A West Lothian group has been shortlisted for the Social Enterprise of the Year Award 2022 for the second year in a row.
Run annually, the Social Enterprise Scotland Awards represent the very best of the sector, highlighting the active role that social enterprises play in building places, supporting communities and making a positive impact on our environment and wellbeing.
And The Larder is in the running for a title.
The Larder were declared ‘Highly Commended’ in the 2021 awards being pipped at the post by Glasgow Social Enterprise, Locavore.
This year they are welcomed back with open arms being shortlisted once again for the prestigious category alongside fellow social enterprises Edinburgh Remakery, Hey Girls CIC, JTS (Just Trading Scotland), and Scran Academy.
The Larder were nominated for their food provision project and development academy.
Their nomination came as judges touted the social enterprise’s provision of needs-led, trauma-informed training, which is flexible and has no time limits - as well as using food as a foundation to build community.
Over the last 12 months The Larder have produced strong outcomes in West Lothian, compelling beneficiary stories, and evidenced social impact.
In 2021, they reached the final for five awards, winning the Living Wage Scotland, Newcomer Award and receiving two ‘Highly Commended’ accolades.
They implemented a salary structure and became a Living Wage employer, resulting in a 16 per cent average salary increase for employees.
The Larder also introduced two staff wellbeing days, created seven new jobs, including a director of food enterprise and sales and marketing manager to drive enterprise sales.
Twenty-three volunteers gave up over 1500 hours of their time throughout the year to support the social enterprise.
Despite the continued and lasting impacts of Covid-19, their training academy supported 238 people to reach their full potential, with 82 per cent gaining qualifications, and 77 per cent moving into employment, education, or further training.
Their food insecurity project served 41365 meals to over 400 people struggling to access food in West Lothian- most commonly experiencing a low-income, homelessness, and / or declining mental health.
Angela Moohan, CEO at The Larder said: “It’s very humbling being nominated once again for these awards, as it recognises the hard work of the whole team who have worked incredibly hard to support so many people in West Lothian living in poverty and experiencing multiple and complex barriers.
“Our team lived our values of honesty, collaboration, quality, compassion and transformation, bringing the best support to our community.
“Being a finalist for these awards has given us even more encouragement to continue developing our projects and working with our community.”
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