PIONEERING social enterprise Bryson Charitable Group grew its business by more than 12 per cent last year despite the economic uncertainty as revenues rose from £30.7 to £34.4 million, the annual conference in Belfast heard on Wednesday.
Recently named the UK’s Social Enterprise of the Year at the Private Business Awards, chief executive John McMullan, said the financial results underlined the important role of the social economy across Northern Ireland.
“The results this year of £34.4m demonstrate the importance of encouraging social enterprise in Northern Ireland and we are committed to building better futures for local people and communities with our work here,” he said.
“Bryson’s recent Queen’s Award win for Enterprise in Sustainable Development across the UK is a first for Northern Ireland, demonstrating that the group is a true leader in this sector.
“Against a very difficult economic backdrop, Bryson continues to thrive and experience an increase in demand for its social impact driven services. We deliver 25,700 services each day across Northern Ireland and into Donegal.”
The group operates across several sectors covering training, care provision and recycling, for which it is best known.
Mr McMullan said the past year had seen 663 staff provide 252,000 hours of direct care to more than 4,200 people while nearly half a million homes had benefited from its recycling services.
“We have increased energy efficiency for over 115,000 households, 34 per cent of young people found employment through our programmes and even our popular water sports centre has become a great day out for businesses, families and young people,” he said.
“Our model is one that we take pride in and it’s great to see that we are not only providing an invaluable service to many people with a wide range of social needs but we are also actively tackling economic, health, environmental, education and housing policy issues to show that this sector can create sustainable careers and provide high quality public services.
“In keeping with our social enterprise model, Bryson also ensures that 94p of every pound spent by the charity is invested into the services we provide and the development of those services, which are then rolled out to local communities.”
Attending the conference, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said Bryson made a vital contribution to business growth.
“Bryson Charitable Group, through its social business units, makes a collective effort to achieving our long-term vision for the economy through embarking upon major social and economic challenges,” he said.
“The group’s success demonstrates the social enterprise model can and is delivering a positive impact.
“Bryson, and other local social enterprises, are valuable sources of services and employment for disadvantaged neighbourhoods and individuals.”