DAVID Cameron has praised Oxfordshire as “a beacon’’ for businesses which plough back profits to help society.

And a new body Oxfordshire Social Entrepreneurship Partnership, set up by Brookes and the University of Oxford, has launched with a funding pot of £100,000.

The one-stop shop will offer masterclasses, mentoring and grants from £500 to £15,000.

During what is National Social Enterprise Week, the first so-called Social Saturday will take place this weekend. Stalls at Cowley and Banbury markets plus Witney Trade Fair will explain how the 30-plus social enterprises around the county work.

David Cameron said: “It’s fantastic that Oxfordshire is the first county to become a Social Enterprise Place – a beacon of social enterprise activity.

“Social Saturday is a great way to raise awareness of the vital and growing role social enterprises play in our economy and local communities in Oxfordshire and across the country.”

Didcot and Wantage MP Ed Vaizey, Henley MP John Howell and county council leader Cllr Ian Hudspeth will visit several of the social enterprises during the next few weeks.

These include Milton Park-based Oxford Wood Recycling, which helps people who face barriers to working and the Skylight Crisis cafe at The Old Fire Station which supports the homeless. Other examples of social enterprises include the Yellow Submarine cafe in Park End Street, Low Carbon Hub and Aspire Oxford.

Another local example is Oxford Real Eggs, based on the university’s farm near Wytham.

It supplies organic eggs to Turl Street Kitchen, mobile greengrocer Cultivate’s VegVan, Oxford University and The Organic Deli Cafe.

Staffed by adults with learning difficulties who collect, grade and pack eggs, it boosts numeracy, literacy and social skills to help them into paid employment.

Sarah Giles, from Oxford Real Eggs, said: “This gives people with learning disabilities a chance to do something really worthwhile and be proud they are doing it.”

Grant Hayward of OSEP and the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Employees are not just interested in money, they want to work for a business that is ethically correct and supporting its local community. The only businesses that will prosper in the future are those who are socially responsible.”

UK-wide, the best known social enterprises are The Big Issue, Jamie Oliver’s fifteen restaurant chain, Café Direct and Divine Chocolate.

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