North Northants Social Enterprise network

31/05/2026

Last chance to apply. Beccy Hurrell Voice & Arts Ltd - one of our amazing local social enterprise members - are looking for a part-time admin assistant.

Looking for school-hours work in Kettering?

We are hiring a Part-Time Admin Assistant at BHVA.

This role helps everything run smoothly behind the scenes - supporting communication, organisation and the experience people have with us.

✔ Monday–Friday
✔ 9:30am–2:30pm
✔ Term-time only
✔ Based in Kettering

We’re looking for someone organised, kind and reliable.

You don’t need to have done this exact role before.

To apply visit www.bhva.co.uk/careers/admin-assistant to let us know why this feels like a good fit.

Applications close Monday 1 June.

Please share with someone who’d love this.

Love Kettering

30/05/2026

Excellent news for Wellingborough - new bus service for the Kingsway to town centre area. Brought to you by Comm Mini Bus who we are proud to have as a North Northants Social Enterprise network member. Real life example of how social enterprise can connect and improve communities. Brilliant work Ka and team!

Now just needs everyone to ‘use it… or lose it’!

30/05/2026

Who’s up for a game of ‘social enterprise pairs’? Today we’ve been busy raising the profile of the North Northants Social Enterprise Network (NNSE) at Kettering Volunteer Fair in the beautiful May sunshine. ☀️

Our fun card game triggered lots of discussions about the members we featured on the cards. Eg at least three people didn’t know that Adrenaline Alley is a not for profit as it’s a social enterprise!

If you are a local social enterprise (or a trading charity) we can feature your products and services in our Buy Social North Northants directory free of charge… and you may get added to our next card game too! See link in comments.

We spoke to a few new potential members, a couple of potential ‘friends’, some aspiring or newbie social entrepreneurs and had a couple of media interviews.

Fellow NNSE members at the event we managed to pop by and say hello to include: Love Kettering, Wicksteed Park, Stride & Ride CIC, Brightwayz and Northants 1

It was such a great day meeting our social entrepreneurs and others in person and being able to do what we do best - connecting, supporting and promoting social enterprise in the county.

Thank you Kettering Town Council for organising. This was all part of the start of . Not all social enterprises have volunteers but many do. Even those who are paid within social enterprises usually go above and beyond their paid responsibilities. So a big shout out not just to volunteers but to all of you who run, work in, buy from or otherwise support our social enterprise economy.



See you next year

28/05/2026

Interested in free, local support for your social enterprise? Or thinking about starting one? Or maybe you want to find out how your business could be working with local social enterprises?

Come along to the NNSE stand at the Kettering Volunteer Fair on Saturday 30 May between 10am and 3pm for a chat with Alison from North Northants Social Enterprise network.

We’re here to Connect, Support and Promote social enterprises across North Northants and proud holders of the SEUK ‘Place’ mark.

06/05/2026

If you love dogs 🐕, pop along to the Woof Wag festival at Wicksteed Park this month. This is Tina from Woof Wag which is a new member of North Northants Social Enterprise network member. Best of luck Tina!

Woofs galore at Wicksteed as park becomes a pooch paradise

01/05/2026

Important update for our local deaf and hard of hearing community.

22/04/2026

Here in North Northants we are championing ‘making it easier for local social enterprises to sell to corporates and public sector’ with our Buy Social North Northants directory and ongoing work with key procurement partners such as North Northamptonshire Council

In Westminster last night, business leaders agreed that procuring services and goods from social enterprises is a powerful way to align company strategy and purpose with values - and also a way to get ahead in the battle for talent.

Baroness Glenys Thornton hosted a dinner at the House of Lords to explore the growing opportunity for businesses to drive competitive advantage through social procurement. It feels like there's real momentum behind the shift from cost to value in procurement, and growing alignment between government and business on social value.

The market has come a long way since we launched the Buy Social Corporate Challenge in 2016, with more mature social enterprises in private sector supply chains than ever before. But gaps remain, and too much corporate demand still goes unfulfilled, which is exactly why Social Enterprise UK has bold plans to help high-growth social enterprises scale. We appreciate the ongoing commitment from Buy Social Corporate Challenge partners to help us do this.

Thank you to Patrick Hurley MP, Claire Dove, and our brilliant host Baroness Thornton for a genuinely inspiring evening.

Watch this space! We're releasing our latest Buy Social Corporate Challenge report on 11 June.

21/04/2026

Calling all NNSE members! Our member online network for April is this Thursday (23 Apr) from 4.30 to 5.30 led by the wonderful (and entertaining… no pressure) Emma from Laugh Out Loud Theatre Company.

This is YOUR chance to have YOUR say on how NNSE can support you best as local social enterprises. What are your challenges running your social enterprise? Do you need training, contacts, promotion or help unravelling something that’s getting you in a tangle? We need to know your main challenges!

If you are an NNSE member and need the link to this member-only catch up please let us know in comments or email [email protected] so we can ping it to you.

If you are not a member yet but are a North Northants based social enterprise and would like to join, please get in touch too!

23/02/2026

What an excellent turnout today for the Kettering Locality Forum organised by the Aspire North Northants staff team and supported by us at North Northants Social Enterprise network.

So many events and activities coming up for attendees within their own organisations. It was good to share these opportunities.

The focus today was on building financial resilience and understanding what back office support VCSEs need.

After explaining why the Buy Social North Northants directory is an important opportunity for VCSEs (are you in it yet?) we had lots of good discussions around back office needs and shared some good contacts.

We hope to continue bringing together NNSE members in person with the rest of the VCSE at these sessions so look out for more.

16/02/2026

Do YOU run or manage a not-for-profit in North Northants?

It could be a charity, CIC, social enterprise, sports club, community group, housing association, credit union or in fact any kind of not-for-profit.

Are you trying to increase your not-for-profit’s income and financial resilience by selling products or services?

Do you want to :
* Sell more tickets for your events, increase paid membership or gain income by hiring out your facilities?
* Get paid for sharing your knowledge and doing workshops for local businesses or the public?
* Win contacts with the council or sell to their main contractors?
* Sell more of your products to businesses, other organisations and local people?

Get listed today in the
‘Buy Social, Buy Local North Northants Directory’.

Find out more or register:
www.NNSE.org.uk/buy-social-buy-local

Or request a friendly call to help: [email protected]

Fully funded (ie free) for all not-for-profit (VCSE) organisations based in or primarily operating in North Northants.

Organised by North Northants Social Enterprise network

Supported by Aspire North Northants and North Northamptonshire Council

Social Enterprise UK