Bath Social Impact Network brings together like-minded groups and individuals to improve and grow the social economy in Bath and North East Somerset. It’s run in partnership with Bath Spa University and 3SG.

Bath Spa University and 3SG have set up the Bath Social Impact Network (BSIN) to fill a gap identified for businesses and individuals working in social, community and environmental impact areas in Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES).

Whether you’re a social enterprise, B Corp, CIC, co-op, or interested in the work of these types of organisations, we’re here to support you on your journey.

Our upcoming events

We run events specially tailored for businesses and individuals working in social, community and environmental impact areas in BaNES. Whether you already work in these areas, are looking to grow or set up a new impact organisation or looking for one to partner with, you’re more than welcome to join us at one of our events.

AI in Action is a high‑value, practical consultation event designed to help organisations identify where AI can deliver tangible business benefits.

Hosted by the Bath Social Impact Network, the event brings together three experienced AI specialists to analyse real challenges submitted by attendees. Selected cases will be explored live, providing commercially grounded insight into how AI can improve efficiency, support decision‑making, and unlock capacity.

All attendees will have the opportunity to submit a business challenge and will benefit from expert‑led discussion, real‑world examples, and access to an online AI recommendations tool tailored to their organisation.

This event is aimed at SMEs, charities, social enterprises, and leaders who want clear, realistic guidance on applying AI in an organisational context — without hype or unnecessary technical complexity.
AI in Action offers practical insight, informed expertise, and clear next steps for organisations looking to turn AI from concept into capability.

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Our past events

Our Christmas Company Showcase wrapped up the year with a lively, festive get‑together for the Network. With mince pies, Christmas jumpers and a relaxed end‑of‑year atmosphere, members shared short “ask and give” pitches that sparked practical ideas, offers of support and new conversations.

Designed as much to celebrate the people behind the work as the work itself, the evening combined light‑hearted networking with meaningful connection. A warm, generous close to the year that reinforced the strength and diversity of the BSIN community.

This session brought cultural organisations together to move from conversation to coordination. Alongside an update from BaNES Council on the Cultural Development Plan, members worked collaboratively to map the year ahead, share plans, flag opportunities for collaboration and reduce diary clashes across the region.

The practical focus helped build a clearer, shared picture of 2026 and strengthened relationships between organisations shaping Bath and North East Somerset’s cultural life. A constructive, action‑orientated session that responded directly to what the network had been asking for.

This session gave members a clear, accessible introduction to AI, cutting through the hype to focus on what it actually is and how it can be used in everyday organisational settings. Through plain‑English explanations and real‑world examples, attendees explored where AI can genuinely save time, support decision‑making, and add value, without needing technical expertise.

The relaxed, discussion‑led format encouraged questions and honest conversation, helping people leave feeling more confident, better informed, and clearer about whether and how AI might be relevant to their work.

This joint event brought Bath Social Impact Network and University of Bath Connect! together to explore how organisations can better understand and evidence their social impact. Attendees gained early access to the University of Bath’s new, free Evaluating and Measuring Social Impact online course, with practical insight from Octopus Impact into how the learning could be applied in real settings.

The evening also opened up valuable conversations between community organisations, practitioners and universities about what future learning opportunities should look like. A relaxed, collaborative session that supported skills‑building while strengthening connections across the local social impact ecosystem.

Members joined us for a focused morning conversation that cut through the jargon around funding. Local funders, bid writers and social value specialists shared clear, practical examples that helped attendees understand where income opportunities really are and how to access them.

The intimate setting encouraged open questions and supportive discussion, with many people saying the real‑world examples made the session especially useful. A genuinely encouraging space to rethink what’s possible for your organisation.

Our summer gathering brought the Network together for an evening of quickfire sharing and practical connection. Eight organisations: : Share and Repair, Insight Space, Bath Artists Studios, Cool Ventures, Digital Detox Club, Theatre Royal, Frank Conversations Collective and Not Impossible, presented their “ask and give”, sparking more than 75 meaningful follow‑up conversations.

A simple format, a relaxed atmosphere and plenty of useful introductions made it a productive evening of connection for everyone involved.

FAQs

By joining the network you’ll belong to a group of like-minded members who are keen to work together to grow and learn from each other.

Opportunities will include:

  • Networking
  • Visibility to a wide-ranging local market
  • Forging new business opportunities
  • Access to specialised training and workshops
  • B2B Support
  • Collaboration with like-minded organisations
  • Access to external funding opportunities as a group

We’re interested to know what you’d like from the network and how we can make it work best for our members.

  • We’re a network where everyone has equal input not dependent on size or outputs
  • We work collaboratively and in a supportive manner to best serve the needs of the Network
  • We bring together like-minded groups and individuals to improve and grow the social economy in BaNES
  • We foster collaborative relationships between our members
  • We provide support and guidance to those in the network through peer support
  • We provide opportunities to further social procurement in the region

Bath Spa University and 3SG have set up the Bath Social Impact Network in partnership. Bath Spa University is a certified member of Social Enterprise UK and brings to the network its expertise in social enterprise, social value and entrepreneurship. BSU will be running the in-person events.

3SG is an independent membership network supporting the charity, social enterprise, faith and voluntary sector operating in Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES). To the network, they bring their expertise in managing other networks in the region and will be running the online events.

Contact us

If you have any questions, please get in touch on bsin@bathspa.ac.uk.

Privacy notice

Read the Bath Social Impact Network privacy notice.

The logos for the Bath Social Impact Network and BaNES 3rd Sector