Insights: Sister's first Social Value Networking Breakfast

We believe that ideas flourish when people come together. Our first-ever Social Value Networking breakfast, hosted last month  at the Renold Innovation Hub, was an inspiring morning of exactly that: connection, discussion, and knowledge-sharing.

Organised by our Community & Social Impact Manager, Karen Jelenje, the breakfast brought together over 40 attendees from VCSEs, the public sector, and private sector  to explore how we can drive meaningful cross-sector collaboration to build long term impact for our local communities.

This breakfast event was not only a space for connection, it also marked the official launch of our newly created Social Value Pillars – offering a moment to reflect on our ambitions and journeys far  over the past year since launching Sister, and to hear and learn from individuals who have been part of and have delivered long term social value programmes.

Opening the event, Liz Bamber, Director of Place at Sister, shared an overview of Sister’s vision, highlighting how our guiding principle  “It takes a community to raise an idea”  reflects our commitment to placing local communities at the heart of building an inclusive innovation district.

Our Community & Social Impact Manager , Karen Jelenje reflected on how, as a developer, we can build meaningful relationships with neighbouring communities by showing up consistently, listening intentionally, and learning from lived experiences, also gaining valuable insights from our panelists on how to create lasting social value.

Making Social Value Everyone’s Business

Our first panel  "Making Social Value Everyone’s Business" was hosted by Abbey Jones (Real Worth) and explored how social value can be embedded across businesses and teams, not staying in silos.

Christos Tsaprounis (AutoTrader) reminded us not to make it difficult for charities to access support, by focusing on one thing and doing it well. Their regular employee volunteering has boosted community outreach and internal engagement, also helping to bring the real-time knowledge back to create initiatives that are relevant to the challenges the communities they work with are facing.

Bethany Adam (Bruntwood SciTech) shared the power of long-term partnerships with young people, such as the brilliant work Bruntwood has achieved through their partnership with Regeneration Brainery.

Dee Lowry (Manchester City Council) emphasised the importance of early buy-in from leadership on developing lasting public sector impact, and the need for regional collaboration to support communities.

Building Partnerships That Last

Our second panel  "Building Partnerships That Last"  was hosted by Devika Kapoor (DK Coaching) and explored how we can nurture genuine and mutually beneficial partnerships.

Leah Howard (Overbury plc) spoke about intentionality; building relationships that last beyond a fit-out scheme and project build, and being mindful of the capacity challenges many charities face.

We also heard from our community partners Adeola Adelakun and Ronke Jane Adelakun (Black Creative Trailblazers CIC) who offered powerful insights into how authenticity drives their work to build values-aligned partnerships that drive real change for the community of Black Creatives they support. Their collaborations with Factory International, Manchester Museum and Co-op Live are perfect examples of this. 

Adeola and Ronke cautioned against tokenistic support for underrepresented groups; highlighting how some businesses only engage during moments like Black History Month without long-term commitment  and urged organisations to recognise the real value of Black creatives in driving cultural and economic impact.

Samuel Remi-Akinwale (Young Manchester) shared the importance of recognising the value young people bring, highlighting the city-wide impact of projects they have delivered like ‘Hope for Cheetham’  where young people recently led participatory budgeting for their community and the lasting legacy that this project will make in the community.

We were also joined by local charity Lifeshare, who shared the vital work they’re doing to support people experiencing homelessness across Manchester. They ended the morning’s discussions by sharing more about their wonderful volunteering programme and Christmas campaign.

Bringing our Social Value Pillars to life

At Sister, we're building more than just spaces: we're fostering connections that create meaningful change across Manchester. This is driven by three social value pillars that underpin our vision and help to shape the connections we make, the opportunities we offer, and the inclusive space we create for local people.

Our social value pillars are:

• Connected Communities - a commitment to create spaces with purpose that welcome communities.

• Collective Wellbeing - a commitment to  support wellbeing and safety for all through community support and our spaces

• Inclusive Growth  - a commitment to create pathways to opportunity, equity, and innovation

This event brought them to life for the first time and we look forward to sharing more on our progress over the next year delivering on these

Huge thank you to all our speakers, panellists, and attendees. Your energy, honesty, and ideas made this event one to remember!

If you want to get in touch with our Community & Social Impact Manager please email [email protected]