News Archive
Soft Touch brings new life to old building
Screen printing – one of the many creative projects for young people run by Soft Touch Arts. We’ve just released our largest loan to help an innovative community arts organisation to buy empty city centre premises from Leicester City Council. The long-established Soft Touch Arts plans to refurbish the former child care nursery building and […]
Community forges ahead with new village shop
A group of locals in Slindon, West Sussex, are restoring a 130-year old forge in the heart of their village, and turning it into a unique community owned shop after receiving a loan from us. Slindon – like many small villages – has lost the majority of its vital services in the last 10 years; […]
Print and pixels: Publishing co-op goes digital
A long standing publisher of radical and academic literature is moving forward with e-book development plans, after receiving a loan from us. Founded in 1977, Zed Books is one of our oldest and most well established borrowers. This is the fourth in a series of loans that Zed Books has drawn from the fund in […]
Co-op flush with finance!
A plumbing co-operative in Bristol is better equipped and set to expand after receiving financial assistance from us. Bristol Plumbing Co-operative was formed in 2011 and is one of only a handful of trade co-ops in the UK. It offers a range of plumbing and central heating services and also advises clients on environmentally friendly […]
Devon village shop opens in a burrow
The residents of a small village in West Devon are putting the finishing touches to their new community-owned shop – thought to be the first in the UK to be sited underground. The Burrow in Exbourne is a unique shop, post office and cafe buried in a sloping field in the centre of the village. […]
New green community shop for Cornish village
Work has started on a new ‘super green’ building for the only shop in the North Cornwall village of St Tudy, thanks to financial assistance from us. The community-owned shop is expected to move into the new premises at the end of August. The new shop will provide a Post Office facility, and will stock […]
Wood recycling at the core of new social enterprise hub
Members of Somerset Wood Recycling help move wood into their new premises. A green enterprise that provides opportunities for disadvantaged people has moved into larger premises which it plans to develop as a new ‘social enterprise hub’ in North Somerset. We provided a loan to Somerset Wood Recycling to cover the costs of moving in […]
Old bank becomes community business hub
A social enterprise in south east Cornwall is moving forward with plans to renovate an old bank to create an enterprise hub, after receiving a loan from Co-operative & Community Finance. Point Europa, a membership organisation with charitable status, provides job advice, training, and support in the isolated rural areas of the Rame Peninsula, including […]
Building a bigger premises
A community village shop in Herefordshire is moving forward with plans to build bigger premises thanks to financial assistance from Co-operative & Community Finance. Whitbourne Village Community Shop, near Worcester, is currently renting a lean-to on the side of a pub and only has a very small 12 square metres sales area. The plan is […]
200 attend community shop opening
A purpose built community shop opened in Milland, West Sussex in December after receiving a loan from Co-operative & Community Finance to assist with building works. The Milland Community Shop was opened following a survey in June 2010 which showed that about half of the 1000 local residents would use a community shop two or […]