On Social Business, Valerie meets the tech startup connecting best ideas of social entrepreneurs to communities wanting to make change. Paul O’Hara (pictured) CEO and founder of ChangeX.org explains how.

Business mentor Lynda Stopford shares tips on avoiding the pitfalls as a startup social enterprise. She is running workshops in Boston College, St Stephen’s Green during September and October. More information at LyndaStopford.com

On Social Business, talking to Speech Therapist Rachel Moore, founder of Express Your Gender. A startup social enterprise that helps transgender people find their voice.

facebook.com/expressyourgender

Expressyourgender.com

@xygender

Sarah Martin is founder of Uniqube. This social enterprise plans to take recycled shipping containers and transform them into affordable housing. She explains how it will be done and the impact this will have on our housing crisis.

@sazmartin

Lisa Ruttledge is founder of Sen Academy. It’s a social enterprise transforming the learning experience of children by showing how problem solving can actually be fun.

senacademy.com

@senacademy

facebook.com/senacademy

Meet Michael Kelly, the hacker grower, writer and founder of the Grow It Yourself movement. He wants to reconnect people to the food they eat. “Our relationship with food is broken, we are finding kids that don’t know peas come from a plant"

GIY supports people to grow their own food. Started six years ago, it has helped set up 1,500 diverse Grow It Yourself groups within local communities, the probation service, schools and disability organisations not only in Ireland but in Australia and the UK too.

www.giyinternational.org

Twitter: @giyireland

www.facebook.com/GIYinternational

John Murphy tells the uplifting story of the social enterprises that have been transforming the lives of the long-term unemployed in north Dublin for two decades. He heads up Speedpak and Shamrock Rosettes. These companies provide education and work for people wanting to get back into the labour market.

www.speedpak.ie

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Speedpakltd

@schoolofwork

www.shamrockrosettes.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ShamrockRosettes

@shamrockrosette

Meeting two young companies creating impact in very different ways. First up, Elaine Doyle of Boltz Sustainability explains the idea of her product Secret Seeds. These seed bombs can literally change the environment around you by creating bio-diverse habitats to help urban bees to flourish, flowers for you to enjoy and help teach children about the joys of growing plants.

Also on the show, Ronan O Dalaigh CEO of SedCo tells the story of his ambitious social enterprise development company that creates new businesses and helps to scale existing ones. Their aim? 1,000 commercial social enterprises by 2020. One of their first companies, fashion-house Aki-Na creates employment for migrants and creates positive sustainable products for a global audience.

www.facebook.com/boltzsus

Twitter: @tigersandtutus

www.facebook.com/socialenterprisedevelopmentcompany

website: sedco.ie

Twitter: @SED_co

St Francis Hospice Raheny volunteer Doreen O'Dowda explains her varied work. Over the years, she has been a driver, a fundraiser, continues to help patients in the Intensive Palliative Unit and still knits chickens to help fund raise at Easter.

St Francis Hospice Raheny volunteer Noreen Gormley explains why she loves helping out in reception and what it feels like to help staff, patients and their families with requests and queries. How she enjoys having the chat and hearing their stories.

St Francis Hospice Raheny volunteer gardeners and married couple, David and Janet Jeffrey share the pleasure they get going in to tend to the Hospice grounds. Their recent addition of a bird box and feeders have provided much delight to patients and staff.