Digbeth Social Enterprise Quarter (DSEQ) Tours
Digbeth social enterprise quarter tour
Visit Birmingham’s first official Social Enterprise Place and find a vibrant and creative quarter that is home to over 50 social enterprises providing innovative ways of doing business differently.
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About Digbeth
Less than a mile out of Birmingham’s city centre sits Digbeth, an area seeped in rich industrial heritage. Sitting on the River Rea, Digbeth became famous as a place of opportunity, and helped Birmingham gain its reputation as “the city of one thousand trades”.
Today, Digbeth is a successful industrial and creative centre home to enterprise, industry, artists and diverse groups of people. The area is particularly known for its Irish community and hosts the largest St Patrick’s Day Parade in Europe.
Digbeth has proved to be a natural magnet for social enterprises, drawn to the area most likely for attractively priced rent and proximity to the city centre as well as its creative and alternative culture.
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Creating a Social Enterprise Place
In December 2013 Digbeth was officially designated Birmingham’s first Social Enterprise Quarter by the City Council, for which iSE played a pivotal part. There are now over 50 social enterprises based in the area, providing services in health and social care, housing, community regeneration, the creative and digital industries and much more.
As part of the Big City Plan, Digbeth is undergoing a large redevelopment scheme that will regenerate the old industrial buildings into apartments, retail premises, offices and arts facilities. In addition the arrival of HS2 will place Digbeth on the doorstep of a nationally significant transport hub opening up the area for major investment and improvement.
digbeth social enterprise
Visit the Digbeth Social Enterprise Quarter
iSE run half or full day walking tours of Digbeth, starting and ending at our Social Enterprise Hub in the heart of the social enterprise quarter.
Each Digbeth walking tour is unique and can be tailored to meet the interests of you or your group, taking in historic landmarks and cultural sights to give an alternative perspective for visitors to Birmingham.
Tours begin with an introduction to the Digbeth Social Enterprise Quarter and the Social Enterprise Places programme.
We visit 2-6 social enterprises (depending on your time frame) giving the opportunity to meet the social entrepreneurs behind them, hear their stories and ask questions. A great way to gain insight into running a social enteprise!
Breakfast and/or Lunch can be included as part of the day. (we have plenty of social enterprise options in the Quarter!).
This tour is great for schools, colleges and University groups as well as for corporate social enterprise awareness and for individuals wanting to explore alternative Birmingham. We have hosted groups from all over the world including Brazil, Japan and Norway. See some of our past tours here!
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Visit our Social Enterprise City!
Did you know that Birmingham is also a Social Enterprise City? We can arrange full or half day citywide social enterprise tours too, visiting social enterprises in Birmingham’s diverse communities.
We also work with social enterprises offering alternative tourism for visitors to Birmingham, including the Musical Heritage Tour provided by Birmingham Music Archives, and heritage tours of the diverse inner-city areas of Lozells and Handsworth operated by Legacy WM.
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For more information on visiting the Digbeth Social Enterprise Quarter please contact us
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