Public Services Lab Blog

An antidote to Big Society cynicism

13.07.2010

How one small idea in Scotland challenges the cynics who say Big Society can't work

I understand the trend to be cynical about the Big Society. You can easily argue that so far it’s been more about rhetorical flourish than practical application; and the coincidence of fiscal consolidation with an ambition for people powered solutions is open to the charge of retro-fitting.

I received a welcome antidote to this all-too fashionable cynicism last week, hearing pitches from novice social entrepreneurs involved in NESTA’s Age Unlimited programme in Scotland.  

Last year we put out a call for ideas from people in their 50s and 60s who had an idea about how to support people to age well.

Over the past six months, we have been working with our partners First Port to support the best of those ideas to become sustainable enterprises. The results were inspiring.

These are women (and they were all women) most of whom have retired, but who care passionately and want to help solve a local problem. They were accessing the under-utilised resources in their communities (buildings, skills, time and other stuff) and engaging emotionally with the people they wanted to help – not least because they were their neighbours.

Volunteer Gold

Take Grace and Chris from Angus, and their fledgling enterprise, Volunteer Gold. The idea is painfully simple: trained volunteers visit people – at their homes or in group settings – to undertake specific activities like seated exercises, singing or crafts.

In their own words, the service will “...harness the skills of those [over 50s] who are fit and able...to provide a service for those who are not... providing the human link that some folks need...to help them keep themselves well, involved and still making choices...  doing what the state and statutory services cannot hope to do in the present economic climate”.

"Nice story" you say, but where’s the innovation? 

The point is that Grace and Chris never thought of themselves as social entrepreneurs. They didn’t have a grand vision, but they had an idea, passion and the willingness to give their time.

With the right kind of support and tiny amounts of finance, they have figured out a way to deliver real value for older people most at risk of isolation at no ongoing cost to the taxpayer.

Not everyone is a social entrepreneur in waiting, but what I found in Scotland is that there’s more than you might think. 

Just imagine what might happen if we could get the right support to all of them...