• Swindon & Wiltshire Social
• Tuesday November 25 2025

BBRC marks 10 years of impact investing with renewed £1 billion ambition for South West

Place-based impact investor BBRC, formerly Bristol & Bath Regional Capital, has marked its 10-year anniversary with a celebratory event that brought together civic leaders, investors, businesses and community partners to reflect on a decade of impact – setting out an ambitious vision for the decade ahead.

Over the past decade, BBRC has mobilised more than £70m into the South West, backing purpose-driven enterprises, developing award-winning affordable housing projects and supporting businesses driving the region’s transition to net zero.

Founded in 2015 with a mission to supercharge the wellbeing of people, communities and the environment, BBRC has grown from a pioneering local initiative into one of the UK’s leading place-based impact investors.

BBRC’s work has focused on three priority areas: Homes, Green Growth, and Community Impact – each tackling structural challenges facing the region:

• Homes: 67 per cent of BBRC-supported homes are genuinely affordable, with 86 per cent built in the UK’s most deprived areas and 87 per cent achieving EPC B energy standards. Projects such as the Elderberry Walk development in Southmead – recognised by the World Economic Forum and winner of the 2023 National Housing Award for Best Large Scheme – have demonstrated how mixed-tenure, sustainable design can unlock long-term community benefit.
• Green Growth: BBRC has supported over 50 SMEs preparing for investment through its Investment Readiness Advisory Service, saving more than 4,000 tCO2e and generating 7,394 MWh of renewable energy across supported projects. The new £100m Green Growth West Fund, initiated by BBRC and backed by a £10m cornerstone investment from the West of England Combined Authority, will help fast-track low-carbon infrastructure and green innovation across the region.
• Community Impact: Through City Funds, BBRC has invested £10 million into around 30 social enterprises, reaching more than 446,000 people through community services, supporting fair-wage employment and enabling organisations to grow sustainably.

The achievements illustrate the power of impact investing when rooted in local knowledge, collaboration and long-term commitment.

As impact investing moves from the margins of finance to the mainstream, BBRC’s place-based approach is increasingly seen as a national blueprint for how investment can strengthen communities.

Initiatives such as City Funds, the Bristol Local Access Programme and the emerging Green Growth West Fund have demonstrated how blended finance, public-private partnerships and community insight can create transformative outcomes.

Ed Rowberry, chief executive of BBRC, said: “Ten years ago, place-based impact investing was still emerging, today it is vital to tackling challenges facing our communities – from housing and climate to inequality and economic resilience.

“As we mark this anniversary, we’re celebrating the partners, investors and investees who have helped deliver meaningful change. Our region can be a trailblazer, showing how public and private investors can work together to achieve good growth, as set out in our Regional Growth Strategy and its focus on the Everyday Economy.

“To do this, we must bridge the cultural and communication gap between the public and private sectors, the finance world and communities. BBRC has a proven track record across housing, green growth and community impact, and can play a key role in delivering for the region. Our ambition for the next decade is clear: to attract and deploy a further £1bn of finance into the region.”

As the region faces mounting pressures – from the housing crisis to the challenges of decarbonisation – BBRC is strengthening its commitment to:

• Deliver 2,500 new low-carbon affordable homes by 2035, whilst enabling a further 2,500 via housing association partners.
• Advance the Green Growth West Fund to catalyse investment in renewable energy, low-carbon transport and nature-based projects.
• Deploy a further £25 million into social enterprises addressing inclusion, wellbeing, community energy and economic resilience.
• Continue building a fair, sustainable and inclusive economy by working with anchor institutions, local authorities and national partners.

The anniversary event, hosted at EQ in Bristol, brought together local business leaders, policymakers, investors and impact organisations to mark the achievements of the past decade and set the course for the next.

Alongside a keynote and fireside discussion featuring Ed, Mayor of the West of England Helen Godwin, and chair of the Impact Investing Institute Kieron Boyle, the event celebrated the shared progress made across housing, green innovation and community resilience.

Image: First Avenue Photography