Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald launched the report on a visit to Co Down on Wednesday
Social enterprises across Northern Ireland now generate almost £1 billion in turnover and support more than 17,000 jobs, according to what has been described as the most comprehensive report of its kind to date.
Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald praised the sector’s continued growth and its vital role in creating jobs, delivering services, and supporting some of the most vulnerable people in society.
“This is the most comprehensive report to date in relation to social enterprises,” she told Belfast Live. “It shows the strength of the sector and how it continues to grow – with almost a billion in turnover and 17,000 jobs supported across the North.”
The Minister highlighted the inclusive and regionally balanced nature of social enterprises, which she said play a key role in both economic and social development.
“These are businesses with a social purpose, very often not-for-profits, that reinvest their profits back into local communities,” she said.
“Many of them support people into work, including those with disabilities or learning difficulties. Others have an environmental focus. They are businesses in every sense, but with a real social impact.”
As part of ongoing efforts to back the sector, the Department for the Economy has worked with a co-design group to develop a Social Enterprise Action Plan, setting out recommendations for future growth and support.
One example of a thriving social enterprise is Loaf Pottery in Crawfordsburn, run by the NOW Group. The organisation supports people with learning disabilities and autism through a blend of creative training, employment, and enterprise.
Maeve Monaghan, CEO of the NOW Group, said the pottery project began in a disused building and has grown into a global success story.
“This is Loaf Pottery, and we’ve been operating here for about seven years,” she explained. “We wanted to bring back a community engagement, so we set up a pottery studio, a café and a garden, and the idea is to bring people with disabilities into this area to help train them, have a focus on art and creativity and craft and our team support them so well, but we’re also producing top level pottery and we’re selling it all over the world.”
What started as a small community initiative became a lifeline during the Covid lockdowns, when the team pivoted to selling their handmade pottery online.
“We scaled up during lockdown, put the pottery online, and started shipping worldwide,” Maeve said. “It’s a mug with purpose. So that money that’s spent with Loaf Pottery then is reinvested into the charity to help deliver services to people with learning disabilities, autism, and neurodiversity.
Today, Loaf Pottery has customers across the globe and works with major corporate clients including Apple, Spotify, WhatsApp, and Deloitte.
While individual customers remain loyal collectors, corporate gifting has also become a growing part of their business. “We’ve just finished a bespoke range for Deloitte,” Maeve said, “and it’s fantastic to see big companies choosing to support social enterprises like ours.”
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our politics newsletter here.
#Social #enterprise #sector #contributes #1bn #local #economy #report
