News Archive
Covid Stories – October Books
We’ve been incredibly impressed with the way so many Co-ops and Community businesses have managed through the Covid-19 situation and lockdown. The commitment to serving their communities and the resilience and ingenuity they have shown has been amazing! We’ve spoken to a number of our clients about how they have managed – here we share […]
Covid Stories – Slaley Community Shop
We’ve been incredibly impressed with the way so many Co-ops and Community businesses have managed through the Covid-19 situation and lockdown. The commitment to serving their communities and the resilience and ingenuity they have shown has been amazing! We’ve spoken to a number of our clients about how they have managed – here we share […]
Co-ops, Community Business, and Covid Stories
It’s been a tough year. Ever since things turned upside down in March, times have been hard for everyone. Co-ops and community business have had to deal with the challenges of closed doors, cashflow, and distancing, like any other business. Unlike many mainstream businesses, however, these organisations often have the love and support of their […]
New Community Shares Booster Programme
Community Shares Unit and Power to Change launch ReBoost to support recovery Community Share Issues alongside AHF Heritage Booster The Power to Change Booster ReBoost fund helps all types of community businesses to prepare a community share offer, to support their recovery from COVID-19. The Architectural Heritage Fund Booster fund helps heritage projects that are […]
A Better Form of Business
The Plunkett Foundation has released key new reports on community pubs and shops Plunkett’s “A Better Form of Business” reports into community pubs and community shops usually focus on the previous year, however, due to the pandemic they have included information relevant to 2020 too. These reports showed both sectors to be in robust health […]
Deja vu?
With Lockdown 2 landing tomorrow, we’re sensing less urgency and panic this time than last. Is that because we’ve ‘done this before’? Because we’re told it will be for a finite period? It’s difficult to say. What we can say is that those community shops and pubs who were able to find new trading models […]
New Research into Community Shares
As enthusiastic supporters of community ownership, we are delighted to read the most comprehensive piece of research into the community shares market to date: Understanding a Maturing Community Shares Market, from the Community Shares Unit at Co-operatives UK The research is worth reading in full here. Key highlights include… Since 2012, £155m has been raised by 104,203 people to […]
Enter the Community Pub Hero Awards by the 30th November!
Every year, PubAid runs a competition to find the Charity Pub of the Year, sponsored by Matthew Clark and run in conjunction with the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group. In the face of the disruption caused by COVID this year, they have decided to change the name of the competition this year to the Community Pub […]
Power to Change launches £3 million Community Business Renewal Fund
Power to Change has launched the Community Business Renewal Initiative, its latest response to the COVID-19 crisis. The £3million Community Business Renewal Fund is part of this support package for the community business sector. The Community Business Renewal Fund will provide grants of between £10,000 and £20,000 to community businesses in England affected by the Covid-19 crisis […]
Community buys the Railway … (pub not trains)
[photo: Directors of Saffron Walden Community Pub inspect their new purchase. Chair Dave Kenny in doorway.] After a long journey with several delays the determined people of Saffron Walden in Essex now own the Railway Arms, an iconic pub that is part of the town’s industrial heritage. It was over four years ago that local […]