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An historic village inn frequented by two of the most famous English landscape painters and now owned by its residents receives long-term finance boost.

With an inn on its site going back all the way to 1305, The Lamarsh Lion Community Pub commands a superb view over the River Stour much loved and sketched by the renowned landscape artists Thomas Gainsborough and John Constable. On the Essex/Suffolk border about 10 miles northwest of Colchester, Lamarsh is a small village of around 180 residents who since 2017 have owned their community pub after it was put up for sale the year before.

Along with a successful community share issue, a grant from the ‘More Than a Pub’ legacy scheme, a loan from Co-operative & Community Finance, and a private loan; the community were able to proceed with the purchase of the pub and begin refurbishments from July 2017. Since then, repairs and renewals to guttering, roof tiling, chimney stacks, windows and doors as well as refitting and reequipping the trade kitchen, timber frame, damp issues and drainage have all been undertaken and completed.

Co-operative & Community Finance along with Co-op Loan Fund (managed by CCF) were pleased to help secure additional finance for the pub as it continues to develop and grow as a vital community asset. Kevin Lloyd-Evans, Lending and Relationship Manager at Co-operative & Community Finance said: “We are delighted to be able to support for The Lamarsh Lion. Our long-term finance was able to support the needs of the group. This type of finance was not available through other lenders. Rising energy prices have a created tough trading conditions, however with impressive leadership in place and a debt structure which supports the business, the outlook has significantly improved for the group.”

With a committee that offers a broad range of skills and experience, The Lamarsh Lion has built up a reputation as a place to eat and drink for families in the local area and has been doing well with theme nights and community focused activities. With residents also utilising the pub regularly for family parties, The Lamarsh Lion are truly establishing themselves as a family friendly affordable venue in the region.

Ruth Allison, Treasurer at The Lamarsh Lion Community Pub Ltd said: “Getting this further investment from Co-operative & Community Finance and Co-op Loan Fund has really been a boost to our group. The challenges of running a community business in the current economic environment are complex and persistent. Having a supportive lender who knows what you are going through, understands and is willing to help is much needed and appreciated. It is a refreshing approach to accessing community finance.”

The legacy ‘More Than a Pub Fund’ scheme provides loan finance of between £75,000 to £150,000 available to Community Owned Pubs at a discounted rate of interest for members of the Plunkett Foundation, length of term ranges from five to twenty years. Co-operative & Community Finance also helps support groups to access grant funding to help them develop business plans and pay for surveys through the Reach Fund. Please contact Co-operative & Community Finance for the full terms and conditions, and to discuss how your Community Owned Pub venture can be supported.

You can find out more about The Lamarsh Lion by visiting their website.

A printing cooperative rooted in activism within London’s East End has secured finance as a returning borrower, 44 years after being the first co-op to fully repay its loan to Co-operative & Community Finance, back in 1979.

Founded in 1977, Calverts is a design and printing workers’ cooperative based in Bethnal Green, East London. As a 13-strong equal pay co-op, the business is built on a collective foundation where employees “jointly own and control the company, putting into action the cooperative values of equity, solidarity, democracy, self-help, self-responsibility and equality”.

Calverts offers a range of services including creative design, branding, high end print and bookmaking, as well as creative workshops, teach-ins and team building days for clients. Over its 45-year trading history Calverts has served a wide client base that includes consumer brands, universities, the arts, third sector and campaigning organisations. Famously, Calverts researched and designed the global Co-op Marque.

Working with Co-operative & Community Finance, Calverts has secured a loan to purchase new reprographic equipment. The loan comes some 44 years after Calverts were the first cooperative to fully repay a loan to Co-operative & Community Finance (ICOF as it was then known).

Kevin Lloyd-Evans, Lending and Relationship Manager at Co-operative & Community Finance said: “As a returning customer, we are delighted that Calverts have chosen to work with Co-operative & Community Finance again. Since 1977 Calverts have been part of the worker cooperative movement. In our 50^th year it is rewarding to see our relationships with clients standing firm and the continued relevance of our funding across the cooperative movement.”

A recent article described Calverts as a cooperative that has been ‘putting the activism into Bethnal Green since its 70’s punk rock beginnings.’ And with their radical roots running deep in the East End, the article goes on to say the co-op are ‘best placed to serve the community of which they are an intrinsic part, and in an environmentally efficient way.’

Co-operative Director Siôn Whellens said “The new £50k loan on CCF’s unique terms represents good value for money, and helps ensure Calverts competitiveness in a tech-driven industry. Because they’re a lender with a mission to support worker co-ops, we were delighted to renew the partnership with CCF”.

You can keep up to date with Calverts by visiting their website.

Residents of East Budleigh aim to attract more visitors and secure the long-term future of their community pub with a plan to refurbish the upstairs apartment as self-catering tourist accommodation. 

The Sir Walter Raleigh pub has quickly become a favourite in the region after being purchased by residents as a community pub with the help of Co-operative & Community Finance’s ‘More Than a Pub’ finance package in 2022. Since taking ownership the community has come together to repaint, refurbish, provide new signage, as well as make improvements to the rear beer garden and courtyard.

The restaurant and bar areas have also been redecorated along with new appliances installed in the kitchen. These changes have not gone unnoticed with support from both locals and visitors alike taking the Sir Walter Raleigh’s Tripadviser ranking from 15 out of 16 local restaurants to 1^st within 6 months. This huge achievement over a short period of time along with very positive reviews has led to the pub being awarded a Travellers Choice Award by Tripadviser.

The Sir Walter Raleigh committee are now ready to begin the next stage of development which includes the refurbishment of the apartment above the pub as self-catering tourist accommodation. The plan is to completely renovate, redecorate and furnish the space including a new kitchen, bathrooms and central heating system which will attract more visitors to the area as well as provide more revenue to the already thriving community asset.

Co-operative & Community Finance were pleased to help secure some of the funding for the accommodation upgrade as a second loan following on from their ‘More Than a Pub’ legacy scheme in 2022. Tim Coomer, Business Development Manager Co-operative & Community Finance said: “We are really pleased to be able to support the Sir Walter Raleigh with their refurbishment plans, the holiday accommodation is a really important part of their revenue stream. East Budleigh is such a great village and who wouldn’t want to stay in the thatched ‘chocolate box’ pub.”

The Pub operates a regular Walt’s Café open weekday mornings from 10:00am to 12:00pm which is staffed entirely by volunteers as well as providing a Silver Service club for Seniors offering a 2-course meal for £10 every Thursday. Regular quiz, music nights and community led events have been extremely popular with locals also. The renovation of the upstairs accommodation will widen the pub’s offer to the walkers, cyclists and tourists visiting the area and means the committee can continue to be proactive and adaptable in how the business is managed ensuring the Sir Walter Raleigh’s long-term future.

Mark Duffelen, Chairman said: “We’re thrilled with the way the Sir Walter Raleigh has developed over the last year and are incredibly grateful to Co-operative and Community Finance for their support, particularly their understanding of the social benefit of what we’re trying to achieve and the speed with which they responded to our needs. The ability to let our accommodation will make a big difference to our financial viability and we look forward to a prosperous future.”

The legacy ‘More Than a Pub Fund’ scheme provides loan finance of between £75,000 to £150,000 available to Community Owned Pubs at a discounted rate of interest for members of the Plunkett Foundation, length of term ranges from five to twenty years. Please contact Co-operative & Community Finance for the full terms and conditions, and to discuss how your Community Owned Pub venture can be supported.

You can find out more about the Sir Walter Raleigh pub by visiting their website.

A Youth Football League founded to provide opportunity for young people to participate in organisation football matches in North Derbyshire has secured funds to buy land and buildings to develop facilities for members and benefit the local community.

Currently based across three mini venues in Matlock, Chesterfield and Clowne, North Derbyshire Youth Football League (NDYFL) has been supporting young people and providing a league for over 300 teams and approximately 3,500 youth players since its founding 1947 and is part of the Football Association and affiliated to Derby County Football Association.

The league which has teams across age ranges and abilities from Under 7s to Under 18s, has now secured funds from Co-operative and Community Finance CCF, Co-op Loan Fund (managed by CCF) and Charity Bank.

NDYFL have agreed the freehold purchase of a former sports and social club in Hollingwood, Chesterfield with 8.87 acres of land to create a brand new HQ and Sports and Social Club with function rooms and facilities available to hire for member clubs and the local community. The league will be securing the buildings prior to redevelopment and meeting with the local community to discuss the plans. The addition of the site will give NDYFL some further capacity to accommodate new teams that have shown an interest in joining the growing league, building awareness and creating opportunities to develop and diversify youth football in the region.

Andy Bagshaw, Chairman of NDYFL said: “Attracting funding for a volunteer run organisation was a challenge.  Many weeks of discussions with our bank and other finance companies ultimately failed to result in the investment we needed. We came across Co-operative and Community Finance (CCF) and they changed our whole perspective on what was achievable.

Kevin Lloyd-Evans and Tim Coomer were immediately supportive and guided us on taking advice from Co-operatives UK as well as helping us secure the finance we needed to complete the project. At all times we felt that C&CF ‘were on our side’ and could see the aims and importance of having our own facilities to provide youth football for hundreds of local children.”

Kevin Lloyd-Evans, Lending and Relationship Manager at Co-operative & Community Finance said: “We are really pleased to have invested in NDYFL. When they came to us, they were struggling to navigate the complicated maze of repayable finance. We were able to help by putting them in touch with support from Coops UK and The Access Foundation’s Reach Fund. By working with Charity Bank, we were able to leverage in significant experience, skills and additional finance to really add value to NDYFL’s investment experience.  Our partnership model is a growing feature of our work. It enables us to support clients better and add value through the investment process.”

You can keep up to date with NDYFL’s exciting plans by visiting their website or Facebook page.