Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore with three of the Arthur Guinness Fund recipients at today's event at the Guinness Storehouse.

TEN SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS have been recognised by the Arthur Guinness Fund 2011 for their “business heads and social hearts”.

The winners, who were celebrated at a special ceremony at the Guinness Storehouse today, will receive €650,000 investment from the fund.

The recipients include George Boyle of The Fumbally Exchange and John Evoy from the Irish Men’s Sheds Association.

Boyle was recognised for her achievements in setting up FEx following the liquidation of her employers’ company. The design hub in Dublin’s Liberties allows entrepreneurs, sole traders and small businesses to come together to share office space and ideas. She hopes the initiative will help unemployed, downsizing and restructuring businesses.

The Irish Men’s Sheds Association was created to provide men with an opportunity to recover self-esteem through education, up-skilling and health promotion. Evoy set up the association in 2009 against a backdrop of increased unemployment and a difficult economic situation. He hopes the investment will help the organisation become an integral part of more villages and towns around Ireland.

Other winners included Jamie Regan (Hand on Heart Enterprises), Robin Blandford (Decisions for Heroes), Michael Hallissy and John Hurley (H2 Learning), Oisin Scollard (Turn2Me), Stephen Plunkett (U-Casadh), Stuart McLaughlin (Fundit), John Kearney (West Cork Rapid Response) and Denis Roche (Vivartes).

The Arthur Guinness Fund was set up in 2009. This year 450 applications were received.

Column by awardee George Boyle: ‘I never forgot that feeling of being part of a team’>

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