Cornwall-based Smile Together Dental CIC is a double-finalist in the UK Social Enterprise Awards, recognising it as one of the country’s most innovative and impactful businesses. ‌ ‌ ‌

Social enterprises are mission-led businesses that reinvest or donate most of their profits for a social or environmental purpose. Smile Together is an employee-owned certified B Corporation, in business to deliver exceptional patient dental care whilst tackling oral health inequality for healthier happier communities across the south west.

Smile Together beat stiff competition to make the shortlist for the UK Social Enterprise Awards this year, which attracted more than 400 entries from 226 organisations based all over the country. These awards recognise sector-leading excellence and innovation across a diverse range of criteria, and Smile Together is a finalist in both the ‘Public Services Social Enterprise of the Year’ category and the ‘Community-Based Social Enterprise Award’.

Jonathan Bouwer-Davies, dental director and interim managing director at Smile Together, said, “It’s a testament to the extraordinary contribution of our team that we have been shortlisted for these two prestigious national awards. Together, our team resolutely deliver the highest levels of patient care alongside outstanding initiatives aimed at tackling oral health inequality across local communities.”

Social enterprises are powerful actors in shaping local places and communities, be it operating in remote rural communities or supporting in inner cities. Smile Together is the sole provider of dental care on the isles of Scilly, an archipelago off the Cornish coast comprising five inhabited islands with a population of around 2,300, increasing to around 6,000 in the summer. The highly experienced Smile Together dental team of two is integral to that close-knit community, and both dentist Michael Twamley and dental nurse Ellie Mumford are passionate about enhancing the oral health of the island population, especially child dental health, frequently going above and beyond for the community. Learning of their shortlisting success they said, “That's amazing news, very unexpected. We’re really honoured to be considered”.

Smile Together will join other finalists and VIP guests at a prestigious awards ceremony in London’s iconic Roundhouse on November 30, 2023, when the winners will be revealed.

The awards are run by Social Enterprise UK, the leading membership body for social enterprises. There are more than 100,000 social enterprises in the UK, employing around 2m people and contributing £60bn to the national economy each year – while also tackling some of the biggest challenges facing people and planet.

Peter‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌ Holbrook CBE, chief executive of Social Enterprise UK, commented, “Our awards are the ultimate showcase of the impact and excellence of social enterprises. ‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌Those who made the shortlist are a beacon of innovation, optimism and resilience in turbulent times. ‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌These are trailblazers and standard-setters for better business, making profit but not putting it before people and planet – and they do all this under the same immense pressures as other businesses, with the long-term impacts of covid and a national cost of living crisis. ‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌

“The challenges we face as a society demand new approaches and a shift in how businesses - big and small - act.‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌ Social enterprises celebrated at our awards are the brightest stars in a brilliant sector, giving us all inspiration and motivation to do business better.” ‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌

Smile Together is no stranger to the Social Enterprise UK Awards, having proudly won ‘Social Investment Deal of the Year’ (with Resonance Ltd) in 2019 and highly commended in the ‘Health and Social Care Enterprise’ category in 2018.

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