Social Entrepreneurs Fund – Start It

We are delighted to announce that Vet Sustain has made a successful application to Firstport for a ‘Start It’ Social Entrepreneurs Fund. Firstport is a charity registered in Scotland enabling social entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into reality. The Start It fund is specifically awarded to enterprises that address a social, environmental or community issue.

Vet Sustain will be using the £5,000 of funding to formally register the organisation as a not-for-profit social enterprise, becoming a Community Interest Company (Limited Company by Guarantee). Our sole purpose will be to inspire and enable the veterinary profession to become a leading force for sustainability.

Founder and co-director Laura Higham said: “We’re thrilled to have been awarded this start-up grant from Firstport, which will enable us to take our volunteer initiative to the next level. This success is also an important external verification for us that we have a sound strategy and business plan that will drive sustainability in our sector - an issue that we and many others in our profession feel passionate and deeply committed to.”

Vet Sustain was set up by a group of 17 veterinary and allied professionals in October 2019 and has since formed a board of directors, three working groups (Greener Veterinary Practice, Food and Farming, and Veterinary Curriculum), a champions network and multiple social channels and forums. Our work focuses on addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, public health threats and animal welfare issues from our unique platform working at the human-animal-environment interface.

Vet Sustain would like to thank Firstport for their generous support and to all of our committed volunteers, who are the engine of our work. For more information, please visit vetsustain.org/about.