£125,000 prize fund for the sixth William Sutton Prize as Clarion marks 125th anniversary

The man who went up against Nigel Farage in the 2024 general election will now be making the case for social enterprise to politicians.  Taking on a media savvy political operator with more than twenty years experience in a general election when you’re just 27 years old is not for the faint-hearted. So it was no surprise that Jovan Owusu-Nepaul’s selection as the Labour candidate up against Nigel Farage for the Clacton seat raised a few eyebrows.   Perhaps unsurprisingly given his public profile and many years in politics, Farage won with 46% of the vote but for Owusu-Nepaul, it was an opportunity to add to his political experience.   Having joined the Labour Party whilst studying for his A Levels, he went onto become the youngest ever Chair of the Lewisham Deptford constituency Labour Party and then worked under Vidhya Alakeson, who is now Keir Starmer’s Chief of Staff. All of which will stand him in good stead as he takes on a new challenge of ensuring parliamentarians and policymakers are aware of the importance of social enterprise to British society as our new Head of Public Affairs.   “All the work that I've ever done has been about some form of social change or social impact. Working for the Labour Party was one way I could do that, and now this feels like a meaningful, tangible way in which I can try and advocate for a certain type of economy, making the case more concretely for an alternative way of business,” said Owusu-Nepaul.  He’s particularly eager for conversations about how government can better hold businesses to account, using the social enterprise sector as an example of an alternative way of doing business which can exist at a larger scale. As someone who has spent a lot of time thinking about what we value as a society and ways to embed a value structure into the economy (beyond the bottom line), he’s also looking forward to our forthcoming Social Value Leaders' Summit.  Owusu-Nepaul sees social enterprises as a tool to achieve social justice because he believes they give people agency in society, are nurturing to their communities and create beneficial social outcomes.   He added: “Social enterprises are so much more effective than just having business as a kind of raw parasitic form. They’re demonstrating an alternative value system within the context of a more inclusive model of capitalism, and that is exactly where political parties should be focusing because it integrates economic interests alongside social and cultural interests.”  As someone who was the exact opposite to Farage in so many ways, not only on policy but as the only black candidate under 30 in the election, his selection was irresistible to the media. It’s lead to invitations to appear on LBC, ITV’s Good Morning Britain and Channel 5’s The Jeremy Vine Show, and he’s enjoying having a platform.   “You can engage in kind of a national conversation, and you can plant ideas in people's heads as to how an alternative society could look. It's really important to demonstrate to people that the way things are today, that doesn't mean that's how it always has to be. The media's allowed me to do that,” said Owusu-Nepaul. 

Better leisure centres across the UK are partnering with the Department for Education’s Skills for Life campaign.  The initiative aims to encourage people not only to focus on health and fitness goals this January but take a more comprehensive approach to personal development. Specialist advisers from the Government’s National Careers Service will be based at Better leisure centres across England, offering free and impartial careers advice to leisure centre visitors. A poll of 2,000 adults, commissioned by Skills for Life, shows most people (96%) want to achieve some kind of personal growth in 2025 and 57% plan to set themselves a professional goal for the year ahead, such as switching jobs, getting a pay rise or working towards a promotion. Of those surveyed, more than two thirds (67%) said they think it is easier to commit to a physical goal – such as losing weight, going to a gym or taking up running – than it is to commit to learning a new skill. When asked why, they said they felt physical goals were “more attainable” (35%) and learning something new was too expensive (23%).  Customer & Communities Director for Better leisure centres, Joseph Rham, says: “Prioritising our physical, mental and learning health are all things we should be focussing on in the 2025.  We aim to support as many people as possible to get active and experience the huge benefits of improved health and wellbeing. Likewise, learning a new skill can not only be empowering but also offer real opportunities for employment and career development. “We are therefore delighted to be supporting Skills for Life with several of our leisure centres across the country hosting free personal development - or ‘PD’ sessions - with career advisers from the National Careers Service.” Steve Hanley, a careers adviser at the National Careers Service, says: “There’s no better time to take stock and review your skillset than at the start of a new year. But taking that first step can sometimes feel really daunting. “I know from my experience as a careers adviser that there are lots of reasons why people can put off learning new skills – whether that’s the perceived cost of courses or people simply thinking they’re too old to learn something new. But we would encourage people to look again. Learning new skills doesn’t always mean you have to spend money and is for everyone. “We hope this exciting partnership with Better will inspire people across the country to also think about their learning health this January. With so many free and flexible training opportunities available, it’s never been easier to get started. Search Skills for Life to find out more.” Skills for Life is encouraging adults to explore the various government-funded courses available. From short courses like Skills Bootcamps, available in a range of subjects, to apprenticeships or Higher Technical Qualifications. For more information and a list of participating Better leisure centres visit: https://www.better.org.uk/healthy-communities/skills-for-life

When you become a Social Enterprise UK member, you’re joining the world’s largest social enterprise network! You can join us either as a social enterprise or as an organisation that supports them. We’re running an introductory webinar three times in the year, where you can find out how membership can add value to your business. We’ve sessions dedicated to organisations that are social enterprises and those looking to partner with them to build on their ESG goals and enhance their procurement strategy. Each session is only 15 minutes long, giving you a brief but insightful overview of why your business should join our ever-growing movement. Webinars for social enterprises Find out the three main reasons why your social enterprise should join us. 25 February, 10am – REGISTER HERE 3 June, 10am – REGISTER HERE 9 September, 10am – REGISTER HERE Webinars for organisations who support social enterprises Discover how joining our network can help you build on your ESG goals. 27 February, 10am – REGISTER HERE 5 June, 10am – REGISTER HERE 11 Sept, 10am – REGISTER HERE