Hertfordshire based social enterprise HILS celebrate being selected as one of Small Business Saturday’s top 100 small businesses in the UK.
Reinvesting all profits to develop services to help vulnerable people stay independent at home, HILS has been named among the 100 small businesses in the UK to be celebrated by Small Business Saturday, the campaign that culminates in the UK’s dedicated day for small businesses on December 3rd.
Hertfordshire Independent Living Service (HILS) has bucked the trend in a declining meals-on-wheels market, having returned a surplus for the last six years whilst a fifth of its workforce face significant barriers to employment.
HILS currently deliver 500,000 meals and welfare checks every year to help improve the lives and support the independence of thousands of elderly, frail, or disabled people. It also provides a wide range of other support services including the installation of personal alarms to the elderly and people at risk of domestic violence; dementia fun-clubs; nutrition screening and advice; emergency grocery packs for people in crisis; community transport; and employment and work experience for ex-offenders, students, and people with physical or mental health difficulties.
“Small businesses are the mainstay of our economy and our communities, providing local employment as well as accessible products and services on which people rely,” explains CEO Sarah Wren.
“We now serve over 10,000 people each year across Hertfordshire, and employ 200 local people. Being part of the Small Biz 100 will provide a fantastic opportunity for us to tell people about the services we provide to help people maintain their independence.”
Small Business Saturday is already the UK’s most successful small business campaign. This is the fourth year of the campaign, which last year saw £623m spent with small businesses across the UK on Small Business Saturday, an increase of £119m or 24 per cent on the previous year. The campaign trended at number one in the UK on Twitter on the day with more than 100,000 campaign-related tweets being sent. Over 75% of local councils supported the campaign, giving considerable national reach into local communities.
“The British public has a great affection for small businesses and we continue to see that grow year on year. Small Business Saturday is an exceptional example of collaboration and co-operation with small businesses teaming up in communities around the UK,” explains Campaign Director Michelle Ovens.
“Although the campaign focuses on one day, the goal is to have a lasting impact on small businesses by changing mind-sets, so that people make it their mission to support small businesses all year round. Most people in this country own a small business, work for a small business or know somebody who does, so supporting a small business on Small Business Saturday is absolutely personal.”
More information on Small Business Saturday can also be found on the Small Business Saturday Facebook page (www.facebook.com/smallbusinesssaturdayuk) and Twitter feed (@SmallBizSatUk).
