At this week’s Enterprising Solutions Awards, which look to identify the best in social enterprise in UK, the overall winners were the Phone Co-op which is based in Oxford but very well represented here in the South West. 

The UK’s only telecommunications co-operative has been named the country’s best social enterprise. The Phone Co-op saw off tough competition to be judged the overall winner of the Enterprising Solutions Awards and claim a £10,000 cash prize. Now in their tenth year, the Awards are provided by the Social Enterprise Coalition in partnership with the Office for the Third Sector and aim to celebrate the UK’s most successful social and community enterprises. The Phone Co-op won this year’s contest after impressing the judges in combining continued growth over ten years in a notoriously competitive sector with ethical and environmental policies. The Phone Co-op has been hugely successful in a competitive market, and has enjoyed a steady growth over the past ten years – it now has 15,000 customers, a share capital of £2 million and a turnover of £7.5 million.

Their main office is in a converted pig farm in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, and they also have an office in Manchester. They apply ethical and environmental policies to all aspects of the business, including operating a transparent pricing policy and promoting greener travel. 

The Phone Co-op is keen to spread their success around and set up two separate funds to support the growth of new and developing social enterprises.

Vivian Woodell, CEO of The Phone Co-op, said “We are truly honoured to receive this award. The Phone Co-op set out to prove that the co-operative model could be applied in an industry which is now a fundamental part of modern society. Our success and continued growth demonstrate that consumers and businesses alike are increasingly interested in using suppliers with a fair and sustainable approach to business.”