Scots social ventures get £200,000 funding boost

THE programme behind some of Scotland’s newest social enterprises, including Glasgow’s Coffee and Craic, has received fresh funding to expand into nine additional areas.

Sarah Bolland said Ditto had helped her make Coffee and Craic a reality. Picture: Contributed

Ditto will use the £200,000 boost from Resilient Scotland to reach beyond its current core operations in Dundee, Edinburgh, Fife and Glasgow. Run by development agency Firstport, Ditto provides off-the-shelf business models for projects such as childcare services, community cafés and retail outlets.

Since January 2014, Ditto has helped nine social entrepreneurs set up businesses that have created local jobs while also providing a broader community service.

Coffee and Craic, owned by Sarah Bolland, is Glasgow’s first Gaelic café and operates as a community hub for speakers of the language. She said: “Getting onto Firstport’s Ditto programme meant that I received the support, guidance and funding I needed to see my plans become a reality. Coffee and Craic is going from strength to strength.”

Ditto will now expand into Clackmannanshire, East Ayrshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire and West Lothian. Funding from Resilient is aimed at community organisations that contribute to the sustainable regeneration of their local area.

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