Loan finance secured as family and friends work together to establish sustainable living housing co-op
A group of family and friends have come together to purchase a property and create an intergenerational housing co-op built on environmental sustainability and co-operative values.
In 2024, husband and wife Graham Turner and Kyra Pollitt set up Big Step Housing Co-operative alongside daughter Edie, her partner Spring and their friends Caitlin and Dan. The plan was to purchase a property that would provide environmentally sustainable living and a redistribution of wealth with governance and stewardship based on co-operative values and principles.
Co-operative & Community Finance and Co-op Loan Fund were delighted to work together in providing a loan finance package (alongside loan stock investment from members and supporters) to help enable the purchase of a suitable property north of Glasgow on the edge of the beautiful Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park countryside.
The property, named ‘Back Borland’, situated by the historical and picturesque village of Gartmore (approximately 18 miles from Stirling), is over 150 years old and had been comprehensively converted and renovated to a high standard by previous owners in 2005.
The housing co-op is recruiting further members to take up residency within the property and has a vision of adding extra accommodation on the site, growing a community ‘food forest’, holding workshops and offering respite facilities, as well as improving energy efficiency measures.
The ultimate aim is to provide a space where wealth, skills, and resources can be redistributed throughout the community created, both within and beyond the property.
Edie Turner, founding member of Big Step Housing Co-op, said: “We’re thrilled to finally have bricks-and-mortar for our housing co-op. We worked hard creating a financial model to reflect our principle of redistributing wealth from individuals to create an affordable, sustainable, intergenerational community – current members are from 0-61 years old. At a time when secure, good quality housing is unfairly inaccessible to too many in society, we believe that our model offers a radical but viable alternative that others could adopt, and we are immensely grateful for CCF’s support for that vision. Now, our real work begins to turn our new home into a lively hub for people, permaculture and community resources!”
Kevin Lloyd-Evans, Lending and Relationship Manager at Co-operative & Community Finance and Co-op Loan Fund said: “We’re proud to support Big Step Housing Co-op’s bold vision for sustainable, intergenerational living. This project exemplifies how co-operative finance can unlock community-led housing solutions that redistribute wealth and embed environmental values. It’s a powerful model – and we’re excited to see it grow, inspire, and deliver lasting impact.”
The Friends of the Elm Tree committee aims to bring the community together, foster social connections, encourage engagement, and contribute meaningfully to the local economy. The committee’s plans and values also include charitable involvement, local support, and cultural and recreational contributions to the area. Trevor Austreng, Treasurer at Friends of the Elm Tree Inn, said: “We are very grateful to Co-op Loan Fund along with 
Ickleton Community Pub Limited was registered as a Community Benefit Society with the assistance of 
Now open, the community pub has recruited a team of staff and along with a dedicated Community Engagement Officer plans are already in place to proactively engage with community groups setting up a programme of workshops, lectures and social activities in the upstairs activity room where 20 groups have already signed up to use the space.
The Helions Bumpstead Community Benefit Society was set up in 2014 with a view to take community ownership of their local pub the ‘Three Horseshoes’ (located in northwest Essex) after it was registered as an Asset of Community Value by the local Parish Council. In 2019 the society raised funds to purchase the historic pub – a building dating back as far as the 1870’s – with an impressive community share fund worth £287K and investment from Co-operative & Community Finance via the ‘More Than a Pub’ programme.
Local residents and shareholders have praised the society’s work and have commented on how the pub has brought a real sense of community to the village. In 2023 a second community share offer was completed raising £14K to be used to improve the outdoor areas of the pub and complete further maintenance work. 
The Blue Bell pub situated in Stoke Ferry, Norfolk has been serving residents since 1795 and as a community owned pub since 2021. Locals obtained the pub as an ‘Asset of Community Value’ and established a Community Benefit Society (Stoke Ferry Community Enterprise Limited) as a transparent way to deliver the project alongside their community. Fundraising for the purchase involved a successful community share offer, grants and loans with the pub receiving specialist advice and finance from the More Than a Pub programme.
The society currently has 450 members and the proudly community owned and run pub has full time staff working alongside a group of around 10 local volunteers helping out in the pub, kitchen and bar. With a good understanding of the local market and a mission that puts the community at the heart of what they do, The Blue Bell has proved popular with locals and residents within the surrounding area.
Co-operative & Community Finance were delighted to help Stoke Ferry Community Enterprise secure a loan package for refinancing and working capital following on from the ‘More Than a Pub’ legacy scheme. Kevin Lloyd-Evans, Lending and Relationship Manager at Co-operative & Community Finance said: “Working with Alan and Stephen at Stoke Ferry Community Enterprise was a pleasure. I was really impressed with how they dealt with delays and kept moving forward with the refinancing package. Co-operative & Community Finance’s funding works really well by helping build long-term financial viability with affordable monthly repayments. An excellent basis to move forward.”
Founded in March 2018, Student Co-operative Homes (SCH) aims to bring together existing and start up student housing co-operatives across the UK and build a portfolio of properties for lease to local self-managing student housing co-ops.
Consisting of nine bedrooms, the detached two-storey house is located close by to the University of Birmingham (just outside the main student population area of Selly Oak) with excellent transport links to the city centre. Living in the housing co-operative while studying enables tenants to come together, pool resources and collaborate for mutual benefit with the view to passing on the accommodation to other students once they leave. Fostering a sense of autonomy among the students also gives time and opportunity to develop their skills and build local connections in the wider community.
As a multi-stakeholder co-operative with members (with and without property) in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Nottingham, Manchester, Belfast and Bristol and in Cork (Republic of Ireland); the co-operative is keen to see the development of more student housing co-ops across the UK and beyond, acting as a platform for promoting co-operative values and development particularly amongst young people.