Four social entrepreneurs who are pioneering new approaches to mental health, wellbeing, employment training and publishing have been awarded the Cambridge Social Innovation Prize 2022, presented by Trinity Hall and the Cambridge Center for Social Innovation at the University of Cambridge.
The four winning entrepreneurs are changing the way we approach providing vital support and business services to a wide range of customers
They include:
- CEO and mother Anne Bailey who set up a pioneering careers program to connect schoolchildren with the businesses of the future, inspired by her experiences with her own children
- Katie Buckingham, businesswoman whose own experience of mental health inspired her to set up wellbeing support business for businesses and young people
- Tamara Macfarlane, children’s author and bookseller, whose business aims to raise equality and representation in the publishing industry
- Alice Williams, who set up a baking business to help vulnerable women get training, support and access to work
What they have in common is the desire to incorporate a social purpose into the core of their business, helping children and adults in need.
These £10,000 per year awards are given to outstanding founder-CEOs of scaling-up (growth stage) social enterprises to support their development as leaders.
Mentoring from experts at Cambridge Judge Business School and support from the wider community of social innovators at Trinity Hall will help them develop the skills, resources and networks they need to create greater impact from their work.
Director of Cambridge Social Ventures, Nicole Helwig, said:
“The winners of the Cambridge Social Innovation Prize are visionaries and initiators of social change. They identify entrepreneurial opportunities through insights based on empathy, experience and a deep understanding of the social challenges they address.”
Introducing the 2022 winners
Anne Bailey, Form the Future CIC: https://formthefuture.org.uk/
“The need for what we do is huge, and it’s not just here in the East of England where we are, it’s everywhere. Focusing on my professional development, this award will provide me with the skills and support I need to take Form the Future to the next level. I am absolutely delighted to be chosen as one of this year’s winners.”
Anne Bailey co-founded careers and employment company Form the Future CIC in 2015 after experiencing, as a parent, the disconnect between Cambridge’s dynamic economy and supporting children in education.
The company’s mission is to connect young people to a world of career opportunities, inspire them to dream big and empower them to reach their full potential. They try to remove barriers to social mobility by empowering students with skills and aspirations and working in partnership with employers in growth sectors, helping them build a ‘talent pipeline’.
Since the company’s inception, CEO Anne and her team have partnered with hundreds of companies and worked with over 100 schools, local authorities and other partners. By connecting schools with local employers, students learn and prepare for their future careers, while employers receive support for recruiting and building their workforce.
Katie Buckingham, Altruist Enterprises: https://altruistuk.com/
“I applied for the award because I want to develop my abilities as a social leader. In particular, I want to learn more about leadership and management, company strategy, and building high-performance teams. I am delighted to have won the Cambridge Social Innovation Prize 2022 and am so grateful for the opportunity. I look forward to expanding my network and connecting with other award winners.”
Katie Buckingham founded Altruist Enterprises in 2013 following her personal experience with mental illness. Since then, Altruist has grown into a specialist provider of in-person and online resilience and mental health training for organizations and schools nationally.
Katie aims to create a culture where mental health is understood and treated in the same way as physical health. The company provides managers, colleagues, teachers and students with the skills to sustain themselves and each other through the many challenges at work and at home.
Kate’s professional team has over 200 years of combined experience working in mental health and helping organizations with bespoke wellbeing programmes. Since inception, they have trained over 10,000 individuals in resilience and mental health skills. The organization reinvests part of the profits and resources to provide subsidized or free mental health workshops for young people and parents.
Tamara Macfarlane, Moon Lane: https://www.talesonmoonlane.co.uk/
“The Cambridge Social Innovation Award offers a unique opportunity to learn from mentors who are leaders in the field of social enterprise, while becoming part of a wider network that highlights the many ways business can be used for positive and impactful social change. It couldn’t have come at a better time for both my personal leadership development and Moon Lane.”
Tamara Macfarlane is a children’s author and the founder and co-owner of Moon Lane, a specialist children’s bookstore founded in 2003 to increase equality of access and representation in the children’s book and publishing industry.
Tamara and her team are working to address the lack of diversity in the UK publishing industry by bridging the gap between Britain’s diverse population and UK publishing, to ensure that every child sees themselves represented in the children’s book range. Their wide-ranging initiatives include celebrating the work of authors and illustrators from underrepresented groups, ensuring a path to market for more diverse titles, working with schools in communities to encourage conversation about inclusion in children’s books and creating opportunities for young people. from a more diverse range of backgrounds to access careers in bookselling and publishing.
Moon Lane includes four brick-and-mortar bookstores, school supplies and book consulting services, hosting annual book festivals and a wide range of other initiatives that promote a lifelong love of reading.
Alice Williams, Luminary Bakery: https://luminarybakery.com/
“This award is a unique opportunity for me to invest in my development while leading Luminary forward. There are various courses that I have identified to improve my leadership and this award will finally make them available. There are women across the UK who need services like Luminary, I plan to use this award to set Luminary up for successful growth and empower even more women to thrive.”
Alice Williams founded Luminary Bakery, a social enterprise providing training, employment and community support to some of London’s most vulnerable women, following her experience volunteering in the Whitechapel Red-Light area.
Executive Director Alice and her team use baking as a tool to support women who have experienced gender-based violence and multiple disadvantages. By offering professional training, holistic support and paid employment opportunities, Luminary empowers women to fulfill their potential by building careers and leaving disadvantages behind.
The company currently has two coffee shop locations and an online store that sells celebratory cakes and letterbox treats. With clients including Ben & Jerry’s, ASOS, Microsoft and Disney, Luminary won the Queen’s Award for Entrepreneurship 2020. Since the start of 2014, they’ve empowered 155 women and seen them achieve extraordinary things.
About the award
Now in its fourth year, the Cambridge Social Innovation Prize is the cornerstone of an ongoing collaboration between the Cambridge Center for Social Innovation at Cambridge Judge Business School and Trinity Hall, one of the University’s oldest colleges. Supported by a generous donation from University of Cambridge (Trinity Hall) alumni Graham Ross Russell.
Together, the School and College work to foster an interest in social innovation and entrepreneurship among students, colleagues and alumni, encouraging them to create new businesses and pursue careers rooted in social and environmental impact.
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