East of England, a region known for its picturesque landscapes, encompasses the historic counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, along with parts of Cambridgeshire and Essex. It's a land of contrasts, from the serene Norfolk Broads to the bustling university city of Cambridge.

In this blog, we delve into the diverse social investment stories from the East of England. We explore how this area, with its unique blend of rural charm and academic excellence, is leveraging social investment to nurture community projects, support local enterprises, and foster sustainable growth.

Join us as we celebrate the impactful and inspiring social investment activities recorded in the East of England.

East of England: Case studies

One of the best ways to learn more about social investment and how it can be used is through examples. Good Finance has 115 case studies and counting – here we spotlight just three recent stories from East of England...

Pop up Projects

POP Up Projects in the East of England is an inspiring example of social innovation. They focus on community development and engagement, transforming local areas through creative projects. Social investment has been instrumental in their growth, enabling them to reach more communities. Learn about POP Projects' journey in our full case study.

Your Own Place CIC

Your Own Place CIC in Norwich is dedicated to preventing youth homelessness. With innovative approaches like tenancy training and mentorship, they've leveraged social investment to expand their reach and impact. Discover more about how Your Own Place CIC is changing young lives and futures in their case study.

Mentis Tree CIC

Mentis Tree CIC, a mental health service provider in the East of England, offers transformative support to those facing mental health challenges. Utilising social investment, they have expanded their services, providing accessible counselling and therapy. Read about how Mentis Tree CIC is making mental wellness more attainable and impacting lives in their comprehensive case study.

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Check out our Case Study Mapper and filter by East of England to view all of the case studies we have from organisations that have harnessed the power of social investment in the East of England. 

Have you got a social investment story to tell? We’d love to spotlight more examples of social investment in action in East of England to support organisations that are currently exploring repayable finance. You can submit your experiences online here, alternatively email aconstable@goodfinance.org.uk to arrange content collection.

East of England: Must-Reads 

We also have various blogs, media and news from the East of England that help to provide a place-based perspective on the region. Here’s a couple of must-read blogs...

Exploring Norwich: Team Good Finance Explores Charities and Social Enterprises in Norfolk

The Good Finance team embarked on a journey to Norwich. We visited various charities and social enterprises dedicated to various social causes. From impactful community projects to pioneering social business, the team’s experience in Norwich provides valuable insights into the region’s dynamic and growing social sector. Read the full story of the adventure with our blog post.

What is the Recipe for Social Investment Success? 

In our 2021 festive campaign, we featured 12 organisations that had taken on social investment to ask what top tips they had for others exploring the process. One organisation featured here includes The Swan Gressenhall. They took on a £50,000 loan from Key Fund, alongside grants and a Community Share offer to finance the acquisition and refurbishment of their community asset. 

Company Secretary, Rosie Begg, shared her words of wisdom for anyone exploring social investment…

“Make sure the idea is realistic, and the business case is convincing. If it’s an organisation like ours that generates a lot of its earnings from local people – they have absolutely got to be behind you, so chat to people, get their thoughts and build that support base before worrying about everything else.”

Read the full blog here. 

East of England: Watch or Listen on Demand 

Over the years, we've ran various events, both in-person and online and captured some of our amazing 'Hear From a Peer' speakers as they reflect on their experiences with social investment.

We also have over 75 Podcasts, all of which are available to listen to via the streaming service of your choice. Here's our pick for the East of England...

Let's Talk Good Finance: Norfolk & Suffolk 

We were delighted to work with Voluntary Norfolk and Community Action Suffolk to bring Let's Talk Good Finance to Norfolk & Suffolk - and it's now available on demand! Watch now to catch up on all the brilliant speakers and their experiences with social investment...

Social Investment and Governance 

This event is for charities, social enterprises and community businesses who would like to learn more about social investment and governance, and how to bring your board on the journey with you. Join New Anglia Social Investment Partnership and Good Finance for this free session for an overview of social investment and governance, including peer experiences of how they navigated board decisions. 

Rebecca White, The Social Investment Experience 

Rebecca White, CEO of Your Own Place CIC talking about her organisations’ experience of taking on social investment from Sumerian Partners, just before the covid-19 hit. Listen to hear more about her patient equity investment deal that has allowed Your Own Place to scale up activity and employ a new member of the team.

Let's Talk Good Finance: Ipswich 

Listen to this podcast episode to hear from our guest speaker, Syrie Cox, Chief Executive of Southend YMCA as she shares their warts and all journey with social investment.

That’s a wrap for today! We are delighted to celebrate the social investment space in the East of England, and we know this is just tip of the iceberg in terms of all the fantastic activity that is happening.

If we’ve missed anything or you’d like to chat to us about featuring more content based the East of England on Good Finance, please email aconstable@goodfinance.org.uk and we’d love to chat further! 

Have a browse off various regional and national spotlight's across the UK!

- Spotlight series: West Midlands

- Spotlight series: East Midlands

- Spotlight series: South West

- Spotlight series: South East

- Spotlight series: London

- Spotlight series: Scotland

- Spotlight series: Yorkshire and Humber

- Spotlight series: North West

- Spotlight series: North East

- Spotlight series: Northern Ireland

- Spotlight series: Wales