Fact-Finding in Fife for Borders Social Enterprises

On Thursday 16th August eight members from the Borders Social Enterprise Chamber took a minibus over the Forth Road Bridge. Their destination was Crosshill, a former mining village in central Fife and headquarters of BRAG Enterprises Ltd, a social enterprise formed in 1988 as the “Benarty Regeneration Action Group”.

The Borders party was warmly welcomed by John Oates, Manager of BRAG, who provided a lively presentation covering the development of the organisation and outlining its current range of activities. Initially supported by the Coalfield Regeneration Trust, BRAG operates from the refurbished Crosshill primary school and other nearby premises. It offers over 40 workspace units from which operate a diverse range of businesses and it provides a number of complimentary initiatives including business support, retraining and recruitment. BRAG runs a popular internet cafe and is franchised to operate the School for Social Entrepreneurs in Fife. The Borderers were all very impressed by the progress made by BRAG, clearly one of Scotland’s most successful social enterprises. After answering a number of questions, John gave the group a conducted tour of the premises.

The Borders Social Enterprise Chamber was formed in 2005 as the collective voice and focal point for the development of social enterprise in the Scottish Borders. It plays a strategic role within the Local Social Enterprise Partnership, holding regular meetings, events and providing training relevant to its membership. The visit to BRAG by the Chamber has provided valuable pointers for future development in the Borders and inspiration for exciting new ideas.

The arrangements for the trip were made by Ian Skinner, Scottish Business in the Community’s Borders Co-ordinator and a Director of the Borders Social Enterprise Chamber.