Great day in Manchester to celebrate #growthimpactfund and hear from the first investees DWRM and Neuropool Thank you UnLtd Big Issue Invest #celebratingGIF #socent #socialenterprise

Attended #celebratingGIF today in Manchester from TSIC . Congratulations on #GrowthImpactFund team 🎉 what a great event!

Final session of the day. Rhea , portfolio manager at UnLtd is joined by Ishita Ranjan-Churchill from Spark & Co and Good Finance as they discuss how to embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion into your #SocEnt #CelebratingGIF

It's all about collaboration. We social entrepreneurs have to stick together to bring about meaningful change. Great talk from Anwar Ali of Upturn Enterprise. #GrowthImpactFund #CelebratingGIF

It's workshop time again. I'm in a session to discuss 'nurturing your idea'. We'll be talking about legal issues relating to start-ups as well as how to build partnerships. #GrowthImpactFund #CelebratingGIF

Deborah from Love Community Cafe in #Salford is seeking investment for her work to support refugees with language and confidence classes. #GrowthImpactFund #CelebratingGIF

My water pistol seems to be proving a useful addition to UnLtd #CelebratingGIF #GrowthImpactFund event sessions today, on how to develop your idea into a full-blown social enterprise...

Here's the Growth Impact Fund investment team. All delighted at the amazing energy at this event! #GrowthImpactFund #CelebratingGIF

This is Lauren from transformliveco which is based in #Liverpool and offers employment and wellbeing support to a wide range of people. She's received funding from UnLtd too. #GrowthImpactFund #CelebratingGIF

This is Jacob from VIBE Youth CIC. Vibe Youth CIC provide wellbeing support to young people in #Wales. Jacob has personal experience of the criminal justice system. He is also a social entrepreneur who has received grant funding from UnLtd. #GrowthImpactFund #CelebratingGIF

This is Anthony from Future Eye Entertainment LTD. He's interested in supporting people in prison with music business courses. #GrowthImpactFund #CelebratingGIF

Scaling up and how to build a business around a great idea. Anj Handa speaking on important considerations for board recruitment and governance. #GrowthImpactFund #CelebratingGIF

Funding applications can be very time consuming and we have to do this alongside running a business. Not much time to sleep! Lots of shared experiences and concerns. #GrowthImpactFund #CelebratingGIF

I'm now in a workshop for people considering whether social investment is right for them. Great to hear from so many other social entrepreneurs. Asking good questions about the pros and cons of different sources of funding. #GrowthImpactFund #CelebratingGIF

Jack Jack Dyrhauge spoke about his ambition to support 10,000 neuro diverse people into work by 2030. 25% of people in prison are neuro diverse so we hope to engage with Neuropool to offer post release employment support. #CelebratingGIF

I talked about our goals for growth which have been boosted by the social investment we have received. This has enabled us to grow our team which means we can respond to more contracts, engage with more students, generate a greater impact. #CelebratingGIF

I spoke about my background as a teacher supporting people who do not fit the boxes of mainstream education. And Danielwhyte628's experience of studying while in prison. And how we found shared values and dreams which led to us setting up our business. #CelebratingGIF

After my initial nerves, I really enjoyed speaking! Some great questions and lots of synergy between myself and Jack Dyrhauge. There's scope for DWRM and Neuropool to work together. #GrowthImpactFund #CelebratingGIF

I never pictured myself as a social entrepreneur and I've been out of my comfort zone on many occasions. UnLtd offers guidance and support for people on that journey. It's a rollercoaster for sure. Hold on tight and enjoy the view. #GrowthImpactFund #CelebratingGIF