This year, we’re delighted to support social enterprise, Parallel, as one of our charity partners, to help spread awareness of the amazing work they are doing to support the disabled community and disabled entrepreneurs, through their annual Purple Sock Day.
Here at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, we celebrate businesses and their stories, and by teaming up with Parallel we are aiming to help shine a spotlight on disabled entrepreneurs, in the hope of spreading awareness and closing the disability employment gap.
Parallel is a disability lifestyle brand with a purpose and an attitude of no limits living. One of the biggest social problems in the world is disability inclusion, and Parallel are on a mission to support D/deaf and disabled people to be free to live life to the full in mainstream society.
To help achieve this purpose, Parallel has created an annual Purple Sock Day, which will help create greater awareness around Disability Inclusion, whilst generating social impact.
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) takes place annually on 3rd December, and to celebrate this day Parallel has created a day that can be celebrated by anyone, with the simple aim to engage the nation with one, effortless, single act of united solidarity - to buy and wear a pair of their purple socks.
Teaming up with BAM, Parallel created an exclusive, stand-out sock that is soft, sustainable & ethically sourced, and made by people who care passionately about our environment - and of course, they’re purple, the colour most associated with disability.
Each pair costs £6 and 50% of profits from each pair is used to support & provide grant funding to disability-owned start-up businesses & entrepreneurs. The other half of Purple Sock Day profits will be reinvested into growing it into an annual campaign and other Parallel social enterprise projects.
Hatch Enterprise is also on board to help oversee the fund; implementing the framework, governance, and expertise to support budding D/deaf and disabled entrepreneurs.
Last year Purple Sock Day raised over £14k, in its first year!! So, let’s spread the word, and get everyone buying, and wearing their Purple Socks this December.
Andrew Douglass, Founder & CEO of Parallel said: ‘As a social entrepreneur, I am genuinely honoured for Parallel to be this year’s charity partner for The Great British Entrepreneur Awards. I sincerely hope we can add a little bit of purple fun and sustainable style to this year’s awards, which will also help support many budding D/deaf and disabled entrepreneurs’.
Keep your eyes peeled for the release of this year’s exclusive Purple Sock Day sock, and find out more here.
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