BtF Blog

Big Society Hub Shops are a key way of ensuring the Big Society movement actually works and delivers the quality and consistency of service that individuals and communities need and ask for. Big Society Hub Shops will:

• be a physical presence on the high street – a big society shop is a way of seeing it
• offer a drop in service to potential social entrepreneurs and existing Third Sector organisations so they can receive practical and on-going support for the business and the latest information on opportunities, tendering and market shaping
• be a physical location for offices for the Third Sector
• be a drop in centre for members of the community to seek advice and to say what is needed by them and their communities
• be a source of information for individuals, groups and businesses
• be a small scale seed for funder where appropriate
• be a coordinator for the Third Sector response to need in the community and to tendering so that the Third Sector can compete with larger corporate groups that will wish to deliver contracts
• be a coordinating body to apply for tenders and apply for grant money to deliver services
• be a viable, trading social enterprise in its own right by delivering services as the Big Society Hub/Shop so it has on the ground experience similar to the other groups competing for work and trying to make a difference to the community