7th December 2015
The social changemaker: James Ashwell interviewed in City A.M.
James Ashwell, founder of Unforgettable, the ‘go-to’ online resource for anyone dealing with dementia, is featured in City A.M. Dementia affects over 44m people around the world, including more than 850,000 people in the UK. In ‘The social changemaker’, James discusses his experience of caring for his mother when she was diagnosed with dementia, and […]
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7th December 2015
Bridges-backed Alina Homecare acquires Extra Mile Care
Alina Homecare is an innovative homecare business which delivers high-quality care across the South of England It is backed by Bridges Ventures, the specialist sustainable and impact investor Extra Mile Care, based in North London, is its third acquisition Alina Homecare (“Alina”), the innovative homecare business, has completed its third deal with the acquisition of […]
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9th December 2015
Bridges Annual Impact Report 2015: The Value of Impact
View the report here: (Screen Version) (Print Version) Each year Bridges publishes headline figures on some of the social and environmental impact achieved across its platform of funds, alongside its key commercial highlights The focus of this year’s report is on what Bridges has learned about using an impact-driven approach to create value at […]
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11th December 2015
Bridges’ Spectrum of Capital: mapping the sustainable and impact investment market
‘The Bridges Spectrum of Capital’ is our attempt to map out the broad range of risk/return strategies that exist within sustainable and impact investing – and to explain how that relates to the capital markets more generally. Our thesis is that these categories fit into a broader spectrum of capital, ranging from traditional investment on […]
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17th December 2015
Bloomberg: Michele Giddens talks about the growth of sustainable investment
Michele Giddens, Bridges partner and co-founder, discusses how private capital is becoming increasingly important in the fight against our biggest social and environmental challenges – since government and philanthropic capital alone will not be sufficient. Michele argues that companies will be more valuable in the future if they focus on their impact, using Bridges’ own […]
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16th November 2015
HCT repayments mark social investment milestone
In 2010, HCT raised a pioneering £4m round of social investment from a group of investors led by Bridges Ventures After surpassing all its growth and impact targets, HCT has now been able to provide a successful exit for its original social investors Its success illustrates the potential for social enterprises that access the right […]
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12th October 2015
Bridges & Chancerygate buy Beeston Business Park from VBRi for £22m
Major regeneration planned for site near Nottingham which comprises just under 50 acres of industrial and office space, including 20 acres of cleared land for development JV partners Bridges and Chancerygate intend to refurbish existing buildings and develop new commercial space, thus creating jobs and boosting economic dynamism in the local area The site was […]
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16th October 2015
Municipal Journal Op-Ed: Time to Tap the CBO Pot
The Municipal Journal, a leading UK publication for local and national government officials, published an article written by Andrew Levitt, investment director with the Bridges Social Sector Funds. In this opinion piece, Andrew argues that local government commissioners should consider using outcomes-based contracts financed by social impact bonds as a way to deliver local services more […]
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16th October 2015
Pioneers Post: Bridges plays prominent role in UK B Corp launch
The B Corp movement, a global community of for-profit companies with an explicitly social or environmental mission, came to the UK in September. Bridges – which had been involved with the preparations for the launch and itself certified as a B Corp this summer – played a prominent role: in addition to publishing a report […]
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4th November 2015
Pioneers Post Op-Ed: What’s the point of becoming a B Corp?
Following the launch of the B Corp movement in the UK earlier this year, James Taylor from Bridges Ventures explores the pros, cons and uncertainties of the most recent certification to make its mark in the world of responsible business and ethical trade. Read the article here.
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9th November 2015
The Gym completes £250m London listing – further proof that commercial growth and social impact can go hand-in-hand
Bridges Ventures co-founded The Gym alongside John Treharne in 2007 after incubating the concept in-house, in line with its ‘health and well-being’ impact focus The Gym pioneered the low-cost gym model in the UK and now has more than 60 sites About a third of its 360,000 members were not previously members of a gym […]
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11th November 2015
Press Coverage: The Gym Group IPO
The Gym Group, a low-cost gym business that Bridges built alongside entrepreneur John Treharne, was listed successfully on the London Stock Exchange this month, valued at £250m. Founded in 2008, Bridges has worked intensively to roll-out a group that now operates 66 gyms in the UK, with revenues of £45m last year. The Gym has […]
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