The Prince of Wales visited the Troxy arts and culture venue in Stepney to celebrate the creation of more than 1,000 jobs in east London’s Olympic boroughs by socially-minded businesses.
Prince Charles is president of Business in the Community, a network of business leaders tackling social and environmental issues, and was the guest of honour at their annual general meeting yesterday afternoon.
More than 450 executives from the organisation joined the Prince to celebrate the announcement that arc London, BITC’s social enterprise programme, had created more than 1000 jobs for Olympic borough residents, with more than half coming from Tower Hamlets and Hackney. Launched in September 2011 to create a “human legacy” after the London 2012 Olympic games, arc London is estimated to have contributed £89.8m to the UK economy.
The Troxy, a 1930s Art Deco former cinema, is a locally-celebrated Grade II listed building designed by George Coles that now hosts films, concerts, weddings, conferences exhibitions and martial arts.
Jane Pritchard, BITC’s enterprise and culture director, said: “The impact of our social enterprise programme in London provides a glimpse of the power of collaboration between big business and social enterprises, to create lasting change and vital employment in areas of need.”
The Prince of Wales joined business leaders in east London to celebrate job creation Pic: BITC
More than 450 executives from the organisation joined the Prince to celebrate the announcement that arc London, BITC’s social enterprise programme, had created more than 1000 jobs for Olympic borough residents, with more than half coming from Tower Hamlets and Hackney. Launched in September 2011 to create a “human legacy” after the London 2012 Olympic games, arc London is estimated to have contributed £89.8m to the UK economy.
The Troxy, a 1930s Art Deco former cinema, is a locally-celebrated Grade II listed building designed by George Coles that now hosts films, concerts, weddings, conferences exhibitions and martial arts.
Jane Pritchard, BITC’s enterprise and culture director, said: “The impact of our social enterprise programme in London provides a glimpse of the power of collaboration between big business and social enterprises, to create lasting change and vital employment in areas of need.”
The Prince received a commemorative plaque made by social enterprise Southbank Mosaics to celebrate the jobs created in east London by arc London.
Arc London links volunteers from established corporations with fledgling socially-minded businesses, helping them develop business plans, grow sustainably and attract outside investment.
One of arc London’s biggest success stories is Abi Ramanan, founder of the catering and pickle business Papi’s Pickles. Ramanan, of Stoke Newington, founded the business to help newly-arrived South Indian and Sri Lankan women put their cookery skills to use, allowing them to “find a purpose” in London.
She said her partnership with Adam Tofts, a highly experienced business manager at BP and volunteer with arc London, “felt like a blind date” at the first meeting, but the pair soon realised they had an instant connection.
Tofts has now mentored Ramanan for seven months and helped her secure her first round of outside investment. She said: “If it wasn’t for Adam, I’d be floundering around, now I’ve got my sights set on becoming the first social enterprise chain.”
Stoke Newington’s Abi Ramanan, is one of many social entrepreneurs who met the Prince Pic: BITC
Peter and Emma Worely of Forest Hill also secured the support of arc London for their charity The Philosophy Foundation, which had been bringing philosophy lessons to east London schools for 15 years before their mentorship began.
The couple, who started their work at the Eliot Bank school in Lewisham, said the mentors from arc have helped them become more critical of their own business development. Peter Worely said: “It gives us a fresh, outside perspective.”
Emma Worely said that the Prince had heard of their work and was “very enthusiastic” about the need to teach children philosophy and critical thinking to prepare them for the adult world.
The Worelys both said that meeting the Prince was a thrill but that their five-year-old daughter was upset that she couldn’t meet a prince today. “But I think she would have been disappointed he didn’t have a lance and white horse.”
Words by Amalia Illgner
Video by Ninka Mbaye
