procurement award
Swansea training and consultation co-operative, Dynamix has won a prestigious award for procurement at the Welsh National Procurement Awards in Deganwy, North Wales.
The procurement awards aim to highlight the good practice of both procurement teams who purchase services and goods for the public sector, and the businesses that supply them. Dynamix won the ‘Most Improved Supplier Award’ at the ceremony which recognises a supplier who has made use of the support services to improve their tendering methods and thereby improved their chances of winning public sector contracts.
Amy Sanders
Dynamix was set up in Swansea 23 years ago and has built up a reputation for working with children, young people and adult community members and the professionals that support these groups.
Amy Sanders is one of the directors of Dynamix. She commented,
“The decision to give the award to Dynamix is a tremendous opportunity to both shine a light on social enterprises and how they can make a meaningful contribution to supply services to local authorities and public bodies.
With such a thriving social enterprise sector in Wales, we believe that a social enterprise succeeding in the Procurement Awards is a sign that the proportion of services supplied to the public sector by social enterprises is growing. Social Enterprises need to be recognised for the additional benefits they bring to the public sector. As award recipients, Dynamix hope we can continue to advise how procurement can be done in a way that values social enterprises and does not disadvantage them.
The tendering process is seen as such an obstacle for some social enterprises and Dynamix are so proud that we have been recognised for the enormous hard work we have invested in order to be able to meet the exacting requirements so that we can compete on an equal playing field. It has really paid off in Dynamix’s ability to secure significant contracts and broaden our work.”
Social Enterprise Day 2012 – A day in the life of a Care & Repair Services Handyperson Administrator
My name is Carys Rumbelow and I am a Handyperson Administrator for the company Care & Repair Services. I have only been working for Care & Repair Services for 4 months. We work within the construction industry where we offer a building maintenance and adaptation service. One of our main clients is Swansea Care & Repair (a charity) which helps older and disabled clients with their home adaption needs, allowing them to remain safe and secure in their own homes for as long as possible.
No day is ever the same. It is good to start out the working day knowing that you are making a difference and improving the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in South Wales. Working with a fantastic and dedicated team of people is one of the most enjoyable things about my job.
8am – I arrive at work and ready my team of Handypersons to start their daily jobs. We start the day with a short meeting and cup of hot tea. This is a good time to discuss any problems from the previous day. My team consists of 7 handypersons and 2 handyperson assistants. Their specialities vary from a qualified plumber, electrician, carpenter and general builders. The handypersons get their day started by checking that their vans are stocked ready for their list of work for the day.
9am – By this time the Handypersons are out on the vans on the way to their first clients of the day. My job then is to look over the jobs completed from the previous day ensuring all work has been completed and any notes are inputted onto the diary alongside the relevant job. I then scan onto the system any assessed works to ensure we have a copy of them before handing the work over to the estimator for costing.
10am – 11am – I start working through my e-mails received from Swansea Care & Repair for requested work to be completed. I type up a Job Sheet for each request and organise into relevant specialities for each handyperson. This gives me a chance to also check if any specialised stock needs to be ordered for that work to be completed.
Between 12pm-1pm I take lunch for ½ hour. The short break away from my desk allows me to relax and think about the afternoons tasks.
1pm – After completing all job sheets for the requested works I then provisionally schedule the handypersons into our works diary. This is sometimes booked as far as 3 weeks in advance. I then call the client to check that they will be available on that date. If convenient I convert the appointment to confirmed. If the date is not convenient then I will give alternative dates to the client. This work alone can take all day depending on the number of referral requests we get, throughout the day, from the charity or our own clients.
2pm- Throughout the afternoon I spend my time split between scheduling and organising the handypersons next day. This includes printing off a diary list of work booked for the following day, making up zip pocket files with all relevant jobsheets and company statutory forms. I then take them into the warehouse where I put them into the corresponding handypersons pigeon holes for them to collect in the morning.
3pm- Throughout the day I also monitor the phone lines and take new referrals for work. The handypersons start to return back to base around this time. If there any specific problems that might have arisen I will get involved in solving them. The handypersons also use this time to organise and sort out any stock needed for the next day.
4pm- The day ends. Hopefully everything is organised and sorted for the next day.
For more information on Care & Repair Services, visit http://www.careandrepair.org.uk/swansea/
And the winners are…
North Wales Social Enterprises scoop the 2012 Social Enterprise Awards Wales
Three North Wales social enterprises have won categories in this years Social Enterprise Wales Awards which took place today (Friday 19th October) at the Scala Cinema and Arts Centre in Prestatyn.
The awards were hosted by Wales Co-operative Centre and Wales Social Enterprise Coalition and was sponsored by not for profit internet registry company Nominet.
The full list of winners reads as follows:
Kelly Davies, Managing Director, Viability, Conwy; winner of the Social Enterprise Leader of the Year award with Wales Co-operative Centre Chief Executive Derek Walker
Social Enterprise Leader of the Year
Kelly Davies of Vi-ability
Kelly Davies has been Managing Director of Vi-ability for nearly three years. Kelly has succeeded in positioning Vi-ability as one of the leading personal development/employment facing sport industry programmes in UK and Europe for socially disadvantaged participants It produces consistently positive outcomes in relation to engagement, retention and progression.
Kelly was delighted to win the award, “I’m overwhelmed! I really didn’t expect to win after our success in these Awards last year. It shows that we haven’t stood still and we’re still doing something right!”
Wales Co-operative Centre Chief Executive Derek Walker, with Mac McCarthy and Barry Roberts from the North Wales Credit Union, Social Enterprise Start Up of the Year Winner
Social Enterprise Start up of the Year – North Wales Credit Union
North Wales Credit Union is a financial co-operative which provides a wide range of ethical financial services across North Wales. Regulated by the Financial Services Authority, it is the fourth largest financial mutual in Wales. It was formed in January 2011 through the merger of five credit unions. Since then it has been looked to as a model of excellence by credit unions and policymakers from across the UK.
Mac McCarthym from the North Wales Credit Union, commented, ”Wow! From our persepective, this award is fantastic. Creating North Wales Credit Union took 18 months of really hard work by both staff and volunteers, and we’re accepting this Award on their behalf.”
Social Enterprise Supporter of the Year – St Illtyd’s Communities First Partnership
Anna Chard, St Illtyds Communities First Partnership, Abertillery, Social Enterprise Supporter of the Year Winner, Wales Co-operative Centre Operations Director Nia Wright Morgan and Wales Co-operative Centre Chief Executive Derek Walker
St Illtyds Communities First is part of a Welsh Government anti-poverty campaign which has been established for 10 years. The team consists of 5 individuals who are dedicated to supporting and encouraging initiatives that make positive changes to the social economy. They work in Llanhilleth Institute supporting communities from Brynithel, Swffryd, Aberbeeg and Llanhilleth. St Illtyd’s Communities First has been responsible for starting up and supporting 3 social enterprises and creating 16 jobs in a socially deprived area of Wales.
Anna Chard from St Illtyd’s Communities First Partnership stated, ”Its a real honour to accept this Award on behalf of the Communities First Partnership Board, the staff team and the social enterprises we support.”
Social Enterprise Supporter of the Year – Special Mention
The City & County of Swansea, Housing Renewals & Adaptations Department was singled out for a special mention as an example of a Local Authority who have made a major contribution to supporting the development of a social enterprise. City & County of Swansea has provided support and been available to reflect, counsel and steer changes to other organisations that resulted in the development of social enterprises such as Swansea Care & Repair Services.
Sharon Jones, Chief Executive , Crest Co-operative ,Llandudno Junction, Social Enterprise of the Year Winner with Wales Co-operative Centre Operations Director Nia Wright Morgan
Social Enterprise of the Year – Crest Co-operative
Crest Co-operative operates a number of recycling enterprises including , a food poverty project that distributes in-date food from food manufacturers to the homeless and vulnerable across North Wales; a textile recycling operation throughout Conwy County Borough Council; and finally Crest Co-operative work with North Wales housing associations to clear empty properties and save kitchens/bathrooms from landfill. Crest Co-operative’s work primarily focuses on social and environmental purposes, working to promote social inclusion and at the same time work to save materials and food from landfill. Sharon Jones from Crest Co-operative recieved the award, ”I’m speechless. This is a real surprise and its great to win such as prestigious award.”
Wales Co-operative Centre Chief Executive Derek Walker commented, “The quality of nominations this year demonstrated not only the breadth and versatility of the sector but the importance the sector has to communities across Wales. The judges this year had a tough task deciding between a number of very dedicated people and a number of extremely deserving nominees. The winners chosen demonstrate an impressive commitment to their area of expertise and a level of service that is outstanding. We congratulate Crest Co-operative, St Illtyd’s Communities First Partnership, North Wales Credit Union and Kelly Davies and all of the other excellent social enterprises who were shortlisted.”
Not for profit Internet registry company Nominet sponsoredthe Social Enterprise Awards Wales 2012. Nominet run one of the world’s largest Internet registries and manage over ten million domain names. They are entrusted with the safe, stable and secure management of the .uk Internet name space and recently submitted applications for the new .cymru and .wales top level domains. For more information visit www.nominet.org.uk
Job vacancy – mapping and web assistant
Communities 2.0, the digital inclusion initiative from the Welsh Government, is looking for a mapping and web assistant. The role will be based in the Wales Co-operative Centre’s Cardiff office.
The successful applicant will need to be a graduate able to collate data and information into a self-built SQL databse. This data will be collected over the phone and by post from various groups throughout Wales.
As part of the web assistant role, the applicant will also need to be familiar with writing for the web and using social media. This work will involve writing blog posts and updating social media accounts as well as the initiative’s website and associated sites.
The role is available as a fixed term 6 month contract with a salary of £19,250 to £23,691 pro rata.
If you are interesting in applying, please visit the Wales Co-operative Centre’s website http://www.walescooperative.org/current-vacancies
Digital Inclusion Wales – Conference 2010
The Digital Inclusion Wales Conference 2010 is approaching at a rapid pace for the organising team!
The weather forecast looks reasonably good for the week. The temperatures are up a bit so the snow should have melted and no rain is due.
The Conference has taken shape and we’re really looking forward to it!
Lesley Griffiths AM, Deputy Minister for Science, Innovation & Skills will talk about delivering a Digital Wales and the Digital Inclusion Framework on Day 1, and there will be an opportunity for questions to Alun Burge, Head of the Welsh Assembly Government’s Digital Inclusion Unit as he discusses “Taking forward the Digital Inclusion Framework for Wales: developing a stakeholder group” on Day 2.
We have some exciting and interesting seminar speakers lined up – Paul Waller and Ewen McKinnon from City of London Delivery Innovation Team will be speaking about digital inclusion and public service delivery; Marc Osten will be speaking via satellite from the US about the values of new technologies to the third and community sector; Margaret Phillips will be speaking about the challenge for libraries and bridging the digital divide.
Sara Carroll will be talking about online trading, DK from MediaSnackers will discuss how organisations can use the web to their advantage and BT Wales will be talking about bringing broadband to communities in Wales.
Information on these and all the other seminars we are holding can be found on the Digital Inclusion Wales website www.digitalinclusionwales.org.uk.
There will also be a showcase of technology currently being used to digitally include the Welsh public in disadvantaged areas – such as smartphones, games consoles, video production units, iPods, eReaders, camcorders and more. Delegates will be able to try these throughout the day.
If you can’t attend, the event will be live streamed on www.digitalinclusionwwales.org.uk. You can also put forward questions to clickconnectdiscover@walescoop.com or @Communities2_0 on Twitter.
You can follow tweets using the hashtag #diw2010 and @Communites2_0 will be tweeting from the conference.
