Minister for the Cabinet Office Liam Byrne and Secretary of State for Business Lord Mandelson will be co-hosting a Social Enterprise Summit on the afternoon of 12 May at Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre, a leading social enterprise on London's Southbank.

Minister for the Cabinet Office Liam Byrne said:

"Social enterprises have never been stronger and this Summit will help us to make them stronger still.

"At the Summit, we'll explore ways for social enterprises to play a greater role in fighting the downturn, rebalancing our economy and society and shaping post-recession Britain."

The Summit, announced by Liam Byrne at Voice 09, will be informed by a morning of workshops focusing on increasing the impact of social enterprise. The workshops will cover the role of social enterprise in fighting the recession and in the future economy; supporting new blood in the sector and helping the sector scale up.

These workshops will be chaired by leaders from the social enterprise sector and will include social entrepreneurs, policy makers, and RDA leaders.

Participation in the summit and workshops will be by invitation only, but the Social Enterprise Coalition will be facilitating regional workshops and an online forum before the Summit to capture the views of a much wider group.

From: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector