Big River Rising

Discussion with Kim McGuiness

In this final episode of The Big River Podcast, host Andy speaks with newly elected mayor Kim McGuinness about her first six months in office and plans for the Northeast’s future. They discuss recent transport improvements—like youth fare caps—and the launch of a child poverty reduction unit, highlighting a more collaborative, place-based approach to regional development. Using the humble stottie as a metaphor for community resilience and innovation, they explore how social enterprises, high street regeneration, and better links between universities, business, and local people can drive inclusive growth. Kim shares her vision for a unified Northeast that embraces its heritage while focusing on pragmatic, ground-up solutions for the challenges ahead.

From Clusters to Cooperatives: Building the Mondragon of the North East? A discussion with David Charles

In this episode, Andy Haddon hosts Professor David Charles from Newcastle Business School to discuss economic development, innovation, and the role of social enterprises in addressing local and regional challenges. The conversation focuses on: The Evolution of Economic Development Models: Professor Charles shares insights from his 40-year career, exploring trends like foreign direct investment, cluster theories, and the shift towards entrepreneurship. A recurring issue is the lack of consistent, long-term strategies in regional policy, leading to cycles of trial and error.The Role of Social Enterprises: The potential for social enterprises to address both social and economic challenges is highlighted. They serve as sustainable models that prioritize community needs, local job creation, and values-driven operations. Andy emphasizes Big River Bakery’s approach as an example of a scalable, values-driven social enterprise rooted in local culture and needs.Regional Innovation and Community-Based Solutions: The Northeast’s potential lies in leveraging its unique strengths and resources rather than replicating external models. Examples like the cooperative network in Mondragon, Spain, illustrate how locally driven, values-based models can transform regional economies over time. The importance of experimentation, collaboration, and learning from failures is emphasized as the foundation for creating innovative, sustainable solutions.Support Local Social Enterprises: Explore and invest in businesses like Big River Bakery that focus on sustainable, community-centered growth. Your support helps create jobs, address social challenges, and promote local culture. Champion Local Innovation: Advocate for policies and initiatives that empower communities to develop their own solutions. Encourage collaboration between local governments, universities, and businesses to drive long-term, place-based economic development. Be Part of the Experiment: Whether through volunteering, launching a project, or supporting a local initiative, get involved in efforts to create values-driven enterprises in your community. Small actions can contribute to building a more sustainable, inclusive future. If you enjoyed this podcast you can donate to our community projects here [https://donate.stripe.com/00geY23X69nn7KM4gg]You can find out more about Big River Bakery here [https://www.bigriverbakery.com]

Quadruple Helix Thinking: Place-Based Innovation and Resilient Entrepreneurship. A discussion with John Goddard

In this episode, Andy Haddon hosts John Goddard, Emeritus Professor of Regional Development Studies at Newcastle University, for a deep dive into place-based innovation, social entrepreneurship, and the role of universities as enablers of community change. John shares his journey of breaking silos in academia, government, and business to champion interdisciplinary collaboration. Key topics include: The Power of the Quadruple Helix: Integrating government, business, academia, and the community to create sustainable, inclusive development. Learning Through Doing: The importance of resilience, adaptation, and collaborative learning in entrepreneurial and social innovation. The Role of Universities: Universities as hubs for civic engagement, knowledge-sharing, and partnerships, with a focus on Newcastle's Science City project and its evolution into the Helix site. Challenges of Place-Based Entrepreneurship: Balancing local and global efforts, securing resources, and building frameworks to scale community impact sustainably.The conversation concludes with insights on storytelling, perseverance, and the need to document and share entrepreneurial journeys to inspire systemic change. Champion Community-Centric Innovation: Advocate for and support initiatives that prioritize local impact and collaboration among community, government, businesses, and academia. Invest in Long-Term Partnerships: Encourage universities, businesses, and public agencies to work together to develop sustainable, place-based solutions to complex challenges. Share Your Story: Entrepreneurs and innovators are urged to document and share their journeys, lessons, and challenges to inspire others and foster systemic change. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast episode you can donate to our community projects here [https://donate.stripe.com/00geY23X69nn7KM4gg] If you want to know more about Big River Bakery you can find out here [https://www.bigriverbakery.com]

Scaling Deep: Building Community Through Social Enterprise. A discussion with Pablo Munoz

In this episode of the Big River Bakery Podcast, host Andy Haddon speaks with Pablo Munoz, a professor at Durham University Business School specializing in sustainable entrepreneurship and social enterprise. The discussion delves into the challenges and potential of entrepreneurship, particularly within social enterprises, exploring the intersection of purpose, values, and sustainable community impact. Key themes include: The Struggles of Entrepreneurs: Pablo highlights the mental health challenges tied to self-worth, unrealistic expectations, and the misalignment between goals and achievements.Scaling Deep vs. Scaling Up: A focus on staying rooted in communities to address complex social issues, rather than pursuing traditional growth models. The Role of Collaboration: Both speakers emphasize the importance of partnerships, community engagement, and collective action over heroic, individual-driven entrepreneurship.Rethinking Business Support: The need for more flexible, values-based support structures to aid entrepreneurs, particularly those tackling local social problems.Examples of Place-Based Enterprises: Discussions on local and global initiatives, like Big River Bakery and Mondragon in Spain, that successfully create meaningful community impact. The episode closes with a vision for the North East becoming a global leader in sustainable, healthy, and affordable local food systems, driven by collaborative, place-based enterprises. Engage Locally: Support local social enterprises, like Big River Bakery, that focus on building sustainable, community-driven solutions. Reimagine Business Support: Advocate for and participate in conversations about reshaping entrepreneurship support systems to prioritize values, mental health, and long-term impact. Collaborate for Impact: Join networks or initiatives that connect enterprises, universities, and communities to tackle complex social problems collaboratively. If you enjoyed listening to this episode you can donate to our community projects here [https://donate.stripe.com/00geY23X69nn7KM4gg] You can find out more about Big River Bakery here [https://www.bigriverbakery.com]

From Left Behind to Leading Change: Building Communities Through Social Enterprise: A discussion with Graham Tower

In this episode, Andy Haddon speaks with Graham Thrower, Head of the Institute for Economic and Social Inclusion at Sunderland University. They discuss the critical role of social enterprises and place-based approaches in rebuilding “left behind” communities. Key topics include: The Importance of Social Infrastructure: Social enterprises like Big River Bakery provide crucial “social infrastructure,” serving as community hubs that foster learning, connection, and empowerment. The decline of community spaces has left many areas struggling, making the rebuilding of social infrastructure essential for creating healthier, more resilient communities.Building Confidence and Agency: Graham emphasizes the importance of giving communities agency to create their own solutions, rather than relying on top-down, short-term interventions that often fail to address long-term needs. Success comes from empowering people to take ownership of projects that reflect their needs and values, whether through bakeries, community gardening, or other initiatives.Collaboration and Long-Term Thinking: Both speakers highlight the need for collaboration across universities, businesses, and social enterprises to foster innovation and drive sustainable change. They call for a shift away from short-term, “bungee” funding cycles toward robust, long-term support models that allow organizations to grow strategically.Support Social Enterprises: Invest in businesses like Big River Bakery that create vital community spaces and opportunities for growth. Your support helps address social challenges while driving local economic development. Advocate for Long-Term Funding: Push for funding models that prioritize sustained, place-based approaches to community and economic development, enabling deeper, lasting impacts. Get Involved Locally: Whether through volunteering, collaboration, or launching your own initiative, take action to help rebuild social infrastructure in your community. Small, local efforts can lead to big changes over time. If you enjoyed this podcast episode you can donate to our community projects here [https://donate.stripe.com/00geY23X69nn7KM4gg] You can find out more about Big River bakery here [https://www.bigriverbakery.com]