As part of our package of member benefits, VONNE’s Gold and Silver Membership+ supporters have the opportunity to submit a guest post for our website. This blog from North East Enterprise Agency Ltd highlights the contribution that socially trading organisations make to the local community and economy, and shares a case study of what they can achieve with the right support.
Business With Purpose: Driving Inclusive Growth Through the Social Economy
The Business With Purpose service, funded by the North East Combined Authority (NECA), plays a vital role in supporting socially trading organisations as they establish and grow. This aligns with the government's recognition that regions are key to driving national economic growth, as demonstrated by the requirement for them to produce Local Growth Plans.
In 2022, there were 5,400 social economy organisations in the region with an average turnover of £222,000 and an estimated £551 million contributed in Gross Value Added (GVA). At this time, these organisations employed approximately 29,000 people, accounting for 3.1% of local employment—providing proportionally more jobs than the local agriculture, energy, and water industries.
NECA is working to ensure social economy organisations can access appropriate business support. Funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) has enabled the establishment of specialised support for these organisations, including the Business With Purpose programme, which helps socially purposed startups to maximise their trading income and enhance their impact. It is delivered by a consortium of local organisations with social economy expertise, headed by North East Enterprise Agency, who is contracted to deliver the service, using a delivery consortium comprising Project North East, North East BIC, Junction Point CIC, and Millin Charity.
The below case study shows just what this can achieve.
Serving up connection: chef launches social enterprise to tackle health and loneliness
A Newcastle-based chef with 25 years of professional experience has turned her culinary skills into a mission for social good.
Dyonne Branch’s new social enterprise, Love Food Bible CIC, is using the power of food to bring people together, improve mental and physical health, and help families to eat well on a budget.
Dyonne’s journey began back in 2019 when she started Love Food Bible as a limited company. But during the Covid-19 pandemic, when face-to-face sessions became impossible, she saw something deeper emerging from her work.
“I realised what people were really missing wasn’t just cooking skills and confidence – it was connection,” she says. “They wanted a space to gather, be together, learn and create. That’s when I realised this wasn’t just a business – it was a social mission.”
Determined to shift her focus from profit to purpose, Dyonne decided to re-launch her business as a social enterprise. But with no idea how to transition from a limited company, she turned to Ernest Dodds, a specialist social enterprise adviser for the Business with Purpose Service at the North East BIC, for help.
Working through the Business with Purpose Service, which aims to support the growth of organisations with a social purpose, Ernest provided a series of free one-to-one support sessions to dive into the details of Dyonne’s business idea.
“The BIC were amazing,” Dyonne says. “Ernest helped me with everything from understanding how social enterprises work to considering any gaps I had in my knowledge and who to approach to progress my ideas.
“As a single mother managing depression and anxiety, the guidance meant the world to me. Ernest was so patient and supportive and I took on board everything he told me and got started really quickly.”
With Ernest’s from Business with Purpose’s support, Dyonne registered Love Food Bible CIC and applied for funding. Together they finetuned the business’s proposition, focusing on educating people on how to integrate the benefits of a healthy balanced lifestyle and demonstrating how to cook for their specific dietary needs.
She began working from the premises of several community organisations providing themed cookery demonstrations and cook-alongs, which provide hands-on sessions, often run in partnership with food banks, showing people how to make the most of what’s in a food parcel.
“So many people don’t know what to do with things like chickpeas or canned mushrooms,” Dyonne says. “I show them how to turn those ingredients into tasty, nutritious meals – how to add flavour with herbs, cook on a budget, and feel confident in the kitchen.”
The impact has been profound. Participants report trying new ingredients, managing budgets better, and improving their diet – all while connecting with others and having fun.
Through Love Food Bible CIC, Dyonne is proving that healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive. Her sessions are designed to be practical, welcoming, and inclusive, especially for those facing financial hardship or mental health struggles.
“I want to help people break out of old habits, try new things, and feel good about themselves,” she says. “Food is such a powerful way to bring people together – to learn, to share, to heal.”
Her goal now is to secure funding to open her own permanent base – a dedicated space where people can come together to learn, cook, and connect.
In the coming year, she aims to expand her services to include exercise and wellness activities alongside cookery classes, eventually operating from two permanent sites offering a full programme of health-focused services.
“This is more than a business,” she adds. “It’s my purpose. And thanks to the support I’ve had from Business with Purpose and the people around me, I’m finally doing what I was meant to do.”
Image Credits: North East Enterprise Agency Ltd