- Four SMEs awarded a total of £100k airtime through the broadcaster’s Growth Fund
- Recipients include a social enterprise gift box business, an ethically sourced baby boutique, a charity supporting the diversity of deaf people across Scotland and a community interest company championing women in enterprise
Four Scottish businesses with diversity and inclusion at their hearts have each been awarded £25k airtime from the STV Growth Fund, which exists to make advertising more accessible for the Scottish business community.
Finalists presented the ways in which they champion diversity, along with details of how they will grow their businesses through their focus on inclusion, to an expert panel of judges earlier this month. The four winning businesses will now develop a commercial airtime campaign to run on STV within the next year.
The successful businesses are:
Social Stories Club – an Edinburgh based social enterprise which produces gift boxes containing products from social enterprises, each with a fascinating story of social impact and helping communities and the environment.
Daisy Tree Baby Boutique - a family run high street and online store based in Aberdeenshire, which only sells toys and clothes that are ethically and sustainably sourced, some of which are Fair Trade too. They strive to ensure that their marketing is diverse and representative of children across Scotland.
Deaf Action - exists to support the diversity of deaf people. Based in Edinburgh, their work is geared towards empowering all deaf people to achieve their potential and fully participate in society, with equality of rights, access and opportunity.
Women's Enterprise Scotland (WES) - WES is a research-led, not-for-profit Community Interest Company which champions women-led and women-owned businesses. WES advocates for better evidence- based policy making and believes that delivering expert, needs-based business support will enable women to fulfil their aspirations.
STV has ring-fenced £1m in total for businesses specifically championing inclusivity from its £20m Growth Fund.
The panel of judges comprised Femi Otitoju, STV’s diversity and inclusion advisor and managing director of the Challenge Consultancy; Barrington Reeves, creative director and founder of creative agency, Too Gallus; co-founder of Black Lives Matter Scotland; and is founder of the Black Scottish Business Fund; Lee Beattie, managing partner of creative agency John Doe Group and co-founder of the Bloody Big Brunch and virtual venue SocialEyes; and Evelyn McDonald, chief executive officer of Scottish EDGE.
Danielle Kelly, Director of Sales and Strategy Scotland at STV said: “We were blown away by the passion shown by these businesses and their commitment to ensuring that diversity and inclusion is at the heart of everything they do. We’re delighted to have them on board with the STV Growth Fund and can’t wait to develop and air what we know will be inspiring campaigns.”
Karis Gill from Social Stories said: "We are so excited to be awarded this opportunity from STV. We are proud to champion diversity and it’s fantastic for us that this has been recognised. At Social Stories Club, we create the most impactful gift hampers where the products are creating an enormous impact on educating girls, reforestation, and more. This opportunity will help us introduce more people to social enterprises through our gifts.”
Claire Caborn from Daisy Tree Baby Boutique said: “I am so delighted to be partnering with STV, it means so much that my initiative to champion diversity has been recognised and is being supported by them. It is so important to me that Daisy Tree accurately reflects the world in which we live and I am looking forward so very much to working together with STV to further this aim. Thank you STV!”
Fiona Lavender from Deaf Action said: “We’re thrilled to have been given a membership to the STV Growth Fund and are grateful that STV value diversity and inclusion as much as we do. As a deaf-led organisation, this is huge for Deaf Action – deaf people, particularly BSL users, are under-represented in the media. This will give us the opportunity to raise the profile of hearing loss across Scotland.”
Carolyn Currie, CEO of Women’s Enterprise Scotland, said: “Women’s Enterprise Scotland is delighted to be working with STV to raise the profile of the Women’s Business Centre. The airtime will allow us to share our dedicated, free to access resource with as many women as possible, giving them the information and advice they need to fulfil their business aspirations. Collaborating with STV in this way will be pivotal in our aim of closing the gender gap in enterprise participation and helping rebuild Scotland’s economy after the pandemic.”
Ends.
Media Contact: Kirstin Stevenson at kirstin.stevenson@stv.tv.
For more information on the STV Growth Fund, please visit www.stvcommercial.tv