News Archive
An Equality Agenda for Co-op and Community Finance
After a year on our Board, Trustee Owen Dowsett writes on the progress we are making towards an equality agenda. He recognises progress made so far, identifies priority areas to work on, questions to ask and explores how our work sits within a wave of change across our the sector. Just over a year ago […]
Fifty years of friendship and finance – meet Andy Love
In our series interviewing our friends from the last fifty years, today we meet Andy Love. Andy was a Trustee from 1993 to 2022 and was the PLC shareholders representative on the board for most of this time. “In many ways, I’ve been a lifelong co-operator. I’ve been involved in various sectors of the Movement over many years. Some of […]
Celebrating ICOF 50th birthday – looking back at our loans – Sutcliffe Play
It’s lovely to share stories with you of businesses that we’ve worked with, who are thriving today We supported Sutcliffe Play with their employee buyout and they are proudly displaying an Employee Owned Manufacturer logo on their website today, alongside their ‘Manufactured in the UK’ badge. Through creativity, innovation and conviction, Sutcliffe Play try to […]
Fifty years of friendship and finance – introducing Alain Demontoux
Today in our series of interviews looking back at our first fifty years in business, we meet Alain Demontoux who many of you will know. After starting with us as a Trustee in 2002, and joining as staff in 2006, Al is now a key member of the team as our Operations and FCA Compliance […]
The Co-operative and Mutual Economy 2023 – new report
Co-operatives UK has launched the Co-operative and Mutual Economy 2023 – the only examination of a combined, comprehensive dataset on the democratic economy. It reveals – among many other things – that: New-start coops more than twice as likely to survive the first 5 years of business as ‘regular’ businesses The democratic economy is made up […]
Celebrating ICOF 50th birthday – looking back at our loans – St John’s Sunshine
Let the sun shine! We supported St John’s Sunshine in Old Trafford, Manchester, to add solar panels to their community centre. These were intended to generate green electricity to benefit the people in the area.
Fifty years of friendship and finance – introducing Tiziana O’Hara
In our series of interviews with friends from our first fifty years of financing co-ops and community ownership, today we talk to Tiziana O’Hara, founder member of Co-op Alternatives – the only cooperatives development agency in Northern Ireland. “Co-operative Alternatives is a Co-operative Development body. It’s quite recent in that we’ve been operating for the […]
Thanks to David Still for these fantastic photos!
As part of our ICOF 50th birthday celebrations, we’ve been looking back at some of our memories from over the years. Thank you to our friend David Still for sending us these fantastic photos! Do you recognise anyone here?
Celebrating ICOF 50th birthday – looking back at our loans – Somerset Wood Recycling
Somerset Wood Recycling is a social enterprise, making things from recycled or sustainably sourced timber, as a way to train and employ disadvantaged people from the local area. Selling reclaimed wood in it’s raw form, or with the addition of tender loving care as shelves, cheeseboards or even the Somerset Eco Coffin , it’s been […]
Fifty years of friendship and finance – meet Clare Diaper
Today in our series of interviews with friends we’ve made over the last fifty years, we speak to Clare Diaper, Strategic Team Lead at October Books. We supported October Books to buy an old bank building in 2018. They moved a few hundred yards down the road from their old rented premises, and the story […]