Exeter sees five new students join the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme

Exeter sees five new students join the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme as four from the area graduate

Five students from Exeter have joined the 2017/2018 cohort of the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme, in partnership with School for Social Entrepreneurs and jointly funded by Big Lottery Fund, as four graduate from the 2016/2017 programme.

The year-long programme equips entrepreneurs with the skills to grow a social business to help solve some of the most pressing social issues within their communities. The entrepreneurs on the Start Up and Scale Up programmes each receive financial support (grants of up to £10,000), a comprehensive learning programme with School for Social Entrepreneurs and a Lloyds Banking Group business mentor.

A brand new Match Trading™ funding model has also been introduced this year, incentivising social entrepreneurs to grow their business through trading, so they become more sustainable. The funding model empowers social entrepreneurs to double their income through trading (up to the amount of Match Trading grant on offer).

The programme sits at the heart of Lloyds Banking Group’s Helping Britain Prosper Plan 2017 to help people, businesses and communities across the UK by supporting skills and training and will support 2,350 social entrepreneurs by 2020.

The Exeter based entrepreneurs who have joined the programme this Autumn are:

The Exeter based entrepreneurs who have graduated from the programme this year are:

Paula Rogers, Head of Social Enterprise at Lloyds Banking Group said, “It has been fantastic to witness the progression of the entrepreneurs who have been supported by the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme, in partnership with School for Social Entrepreneurs and jointly funded by Big Lottery Fund, over the past year and see how the programme is helping them to make a real difference in their communities. We’re thrilled to welcome a new cohort of social entrepreneurs to the programme and look forward to seeing their ideas grow over the next year to create positive social change, as part of our commitment to help Britain prosper”.

Alastair Wilson, CEO of School for Social Entrepreneurs said, “It has been so inspiring to see our students develop their social business over the past year and find innovative ways to tackle prevalent social issues within their communities. I’m excited to see how our new students shape their social enterprises with the support of the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme, in partnership with School for Social Entrepreneurs and jointly funded by Big Lottery Fund over the next year”.