News Archive
Soft Touch Arts shortlisted!
We’ve got our fingers crossed for Co-operative & Community Finance members Soft Touch Arts, who’ve made the shortlist for Jewson’s Building Better Communities competition! Soft Touch’s sMASHing Healthy Eating community kitchen is shortlisted in the ‘former glories’ category of the competition. If the project wins, it could be awarded between £1,000 and £50,000; enabling the […]
Rame was not built in a day
Cornish community opens new village hub after receiving loans from Co-operative & Community Finance and The Co-operative Loan Fund. A group of locals from the Rame Peninsula in South East Cornwall came together to found The Peninsula Trust on 19 March 2014, with the aim of supporting their community. Exactly one year later, they are […]
Refurbish and occupy
A community-based social enterprise in Huddersfield is renovating dozens of empty private houses in a scheme that will provide affordable rented accommodation, training and work for local people, and a sustainable fund for more development. A loan from Co-operative & Community Finance is helping to make this happen. Fresh Horizons is firmly rooted in Deighton […]
Pub saved from demolition
In December 2014 The Fox and Hounds in Denmead on the outskirts of Portsmouth reopened under co-operative ownership, after it had been derelict for over two years. The local community raised nearly £500,000 to buy and refurbish the 150 year building. The community share issue attracted £326,000 from 190 investors and the remainder came from […]
Free biomass boilers
We are using two funds to help an environmental co-operative to install and maintain energy efficient biomass boilers in church and community buildings free of charge. The free boiler scheme is being pioneered by Manchester-based Biomass Energy Cooperative supported by loans from Co-operative & Community Finance and The Co-operative Loan Fund. This week the new […]
A record year!
2014 has been a very good year for Co-operative & Community Finance; we’ve released £1.4m to co-operatives, community groups and ethical organisations since January. Highlights include loans to the UK’s first co-operatively owned music venue, a student housing co-op, two community pubs, two wood recycling projects, a creative workers’ co-op, a video engineering co-op, two […]
Chilly growth for Bristol organics trader
One of the leading UK wholesalers of organic and Fairtrade products is replacing and expanding its storage facilities for chilled and frozen foods using a loan from Co-operative & Community Finance. Essential Trading in Bristol manufactures and distributes sustainable wholefoods, ecological household products and cruelty free body care items across Europe and internationally. It stocks […]
New shop for Somerset village
The villagers of Spaxton in Somerset are building a new community shop with help from Co-operative & Community Finance. Locals formed a community benefit society in January 2011, after the proprietor of the village’s only shop announced that he would soon be ceasing trading. 291 members raised nearly £30,000 through two community share offers; funds […]
Reel change for video co-op
A leading video production co-operative has upgraded essential equipment and expanded its services, after receiving a loan from us. VET (Video Engineering & Training) is one of the film industry’s leading training providers, offering professional support and development to a large, diverse client base. The co-operative also runs a Post Production facility offering a wide […]
Jazz co-op buys pub
We helped a group of jazz lovers to buy a pub and set up the UK’s first co-operatively owned music venue. On 30 April 2014 Pink Lane Jazz Co-op bought The Globe, a 19th Century pub on the west edge of Newcastle city centre, with the aim of running it as a venue for live […]