Grace Network CIC has been shortlisted as one of the UK's top 100 social enterprises.

The company, who are based in Brimscombe have found themselves on SE100's annual list.

The Grace Network has been set up as a Community Benefit Society to work together in a new way to serve the community, free from obligations of old types of business that harm people and the planet. Their aim is to give life changing opportunities to those left behind in normal employment marketplaces.

It has the vision of a local community where everyone is included and given a chance to find meaningful, paid work within our local economy. So far they have set up the Stroud District Furniture Bank, Stroud District Kids Stuff, The Long Table, Kick Off Stroud and they house the Stroud District Foodbank.

They are based down in a warehouse on Brimscombe Port. The businesses combined currently employ 20 local people.

There are now 14,000 Social Enterprises in the UK that share the same legal structure as Grace Network.

A social enterprise is an organisation that applies commercial strategies to maximise improvements in financial, social and environmental well-being.

Founder of the Grace Network Will Mansell said: "To be listed alongside such creative, energetic and important enterprises in the new SE100 list is an honour. We’ve been so busy with the growth of Furniture Bank, the launching of The Long Table, the re-calibrating of Kids Stuff and the nurturing of Kick-Off-Stroud that when we heard we’d been listed we were pleasantly surprised.”

If anyone wants to know more about the Grace Network they can sign up to become a fan on their website.