Author: Chris Shaw

ExSel project concludes successfully

Posted on by Chris Shaw

The UKSPF funded Expanding Social Enterprise in Leicester (ExSel) project came to a successful conclusion with the 3rd Annual Social Enterprise Symposium held at De Montfort University’s SDG Hub in early June. ExSel has delivered a programme of social value seminars and presentations designed to highlight the great work of the social enterprise sector in Leicester, and as a means to promote collaboration. An outcome of the programme has been the creation and growth of the Leicester Social Enterprise Network (LSEN), which now comprises of more than 200 members. The Annual Symposium event was established in 2024 and will hopefully feature again in 2027 and in years to come.

As a founding member of the project, Ethical Business Exchange’s Chris Shaw says “ExSel has been a very worthwhile and productive venture. Along with the a range of excellent L:earning Events and the three annual symposiums, we have also begun the task of scoping Leicester’s first social investment facility and tackled the thorny issue of community assets transfer. In fact, it was an opportune moment at the Symposium for me to present on the Government’s Devolution Act which contains some potentially helpful upgrades to the assets of community value function.”

While funding for ExSel theoretically ended in March 2026, the programme has secured a 6 month extension whereby it can utilise any underspend and assess how it might generate income in the future. Once of the projects LSEN is looking at is the possible purchase of the Fosse Neighbourhood Centre should Leicester City Council make it available for sale.

EBE Director wins Lifetime Achievement Award

Posted on by Chris Shaw

We’re thrilled to share that Chris Shaw has been honoured with the Judges’ Lifetime Achievement Award at the Niche Magazine 2025 Business Awards Ceremony.

This recognition celebrates Chris’s decades-long commitment to Leicester and Leicestershire’s social enterprise and voluntary sector. Through Think Funding, Ethical Business Exchange, and Social Innovation People CIC, Chris has helped local organisations unlock investment, build sustainable ventures, and deliver real-world impact for communities across the city and county, supporting projects that improve health, inclusion, climate resilience, and opportunities for young people.

Known for his collaborative, place-based approach, Chris has worked alongside community groups, charities, universities, and public-sector partners to turn ideas into action. His track record includes helping raise around £100m for VCSE initiatives, mentoring emerging leaders, and championing open, evidence-led innovation.

The award reflects not only a remarkable career, but the lives changed and the futures strengthened through Chris’s work.

EBE leads development of Leicester & Leicestershire VCSE Observatory

Posted on by Chris Shaw

The proposed Leicester & Leicestershire VCSE Observatory has been developed within the context of the UKSPF Growth Accelerator for Social Entrepreneurs project led by the University of Leicester in partnership with Community Enterprise Engine. The idea stems from the identified absence of a single site (or portal) where information and data about issues impacting the voluntary and community sector in Leicester and Leicestershire can be stored.

The project aims to create a Leicester / Leicestershire VCSE Observatory which can:

  • Host or sign-post socio-economic, environmental, health, other data, information, and research studies, relevant to the development and delivery of VCSE services in Leicester and Leicestershire
  • Build a repository of funded projects with relevant outcomes data
  • Map service provision across different domains (geography, ethnic origin, gender, age etc.)
  • Optimise relevant measurement tools for VCSE organisations to help them self-assess performance and measure impact

Potential benefits are to deliver:

  • A single point of information for data and research relevant to the VCSE
  • A library of information useful for fundraisers
  • An improved understanding about who’s doing what and where, and where gaps in services are
  • Helpful information for commissioners and service planners
  • Useful tools for VCSE groups to inform analysis of performance, service development and impact measurement

The following organisations have expressed support:

  • Voluntary Action Leicestershire
  • Leicester City Council
  • Leicestershire County Council
  • The NHS VSCE Alliance
  • Reaching People

EBE is now developing a number of applications to source income for an initial feasibility study.

 

 

EBE leads development of National Citizens Service Targeted Programme

Posted on by Chris Shaw

Founded in 2009, the National Citizen Service (NCS) is a voluntary personal and social development programme for 16–17 year olds in England funded largely by money from the UK Government. It was formally announced in 2010 by Prime Minister David Cameron. NCS became a Royal Charter Body in 2018. NCS is designed especially for 16 and 17 year olds, the NCS experience exists to engage, unite and empower young people, building their confidence so they can go out into the world and achieve their dreams, no matter where they are from or what their background is.

In 2023, the NCS Trust announced a significant investment to help young people, focusing on community-based experiences at a local level. These new experiences were aimed at complementing NCS’ existing away from home residential offering by providing more opportunities for teenagers to engage in local activities that foster skills development, deepen their understanding of the community, and empower them to contribute positively to its improvement.  The grants will also support organisations that cater to specific groups of young people who may not have participated in previous NCS initiatives.  The ‘Targeted Grants’ programme has been designed for scaling your existing interventions, or trialing a new innovation, with targeted groups of young people. NCS agreed to offer a variety of larger and smaller grants, creating opportunities for national or regional organisations, alongside small grassroots organisations.

It is this against this activity strand that Ethical Business Exchange worked alongside Bangladesh Youth and Cultural Shomiti to formulate a partnership of Leicester based delivery partners to bid for funding, which was successful towards the end of 2023 with an award of £92,000 being made. Partners include Highfields Centre, Youth Education Project and EAVA FM. EBE has subsequently delivered an impact and evaluation study of the highly successful project.

EBE selected as lead evaluator for University of Leicester VentureVersity Project

Posted on by Chris Shaw

A partnership involving Leicester StartUps CiC and EBE has successfully bid to deliver and evaluate an innovative programme designed to accelerate academic research and IP through to commercial propositions. EBE will conduct a longitudinal evaluation of the project and produce a project toolkit for use elsewhere in the UK.

VentureVersity is funded through Research England and will deliver a pioneering approach to creating new products, services and business from university ideas. The three Universities of Leicestershire are amongst a small number of projects to be selected by Research England to deliver on novel approaches to commercialise their research Connecting capability fund – UKRI .

VentureVersity will create new accelerated pathways for university Intellectual property and ideas. The University of Leicester, Loughborough University and De Montfort will share IP and ideas with a community of businesses, graduates and students adopting an open innovation approach to sharing, testing, and developing business concepts. The target is to deliver novel products, services and businesses and energise the innovation culture of the city and county. The project will build connections with businesses and create opportunities for students to deploy and develop skills, build experience and catalyse enterprise.

ExSel Project Kicks Off with First Learning Event

Posted on by Chris Shaw

After months of planning and application, the ExSel project was up and running on the 30th November with the first of a number of learning events featuring Leicester Startups CiC founder, Ben Ravilious. Ben described his journey from businessman to ‘accidental social entrepreneur’ and talked about the creation of the Phoenix Yard based co-working space and the highly successful accelerator programme the CiC now runs.. 

An acronym for Expand Social Enterprise in Leicester, ExSel is funded initially for 18 months via Leicester City Council’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.  The project’s primary objective is to promote and support the local social economy, including cooperatives, social enterprises, and community-based initiatives. It aims to create awareness, facilitate networking, and provide resources to empower local social economy actors.

The project will be managed and delivered by staff from Leicester Social Economy Consortium, and Ethical Business Exchange will undertake project monitoring and evaluation as well as help to develop the Leicester Social Economy Network (LSEN), the springboard for the project.

A key feature of the project will be the creation of the Leicester Social Enterprise Annual Symposium which will attract social enterprises from the City and strategic social enterprise development agencies, social investors and other funding bodies, from across the UK.

 

EBE Director wins Fundraiser of the Year at VAL Awards

Posted on by Chris Shaw

EBE Director, Chris Shaw, was honoured at the recent Voluntary Action Leicestershire Awards evening, where he picked up the fundraiser of the year trophy for Leicester and Leicestershire. Sponsored by PPL, the award recognises contributions to the fundraising profession and performance throughout the year. Chris fought off stiff competition from fellow nominees, Darren Bradbury (Furnley House) and Arif Vorjai (Help the Homeless), but with £750k and counting incoming this year, it was a tall order to topple!

Chris dedicated his win to the various groups he supports, especially those grassroots organisations in the some of the most deprived parts of the city and county.

 

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