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Local Business Support in Southwark: Delivering Social Value and Economic Impact

Southwark Pioneers Fund event

Hatch Enterprise has been working with Southwark Council through the Southwark Pioneers Fund (SPF) since 2022. Throughout this time, we’ve provided almost 4000 hours of support to businesses based in the borough, from pre-revenue businesses to micro-businesses with multiple members of staff. The outcome? Clear social value and economic impact.

Picture taken at the Hatch office in Walworth during Demo Day for our inaugral Food and Beverage Accelerator programme for Southwark-based businesses.
Learn more about working with Hatch

Investment back into the borough: 

Throughout the duration of our partnership, £203,634 in grants has been awarded amongst thirty three Southwark Pioneer Fund graduates. Investment in local SMEs acts as a catalyst for growth for local enterprises.

101

Jobs Created

389

Jobs safeguarded

 

The Southwark Pioneers Fund has helped ensure the growth of my business over the next few months and years. I have the utmost gratitude for the hands-on support from Southwark Council and Hatch Enterprise.

Emeka Kuizhi Otagburuagu, Founder of Black Cowboy Coffee

Why is localised business support important?

Our partnership with Southwark Council has shown what’s possible.

Localised business support ensures that businesses receive the tailored guidance they need to thrive within their specific economic, social, and geographic contexts. For example, in boroughs like Southwark, 96% of businesses are micro-businesses. Hatch Enterprise’s provision of hands-on, locally-informed support help these enterprises grow, diversify, and create measurable social value and economic impact in their communities.

The success of local businesses have a plethora of positive impacts on that local community. 

  • Employment & wellbeing: Firstly, thriving local businesses boost employment opportunities and increase collective sense of wellbeing for communities.
  • Economic growth: Increased revenue by local businesses increase tax revenue that the council can reinvest across the area.
  • Social impact: Lastly, social enterprises successfully tackling localised problems can drive positive outcomes for those facing additional barriers to accessing food, housing, education, employment, or healthcare.

Key outcomes:

323

enterprises given support through the partnership since 2022

104

enterprises received deep-impact programmatic support

220

enterprises received light touch community support such as workshops and masterclasses.

3924+

hours of support given in total since 2022.

37% of Southwark SMEs who took part in our Accelerators in 2023 have now expanded into new markets:

Local Authority Education

Hatch graduates have been awarded procurement contracts with Southwark council to deliver efficient, effective education for the Southwark community.

Addition of new products and services

For many food and beverage businesses, the addition of new products to diversify their income can play a key role in managing down periods. Therefore, throughout our Accelerator programmes, we give space for founders to explore potential new streams of income.

Securing grant funded projects

 

For social enterprises, grant funding can offer a safety net to trial new ways to work towards their mission. The combination of our programme, demo day, and grant giving process at the end gave all participating founders the opportunity to hone their skills and practice applying for grants.

Hear from our founders

Headshot of Emma Bracegirdle
Founder - The Saltways

Emma Bracegirdle
Headshot of Christina Fonthes
Founder - REWRITE

Christina Fonthes
Headshot of Nicola Twiston Davies
Founder - Game Plan Life Coaching

Nicola Twiston Davies
Headshot of Joe Daniel
Founder - FUTURES

Joe Daniel
Headshot of Emma Bracegirdle

Founder - The Saltways

Emma Bracegirdle

Emma Bracegirdle is the founder of The Saltways, a company that specialises in creative films for the third sector. She says:

“I can’t explain how much the programme changed everything. It gave me confidence in my business, to take it from trying to figure things out to actionable steps that I could take to get it to where I want it to be. I’m very much still on that journey, but I feel like now I have the skills, the resources and the support of the community to actually get there. I took something away from every session I went to and whilst everyone’s takeaways from the programmes are different, that’s the beauty of it. Having a mentor and professional look at my business and say ‘here’s how you can get to the solution’ was huge. Something that I’ve continued to do since then is mentor other people, as it was just invaluable having that support, someone else to say you’re doing good. You need that.”

Headshot of Christina Fonthes

Founder - REWRITE

Christina Fonthes

REWRITE is a vibrant community dedicated to uplifting and championing the literary talents of Black Women and Women of Colour writers. Through courses, mentoring, and writing retreats and providing a nurturing environment where these voices can flourish, REWRITE is committed to breaking down barriers and creating opportunities for their stories to be heard. Christina said:


“Since joining the Hatch programme, I’ve learned a great deal about the entrepreneurial journey and landscape. From finding the right CRM to learning about angel investors, the programme has been incredibly valuable. I’ve connected with a supportive community of fellow entrepreneurs for idea-sharing and support. As my business has grown, I’ve faced challenges in understanding how to scale effectively. Thankfully, the programme arrived just in time, providing much-needed support.”

Headshot of Nicola Twiston Davies

Founder - Game Plan Life Coaching

Nicola Twiston Davies

“I love to inspire others to play by their own rules, it’s why I became a life and career coach under my business, Game Plan Life Coaching. I work to help people create positive, lasting change by working out what really excites them, then developing the mindset and strategy to make it real. Joining Hatch’s programme has been like finding old colleagues that have gone off and set up their own businesses. It’s a really lovely supportive space that has opened me up to opportunities and really enjoyable connections, thank you!“

Headshot of Joe Daniel

Founder - FUTURES

Joe Daniel

Joe Daniel received a grant to develop FUTURES, a social enterprise supporting young people from underserved groups aspiring to work in the music industry through workshops, drop-in career clinics and paid work-experience. He said:

“We want to inspire and support young people from all backgrounds. This grant helps to establish FUTURES as an entity of its own, outside of our core business with the Independent Label Market. It has allowed us to expand our network of partners without being tied to ILM, create a solid brand identity and test the waters with different marketing approaches on social media. The grant is helping to kickstart the process of sourcing speakers and applying for funding avenues, meaning we could dedicate time to FUTURES without distractions, and give it the attention it requires and deserves.“

Working with Hatch

Hatch Enterprise works in partnership with local authorities and partners to design and deliver social value through our business support programmes. Our approach combines deep founder support with measurable outcomes, making us a trusted delivery partner for those seeking sustainable economic growth and community impact.

Learn more about working with Hatch

Working with Hatch has been invaluable. They help us to reach businesses that really need the support and equip them with the skills, knowledge and networks to thrive in the current climate.

We’re really pleased that our partnership with Hatch has made the Southwark Pioneers Fund: Grow Your Enterprise programme such a success.

Meghna Bhattacharya
Senior Strategy Officer, Southwark Council.

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