Foyle MP Mark Durkan urging people to support Social Saturday on 13 September.
A new campaign aimed at raising awareness of social enterprises in Derry and throughout the North – and getting people buying from them to boost the local economy – has got the backing of Foyle SDLP MP Mark Durkan.
In Britain, there are more than 70,000 social enterprises – businesses which trade “for people and the planet” and have a social mission to reinvest their profits for good.
The Big Issue, Divine Chocolate and Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen are just a few well known social enterprises.
However, Mr Durkan said there were thousands more providing high quality, ethically sourced products and services, from furniture and fashion to cinemas and cafes, bicycles and banks.
He said good local example of a successful social enterprise was Dog Ears, a Derry-based Children’s Media Company aimed at promoting fun and interactive new ways to increase literacy among our young people.
Mr Durkan, who is also backing the first ever Social Saturday on 13 September next, added: “The aim of Social Saturday is to get people buying from social enterprises – for example, people in Derry spending their money with social enterprises in the area.
“What unites social enterprises is their commitment to changing the world through business. They are driven by a social mission, not a money mission, and are dedicated to improving the local community – for example, by creating jobs or recycling / upcycling goods that would otherwise go to landfill.
“I would therefore urge people in Derry and throughout the North to support Social Saturday on 13 September – as importantly, when businesses like these profit, society profits.”
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