Dundee social enterprise wins national award to support third sector

Hailed Scotland’s top Social Enterprise business idea, the first dedicated mobile communication social enterprise in Scotland, Good Call, has won the Social Enterprise EDGE (SEE) Award, a prize of £80,000.

Now in its second year, the award will allow Good Call, one of nine finalists, to recruit an operations manager and marketing support including a dedicated website. Longer-term, the funding will support the training and employment of customer services advisors from disadvantaged backgrounds, from within the charities and partners it supports.

The growing team will be based at Dundee’s Water’s Edge development.

Part of Scottish EDGE, the competition to identify and support the nation’s most promising entrepreneurial talent, the SEE Award runs in partnership with Postcode Innovation Trust. The Trust is funded entirely by players of People’s Postcode Lottery and has recently been established to support the development of the social enterprise sector throughout the UK.

Good Call aims to remove the mobile communications barriers facing charities, social enterprises and community groups, saving them hundreds of thousands of pounds in the process. 

Founded by mobile communications entrepreneur Colin Loveday, who has 25 years’ experience running successful mobile phone businesses, the community interest company (CIC) is offering low-cost mobile communications solutions to charities, social enterprises and community groups in the form of handsets and contracts, together with expert, trusted advice.  Good Call will return all profits to the charity in the form of lower line rental, better mobile handsets, or payments.

Mr Loveday said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have won the Social Enterprise EDGE Award. As a ‘not for profit’ enterprise, we are here to support the third sector and it’s fantastic that Scottish EDGE is now supporting businesses dedicated to reinvesting 100% of their profits back into society.

“This generous support from the players of People’s Postcode Lottery will allow us to raise the profile of our innovative sustainable business model which is focused on helping charities obtain mobile phones and contracts at low cost, allowing them to focus on their main objectives, helping their beneficiaries. We hope that our work and this award will also help inspire the next generation of social entrepreneurs who are determined to help address society’s problems.”

Congratulating Good Call, Steven Hamill, chief operating officer of Scottish EDGE, said: “Good Call was one of nine very impressive social enterprises to have made it to the Social Enterprise EDGE Final, which is supported by the Postcode Innovation Trust. The competition attracted applications from early-stage Social Enterprises that covered all parts of Scotland, so to have emerged as the winning business is a tremendous achievement.  

“On final’s day, Colin presented his business case to our expert panel of assessors with a high degree of professionalism and demonstrated clearly the impact that winning the award would have on Good Call’s ability to support many charitable organisations. We are delighted to have Good Call as one of our winners and look forward to supporting them as they embark on the next phase of their growth journey.”

Since its formation, Good Call has attracted a number of clients ranging from a young person’s mental health charity looking to improve communication with its young people during weekends and school holidays, to a charity supporting vulnerable people excluded from family, home, work and community. 

Since its launch, Scottish EDGE, supported by the Royal Bank of Scotland, The Hunter Foundation and the Scottish Government, has made 350 awards totaling over £13m, creating over 1,800 jobs and boosting turnover and investment.

Colin Loveday, a mobile communications entrepreneur with a blue chip corporate background, is the founder of 4G Scotland and Predict Mobile which supports business with the latest mobile technologies.  Colin also represents Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce as a Director on the board of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce.