Lord Wei launches Social Enterprise

Lord Nat Wei of Shoreditch, a Government Advisor on the Big Society, was guest speaker at the launch of a pioneering partnership between THCH and enterprising charity, The Aspire Foundation, at Bethnal Green's Minerva Community Centre on 13 January 2011.

A Big Society social enterprise, Aspire Community Works, (ACW) has been launched to help local people find a route out of unemployment.  It is a ground breaking partnership between THCH and The Aspire Foundation and has the potential to be rolled out London-wide.

The social enterprise delivers property service contracts to THCH, creating jobs and training opportunities for unemployed local people.  ACW will aslo offer gardening, general maintenance and window cleaning to local businesses.

Full professional training is provided to staff and job-coaching and mentoring is put in place to help staff and trainees start on the road to building their careers.  Budding local entrepreneurs can also benefit from business-start-up courses offered by the charity on the back of the hugely successful pilot in the homeless sector (profiled recently by the Evening Standard).

With over 40 of London's leading housing associations already engaged in close discussion with Aspire, there are high hopes and expectations of a London-wide roll-out in the coming months as others follow THCH's lead.

"We believe we can help our staff start long and prosperous careers in essential London industries" said Aspire's Business Development Manager, Paul Funnell.

THCH Director of Housing, David Eatwell, said "THCH is proud of our standards of estate management and we are excited by the opportunity that working with The Aspire Foundation offers to our local residents".

To find out more about The Aspire Foundation, please visit www.aspire-foundation.com or call Richard Lanning on 07805 781 113.