Published on: Wednesday 16th February 2011

KAL Awarded Social Enterprise Mark

Kirklees Active Leisure (KAL) has been awarded a prestigious mark in recognition of its status as a social enterprise for its social and environmental good works.

KAL, which runs sports centres and swimming pools on behalf of Kirklees Council, can now proudly display the Social Enterprise Mark, which identifies the charitable trust as trading for social and environmental purposes, in its centres and on its literature.

It becomes only the third organisation in Kirklees to be able to display the Mark, alongside social enterprise companies Electroville in Dewsbury and Fresh Horizons in Huddersfield.

The Social Enterprise Mark is the brand for social enterprises, launched on February 1 last year. The Mark identifies businesses which meet defined criteria for social enterprise, and consumers will recognise that businesses displaying the Mark are trading to benefit people and planet.

KAL joins other well-known ethical businesses that have been recognised by being awarded the Mark such as the Eden Project, Big Issue, the Phone Coop and the Co-operative Group.

KAL’s Chief Executive Alasdair Brown said: “We’re very proud to have been awarded the Social Enterprise Mark.

“KAL is absolutely committed to the principles of good social enterprises – providing high quality services for local people, delivered in a business-like manner, but with all surpluses reinvested back into those services and not passed on to shareholders or owners outside the local area.

“When it works effectively a social enterprise should aim to provide the best aspects of public and private sector delivery combined and this is something that we constantly strive to achieve in KAL.

“We are proud to be associated with organisations such as Electroville and Fresh Horizons who do so much good within the community.”

Government data estimates that there are 62,000 social enterprises across the UK, contributing £24 billion to the economy and employing around 800,000 people.

Recent research found that social enterprises are twice as confident of growth compared to typical small to medium enterprises (SMEs), with 48% of social enterprises saying they are positive about the future as opposed to just 24% of SMEs (The Social Enterprise Coalition’s State of Social Enterprise Survey, 2009).

Social enterprises are working to make a difference across the UK and beyond, but not enough people know what they are or how they work. The Social Enterprise Mark aims to raise awareness of what social enterprises do in order to get more people to buy from, engage with, start up and work for social enterprises.

Lucy Findlay, Managing Director, Social Enterprise Mark Company, said: "With more and more opportunities opening up every day for social enterprises to deliver health services, the Social Enterprise Mark has an important role to play in helping people understand when their health provider is genuinely socially motivated.

“The Social Enterprise Mark will be available across the country and we hope it’s as successful as Fairtrade, in helping people buy in a more ethical way."

Among some of the evidence KAL gave to the Social Enterprise Mark Company in order to achieve the mark are the following projects:

Get Into Sport - A programme for children and young people which offers free and subsidised activities to break down barriers and increase participation. Over 1000 young people involved in the sessions, with 31% coming from areas of disadvantage.

Dance Mats Project – funded by the NHS but delivered by KAL, this programme aims to engage young people in physical activity through the use of innovative equipment and competition. Roving dance mats sets are lent to schools in Kirklees

KAL offers six free swimming lessons to adults who cannot swim or who are nervous swimmers
Ready Steady Go - working in partnership with the Council, this is an exercise recommendation scheme aimed at individuals who would like to be more active but are unsure about / have barriers to, increasing their physical activity levels. The project aims to fill a gap between those who would qualify for exercise referral and those who would be attracted by ‘mainstream’ marketing.

Future Job Fund - KAL has employed 83 individuals over an 18 month period – (FJF under 25 year olds paid employment 6 months)

University of Huddersfield links - 12 students involved in industry research and placements with and for KAL
Suitable pricing models - developed to attract a wider group of customers, such as Get into Sport (free and subsidised sessions), Deighton Membership more1 (cheaper membership product) and KAL Credit (pre-paid card in conjunction with scheme partners).
Over 80 voluntary sports clubs use KAL facilities.
Customer satisfaction score maintained at 78% (2009 & 2010 customer surveys)
Investors in People – re-accreditation awarded – December 2009
Environmental improvements - major drive to reduce CO₂ emissions with a 12.5% reduction in 2009/10 and savings re-invested towards further CO₂ reduction projects. An additional 5% reduction is targeted for 2010/11
Over 50s Weekday Leisure Scheme (OWLS) - 21,500 customers visits during 2009/10.