Wales Co-operative Centre has launched a Covid-19 helpline for the social business sector in Wales.
The helpline will be delivered by the Centre’s Social Business Wales programme, funded by the Welsh government and European Regional Development Fund. Social Business Wales has a team of regional business advisors located across the country that will be on hand via telephone or video conferencing to help with enquiries about cash flow, HR, digital platforms, communications and a range of other areas which might need re-thinking in light of the coronavirus.
Latest research for the sector shows there are over 3,000 social businesses operating in Wales, employing around 55,000 people and contributing over £3bn to the local economy.
Glenn Bowen, Wales Co-operative Centre’s director for enterprise, said: “Businesses in Wales are facing a time of unprecedented uncertainty. As well as thinking about the health of their families and colleagues, they are also considering how best to support their local communities and think about how their social business might fare if income dries up or staff become ill.
“Despite this, I have two very positive thoughts. The first is that we’ve seen positive stories of communities and community based business coming together collectively to face the challenges faced by Covid-19. Secondly, social businesses in Wales are not alone. Thanks to funding from Welsh government and ERDF we have a team of expert advisors on hand to provide expert help in light of the current situation. We can provide advice via telephone or through video conferencing – just phone us or email us if you need our support.
“Events are moving very fast but as an organisation we are working hard to stay ahead of the curve and develop specific tools and resources which can help the social business sector get through these difficult times.”
Social Business Wales will be holding a webinar at 12.30pm on Thursday 26 March to run through the support available for businesses from the Government. With a range of measures announced in the past week, the session will help social businesses understand the financial options available to them. To sign upto the webinar, please visit: https://wales.coop/covid-19 The webinar will be recorded and made available a short time afterwards.
To access the free tools and resources developed by Social Business Wales, please visit: https://businesswales.gov.wales/socialbusinesswales/covid-19-support-your-social-business . Alternatively you can phone the Wales Co-operative Centre on 0300 111 5050 or email [email protected]
