Hafod Housing Association shortlisted for prestigious Social Enterprise Awards.

Not for profit social landlord Hafod Housing Association has been shortlisted in the ‘Market Builder’ category in the prestigious Social Enterprise Wales Awards which will be held in Cardiff this October.

Hafod Housing Association are one of the largest providers of affordable housing in South East Wales. It manages over 4,000 homes in Bridgend, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Torfaen and the Vale of Glamorgan.

Hafod is joined by United Welsh and leading workplace services supplier PHS Group plc on the shortlist for the award.

The Social Enterprise Wales Awards are designed to recognise the outstanding Welsh social enterprises which demonstrate innovation, imagination and passion for social change. The awards celebrate businesses which have a clear social or environmental mission, benefit a specific community and trade commercially whilst fulfilling their social aims. The awards will be held in a ceremony at the SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff on the evening of Tuesday 15th October.

This year there are four catgories, which are:, ‘One to Watch’, which celebrates new social enterprises with potential for growth, ‘Market Builder’, which celebrates businesses that have actively chosen to commission goods or services from social enterprises and categories for ‘Social Enterprise Champion’ and ‘Social Enterprise of the Year’.

Chris Davies is Service Improvement Manager for Hafod Housing Association, “We were all surprised and delighted to be nominated and shortlisted for this award. Hafod aims to support the communities in which we provide housing and we are proud to support Social Enterprises and the difference they make to the lives of people in Wales”

Derek Walker, Chief Executive of the Wales Co-operative Centre was delighted with the quality of entries and the strong support large organisations are showing to social enterprises that operate to support and improve the communities where they operate,

“It’s exciting to see a company like Hafod Housing Association being shortlisted for this award and recognised for the work they do in engaging with social enterprises. I believe that businesses in Wales are starting to consider how they procure and how to best use their procurement budgets to benefit the communities in which they are based.

We have had a fabulous response to these awards this year. Not only have the number of entries increased, but the quality keeps on improving year by year. Social Enterprises and co-operatives are viable and successful business models that can support viable communities, create jobs and growth and it is great to see some of the best examples of this recognised in this shortlist.”

The following day the SWALEC stadium will play host to the Social Enterprise Conference which will see representatives of social enterprises from across Wales gather to discuss its themes of Innovation, Collaborative Entrepreneurship and Finance and Social Investment.

Free tickets for the Social Enterprise Wales Awards are available online via www.walescooperative.org

Tickets for the Conference are also available online priced at £70+VAT.

The Social Enterprise Support Project is tasked with promoting and developing social enterprise in Wales. The project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Welsh Government.