Join Phelim Sharvin in Templemore Baths in Belfast for an exciting new showcase event on 8 February 2024.
Community Finance Ireland have partnered with Belfast City Council and a number of other key strategic partners to deliver On Purpose: Inspiring and Showcasing Social Business.
The event is your opportunity to hear from success stories within the Community, Voluntary and Social Enterprise Sector as well as affording you the opportunity to chat to and get advice from sustainable finance experts about the funding opportunities available to your community organisation or social enterprise.
The event is free to attend and will take place in East Belfast’s Templemore Baths on Thursday 8 February, kicking off at 9:45am and finishing at 12:15 including a light lunch. To register attendance, click the booking link:
The Speakers
Phelim Sharvin | Sustainable Finance Expert, Community Finance Ireland
Phelim is a Chartered Banker and has Honours Degree and Masters Level qualifications in European Regional Development, Economics & Business Management. Now Head of Community Finance NI, Phelim has had sole responsibility for the CFI loan portfolio since 2007, committing approximately £80m to the wider CVSE sector and developed a successful range of bespoke loan funds most notably in the local Sports, Childcare, Green Energy and Start-Up Social Enterprise Sectors. Most recently he led the CFI Covid Grant Fund Management Team committing £22m grant funding to the local Community sector. He is a regular judge of the Social Enterprise NI Awards and chairs the CFI annual Dragons’ Den event.
Pamela Hughes | Kids Together, Belfast
Kids Together Belfast (KTB) was set up initially by two parents passionate about providing services for families, children and young people with complex needs. KTB uses the social enterprise model to deliver these services across the Belfast and Lisburn Trust areas. They are entrepreneurial and innovative in their approach and have scaled their venture over the past 8 years to employ more than 50 people in an area of high economic and social deprivation. Pamela Hughes will share the Kids Together Belfast story including how they have lobbied for policy change in terms of self directed payments, increased services to meet local needs and diversifi ed their income to help sustain the venture for the longer term.
Rónán Ó Dálaigh | Founder and CEO, Thriftify
The Thriftify platform enables charity shops to value their donations, instantly list them across all of the leading online marketplaces, and easily ship orders to circulators around the world. The social enterprise was launched in Ireland in 2018 and has been on a rapid growth trajectory; scaling to 98% market share in Ireland and expanding quickly across the UK. With a vision of changing how and why the world shops, Thriftify is building the engine for the circular economy. Charity shops receive the vast majority of used goods and, by making these items accessible to consumers who care, the company is aiming to create a new model of shopping – one that is not only sustainable but also impactful. A champion of social enterprise, Rónán has been the recipient of the Irish Presidential Youth Award, The Chancellor’s Medal at DCU and the winner of the Irish ENACTUS award for social enterprise. He was also voted a ‘Young Global Shaper’ by the World Economic Forum.
Alice Thompson | International Speaker and Purpose Coach
A proven Social Business Leader, Alice co-founded Social Bite, an Edinburgh café designed to employ and feed the homeless community. It now boasts 9 outlets, 100+ employees and has been visited by the likes of George Clooney, the Duchess of Cambridge, Bill Clinton and Leonardo DiCaprio. Alice and her team made Social Bite a nationwide success, distributing over 150,000 fresh food items each year to those in need and campaigning for policy reform. Alice was also pivotal in the establishment of ‘The World’s Big Sleepout’ which took place in 52 cities across the globe with stars such as Will Smith and Dame Helen Mirren reading bedtime stories to participants. A recipient of the RSGS Livingstone Medal, which is also held by the likes of Sir David Attenborough and Neil Armstrong, Alice is now an international speaker and one of the UK’s best known purpose coaches.
Hope to see you on 8 February.
