Brighton Pavilion’s MP joined forces with Albion in the Community, Ideas Factory and CVSF today on a visit to a local fruit project in Stanmer Park to make a last call for entries into a new social enterprise project.

Staff and volunteers at Brighton Permaculture Trust Scrumping Project, which harvests unused fruit around the city and helps local people grow their own, met with Caroline Lucas, Laura Williams from CVSF's Children and Young People's Network, Alan Sanders, joint managing director of Albion in the Community, and Heath Lansbury from Ideas Factory.

The visit was to highlight the new Dragons’ Den-style event launched earlier this month, giving social enterprises in Brighton and Hove a chance to pitch to investors and learn about development and funding possibilities.

With the deadline for entry fast approaching – 6pm on Friday 9 November –the organisers are making a final call to local organisations to get involved.

Ahead of the Brighton and Hove Social Investment Event at the American Express Community Stadium on 29 November,the organising panel will assess all applications, before selecting 10 social enterprises to attend a one-on-one training session on Friday 16th November.

These 10 enterprises will then be narrowed down to six, who will each pitch their proposal in front of a ‘Dragons’ Den’ room of social entrepreneurs and angel investors on November 29th.

To enter your organisation, e-mail info@theideasfactory.com with a 500 word outline of your social enterprise, its business objectives, how your social enterprise is assisting the community and what level of investment is needed.

If you’re unsure whether your venture is a social enterprise, please visit www.socialenterprise.org.uk for a definition.

Caroline Lucas said:

“I’m delighted to be working with Ideas Factory, Albion in the Community and CVSF on this exciting event to help bring in more funding for local projects that work for the good of our communities.

“If you’re involved in a social enterprise in the city and are keen to pitch to investors and networking with others in the sector, then register your entry now – your project could be the pick of the bunch.”

ENDS