1 Comment
Local charity incredABLE has been crowned 'Social Enterprise Of The Year (Over £500k)' at the 13th annual Social Enterprise Northern Ireland Awards, capping off a remarkable period of growth that has seen the organisation expand across counties Armagh and Down with a new cafe at Newry Leisure Centre.
The organisation, which has been providing opportunities for people with learning disabilities and autism in the Southern Trust area for just over 25 years, picked up the prestigious award in front of over 600 guests at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Belfast last Friday night. They will now represent Northern Ireland at the Social Enterprise UK Awards in London on 26 November.
It's been a particularly busy six months for incredABLE, with two major new ventures opening their doors. In August, Cafe incredABLE @ Newry Leisure Centre began serving its first customers, marking the organisation's expansion into the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area. Open seven days a week, the cafe has received an extremely positive response from the public since opening.
The Newry venue is the fourth cafe in incredABLE's growing portfolio, following the success of their three other locations in the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area. Cafe incredABLE @ Banbridge Leisure Centre is celebrating its third year of trading this week, while their flagship social enterprise cafe at the South Lake Leisure Centre marked five years of success last week. Their longest trading eatery, Cafe incredABLE @ Jethro in Lurgan, will celebrate eight years in business next spring.
Back in June, incredABLE took over responsibility for operating the former Armagh City Youth Hostel, renaming it 'Stay incredABLE' Armagh City. The modern, 62-bed self-catering group accommodation facility continues to serve as a welcoming hub in the heart of the Cathedral City, providing quality, affordable accommodation all year round for charities, schools, churches, sports teams and youth organisations.
This new location complements their extremely popular Co Down self-catering residential centre 'Stay incredABLE' The Mournes, a 26-bed facility built with accessibility in mind and ideally located near the Silent Valley Reservoir. Between the two venues, incredABLE now has the capacity to provide affordable accommodation to up to 88 people every night.
CEO Nigel Hampton described the award as "a whole team achievement" and said he felt "both humbled and honoured" to receive the recognition. "This recognition means so much to us – we began with one social enterprise cafe and now we have four across counties Armagh and Down. We also have two very busy self catering residential centres in the Mournes and Armagh City which provide high-quality, affordable group accommodation," he said.
"Every day, our team works passionately to create incredible opportunities for individuals with a learning disability and/or autism across the Southern Health and Social Care Trust area — and it's particularly special when that work is acknowledged by others."
Cllr Hampton added: "This award is a whole team achievement, and I'm so proud of the dedication, creativity, and contribution that each person brings to incredABLE. Thank you to Social Enterprise NI for this honour, and to everyone who supports our mission."
It was only in the last decade that incredABLE ventured into the world of social entrepreneurship, developing what has become a hugely successful business model. The organisation provides meaningful opportunities for hundreds of people with learning or intellectual disabilities and autism, including enterprising day opportunities, summer schemes, short break staycations and holidays abroad.
The Social Enterprise UK Awards will take place at the Southbank Centre in London on 26 November, where incredABLE will share their story at the 'Festival of Hope' event celebrating social enterprises creating hope for people and communities right across the UK.
