‘Social Saturday’ offers chance for some community conscious shopping

City shoppers are being encouraged to buy goods and services from a range of not-for-profit businesses that ‘trade for good’ at a special pop up market in Coventry this Saturday, 14 October. 

Social enterprises from across the city will be selling their wares at the Priory Visitor Centre as part of ‘Social Saturday’ at the weekend. The event forms part of a nationwide campaign led by the Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) membership body celebrating the positive social and environmental impact that such community minded businesses make.

Coventry itself gained social enterprise accreditation from SEUK last November - the first city in the West Midlands to achieve this status – in recognition of all the good work going on locally to support and promote socially conscious business ventures. 

Saturday’s event in Coventry is being co-ordinated by CU Social Enterprise (CUSE) - Coventry University’s community focussed subsidiary – alongside the city council, the University of Warwick, voluntary groups and other partners. 

BBC Coventry and Warwickshire radio will also be there to report on the day’s events, which includes informal social enterprise awareness talks, networking opportunities, ‘walk and talk’  tours of the Priory and Undercroft, and of course, the pop-up market at which over 20 social enterprises will be trading a selection of ethical gifts, homewares, plants and street food.

Amongst those will who will be displaying at the market are Mum’s Kitchen, a local catering company employing marginalised women and victims of domestic abuse from Coventry’s BME community, which recently won a start-up competition run by CUSE for financial assistance and mentoring support. 

Sawdust Rehab, which started as a joint social enterprise venture between Coventry University and HMP Rye Hill, will also be there selling handcrafted wooden products created by inmates training within the prison workshop.

Keith Jeffrey, Managing Director of CU Social Enterprise, said:

“Social Saturday is an opportunity for people to come and see some of the great work that social enterprises are doing here in Coventry and to learn about the positive effect they are having on people and the community. There will also be information and advice sessions for anyone who’s keen on starting their own social enterprise as well.

But there will be lots of great stuff on sale as well from food suppliers, garden centres and the like and there will be arts and crafts, furniture, candles and soaps and lots more on offer - so visitors can also get some of their Christmas shopping in early!