The spotlight has been shone on social entrepreneurs in the city.
Bath Abbey played host to an event aimed at raising the profile of social enterprises in Bath and encouraging people to set up more.
The event, called Next Steps, included new and long-standing Bath business such as the Bike Company, the Bath Soup Company, Handy Help and Secret City Tours.
A social enterprise is a business that trades for a social or environmental purpose. It brings most or all of its income through selling goods or services and reinvests the majority of its profits into the business and its social focus.
According to Social Enterprise UK there are approximately 68,000 social enterprises across the country contributing at least £24 billion to the economy. Social enterprises are estimated to employ 800,000 people nationally.
Bath Abbey's homelessness initiative manager, Kerry Headen, said: "There are a growing number of social enterprises in the city with a clear sense of social mission, all trying to make a difference. We were thrilled to be supporting them with this event, especially as many are helping service users of homeless and housing organisations with the next steps towards employment. We hope they will be an inspiration to other entrepreneurs in the city."
People were able to get a free service for their bikes with the Bath Bike Company or sample some free soup served by the Bath Soup Company.
There were also displays of planters made by Handy Help, a new social enterprise project set up by Clean Slate and Developing Health and Independence, which aims to get long-term unemployed people in Bath and north east Somerset to help vulnerable people and those on low incomes to improve their homes and gardens.
