Only a third of Welsh have heard of social enterprise

Organisers of a new awards scheme celebrating Welsh social entrepreneurs hope it will tackle a lack of awareness about the sector in Wales.
Two recent pieces of research reveal a gap between awareness of the sector in Wales and its achievements, with only 35% of people questioned in a street survey familiar with the term ‘social enterprise’.
Only 50% of those who had heard the term social enterprise knew what it meant, according to the survey carried out by the University of Glamorgan.
Yet, a separate piece of research commissioned by the Welsh Assembly government shows the sector in Wales had an estimated total turnover of £2.18bn for the financial year 2007/8.
The research also reveals that Wales’ contribution to the social enterprise sector’s UK turnover figure was more than twice the rate of the principality’s contribution to the UK economy as a whole.
Wales’ top 20 social enterprises, by turnover, include Glas Cymru, RCT Homes, Welsh National Opera, Wales Millennium Centre and Wales and West Housing Association.
The first ever Social Enterprise Awards Wales are aiming to celebrate the principality’s most successful and inspiring social enterprises.The awards are organised nationally by the Social Enterprise Coalition and promoted in Wales by Wales Co-operative Centre, with the closing date for entries 28 September.