Big Issue Invest has invested £200,000 into a social enterprise project being developed by auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers, which will see the historic fire station on Tooley Street, London become a social enterprise hub.

Big Issue Invest has provided £200,000 to the £1.4m funding pot for the new hub, which will be used for the fit-out and working capital of The Brigade restaurant, a social enterprise, to be housed in the hub, which will deliver a six-month programme to develop cookery skills, for those at risk of or who have experienced homelessness.

The Brigade is part of a new project, by  PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), to develop the historic fire station on Tooley Street, London, into a social enterprise hub. The Grade II status building, built in the late 1870s, houses The Brigade, space for private dining, events and training, a medical centre, as well as office space which houses social enterprises such as the School for Social Entrepreneurs and Social Enterprise UK.

The Brigade will be managed by De Vere Venues, who together with Beyond Food Foundation, will deliver a six-month programme that offers people who have been at risk of or experienced homelessness the opportunity to study towards an NVQ Level 2 in professional cookery and work two days per week in the kitchen at The Brigade with the aim that following the programme they can seek full time employment.

Nigel Kershaw, chief executive of Big Issue Invest and group chairman of the Big Issue Company, said: “This is a great social enterprise that really resonates with Big Issue Invest’s mission to find sustainable business solutions that dismantle poverty. The Beyond Food Foundation, who will deliver the training, is also talking with local housing associations and Jobcentre Plus to offer the opportunity to people at risk of homelessness to train their way into employment and prevent them from ending up on the street.”

Richard Collier-Keywood, managing partner at PwC, added: “We wanted to create a centre for social enterprise innovation, combining private, public and third sector expertise, and a flagship for business and social enterprise partnering. The parties we’ve brought together bring that to life.”

Big Issue Invest, PricewaterhouseCoopers and venue provider De Vere have jointly invested £1.4m into the social enterprise hub.