Alumni success at inaugural Innovation Awards

9 June 2014

A social enterprise project set up by two Nottingham University Business School MBA alums scooped a prestigious ‘Student Enterprise’ award at the University of Nottingham’s inaugural Knowledge Exchange and Innovation Awards 2014 held on Monday 2nd June.

Nottingham based Mark Christian and Kirstie MacDonald came up with the idea for the unique and innovative ‘Laughing Matters’ project last year during the Social Entrepreneurship module on their MBA programme. The module introduces students to the rapidly growing phenomena of social enterprise and social entrepreneurship, requiring them to imagine and develop business ideas that address real social or environmental problems. Mark and Kirstie wrote the core business plan for the Laughing Matters enterprise as part of the assessment for the module, and pitched the idea to a social investment panel at the end.

Laughing Matters (www.laughingmatters.org.uk) is an East Midlands social business which provides free comedy based courses for individuals with past addiction problems and mental health issues. The aims of the course are to help improve confidence, self-expression and communication, all in a safe and supportive environment.

Participants gain insights into areas such as writing, idea generation, stage presence and at the end of the course have the chance to perform their own material in front of an invited audience. This leaves course members with a feeling of pride and accomplishment which can then positively impact other areas of their lives such as entering or re-entering the workplace, further education or with personal relationships. Laughing Matters alumni then have the opportunity to become course mentors to help new participants, further aiding their recovery and confidence.

Over 50 individuals have already benefitted from attending one of the courses and feedback has shown that participation helps people in their recovery process by providing a challenge that is different from anything they have previously experienced. This increases their belief in what they are actually capable of achieving and provides an outlet for potentially negative energy. From a societal perspective attendance leads to greater engagement with support services from individuals who may not otherwise do so, leading to lower financial and social costs, more positive and cohesive family and social relationships and more productive and positive members of society.

Participants can remain in contact and socialise together even after finishing the course through one of the regular ‘Open Mic’ night where individuals can try out new material or simply by coming along to a monthly comedy themed night in Nottingham where they can get together, watch some comedy or listen to comedians talk about how they got involved in the industry.

To ensure the courses are free at the point of use, a Laughing Matters Showcase was held in September 2013 which featured Harry Hill, Tony Law and Paul Foot amongst a whole host of other great comedians who gave their time for free to support the project. A second fundraiser was held in Leicester in February 2014 which included Never Mind the Buzzcock’s Phill Jupitus. The enterprise has gained the support of the wider comedy industry with Jonny Vegas, Ardal O’Hanlon and John Bishop all being quoted on how they like the concept and will support it in future. Further fundraisers are planned for 2014 with the cream of the UK comedy circuit taking part.

Laughing Matters has been featured on radio e.g. The Today Programme, BBC Radio Nottingham and Leicester, in newspapers such as The Independent, The Observer and The Times and online at sites including BBC1 News and The Guardian. Laughing Matters was also nominated for a community achievement award at the Leicester Comedy Festival 2014 and chosen after a highly competitive process to be part of the Social Incubator North Fund - a Government initiative that offers loan investment and business support to social businesses which are deemed to be innovative and have the potential to benefit areas of society.

The future aim of Laughing Matters is to cement its place as an alternative after care service, giving individuals the opportunity to participate in something totally unique which in turn can impact positively on their lives. Mark and Kirstie hope to eventually extend Laughing Matters nationwide to ensure that as many people as possible get the opportunity to take part and expereince the benefits comedy and performing can bring to their lives. Initial plans have already started on developing new courses for young people leaving care, returning service personnel and for team building in companies.

Read more about the Knowledge Exchange and Innovation Awards 2014

Find out more about the Nottingham MBA