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Entrepreneurs get on board with social entrepreneurship as they kick off Atlantic rowing challenge
Entrepreneurs get on board with social entrepreneurship as they kick off Atlantic rowing challenge
Written by
UnLtd employee
UnLtd position
Two entrepreneurs are in training to become the oldest pair to row the Atlantic, raising money for UnLtd to support social entrepreneurs across the UK.
Guy Rigby and David Murray will set off to row the 3,000 miles from the Canaries to Antigua in December 2021, as part of the Talisker Whiskey Challenge. They hope to arrive in February 2022. If they are successful, as records currently stand, they will be the oldest pair ever to row any ocean.
Guy explains,
“Having spent most of my life working with and advising entrepreneurs, it’s clear there’s a huge opportunity for businesses to focus on people and planet, as well as profit, to be at the centre of the business agenda. This so called ‘triple bottom line’ is what led to my interest in social entrepreneurship – and I’m delighted to be fundraising for UnLtd, who support hundreds of these impactful businesses every year.”
Guy and David smiling wearing shades on the edge of a dock.
The two have an ambitious fundraising target of upwards of £250,000 which they will be donating to UnLtd, so we can continue our important work supporting social entrepreneurs.
Guy & David’s fundraising will help UnLtd to support even more entrepreneurs in their journey from start up to scale up. The funding will help us to provide grant funding, access to blended finance, and wraparound business support to social entrepreneurs to grow their impact. UnLtd’s work is particularly focused on helping those from marginalised backgrounds succeed, with 50% of our early stage funding committed to those identifying as Black, Asian or from a minority ethnic background, and to disabled entrepreneurs.
One of those we recently supported is Judah Armani, who secured £25,000 funding as part of the Inclusive Recovery Fund. Judah is the founder of InHouse Records, the UK’s only record label supporting the rehabilitation of prisoners and ex-offenders. They have been operating in and out of UK prisons across the South East of England since 2017 to bring change in the most challenging circumstances. Their work in prisons exponentially increases positive behaviour and less than 1% of their participants re-offends.
Judah explains,
“My ambition is to see our innovative, accredited and engaging distance learning product embraced across UK prisons. We have achieved some incredible results so far, and funding from UnLtd will allow InHouse to hire more tutors and provide the service to more and more prisons. Thanks to this support we are very confident of securing more long term contracts, providing more change, more development upon release, safer communities and fewer victims of crime. Against the backdrop of coronavirus, growth is vital to engage and enfranchise young people in the prison system and ensure none are left behind.”
Guy and David inside their boat.
As Guy and David set out on their training regime over the next year, UnLtd and our community of social entrepreneurs are cheering them on.
As Chief Executive Mark Norbury explains,
“Guy and David have made an extraordinary commitment. It’s fitting that they’ve taken on such an ambitious challenge: like the social entrepreneurs UnLtd work with, they have set themselves an audacious goal and will need all their resilience and creativity to succeed. We’re hugely grateful to the team and all their supporters for their donations. This is the fuel that keeps our work going and will help many more entrepreneurs on their way to extraordinary impact. We wish Guy & David the best of luck with their training.”