News
The UnFound Roadshow is coming to town
In our first blog of the year, our Chair Jon wrote that …we’re expecting to see the continued rise of the tech co-op, and possibly even the fintech co-op. As CoTech gathers together tech co-operatives under one umbrella, the size of this part of the sector becomes clear – £10m revenue across 35 co-ops, just […]
From shops… to co-ops
Working in the co-operative and community sector, as a values led business, it’s probably not that surprising to find that our team have similar backgrounds, and shared histories. We’ve discovered recently just how similar some of them are – are we, perhaps, really a nation of shopkeepers? Operations and FCA Compliance Manager Alain Demontoux, and […]
Booking now! You’re invited to our AGM and Networking Lunch
We’re delighted to announce that bookings are now open for our AGM and networking lunch Come along to our Co-operative Networking Lunch and AGMs on Thursday 13th June 2019 at 10.30am for 11.00pm start at Triodos Bank’s Foundation Space (Deanery Rd, Bristol BS1 5AS). It will be a fantastic opportunity to meet like-minded co-operators, trades, […]
Community Business Weekend 2019
Community Business Weekend is fast approaching – it’s next weekend, and it runs from the 16th to 19th May. While Community Pubs and Shops are often the poster children for Community Business, there is, in fact, a huge range of businesses, owned by and operated for the benefit of their communities. Have a look at […]
Community pub at heart of national park
The people of a village in the heart of the South Downs National Park have prevented their only pub, which closed in 2017, being redeveloped as housing by buying it themselves. On 30 April the Blue Bell in Cocking, West Sussex, was purchased by a community benefit society set up to save the pub and […]
For the workers, by the workers
As we look around us this May Day, in the hope of the better weather being more the rule than the exception, and the longer evenings giving us time to be with our friends, families and communities, we want to celebrate some of the Worker or Employee Owned businesses that we’ve supported and who we […]
Farmer ownership makes Easter Divine
“I joined Kuapa Kokoo because the policies are very good and it belongs to the farmers. Democracy has its own power – that’s why I wanted to join.” Nare Penten Legal structures might not be the most exciting thing to think about, but as we within the co-operative sector know, they can be used to […]
Save the Date – Networking Lunch and AGM 13th June 2019
Join us in Bristol on the 13th June for a Networking lunch and our AGM at the Triodos Foundation We’ll be welcoming local and national speakers, including from Co-operatives UK and The Bristol Cable, a 2000 member strong media co-operative, shaking up local journalism. We’re proud members of the former and proud supporters of the latter. Power to Change […]
Ways Forward 7
Since my role changed from Development to Investment, I don’t get out so much to meet co-ops without appraising their suitability for a loan. So it was with some pleasure that I got to attend Ways Forward 7 in Manchester recently. Ways Forward was set up about five years ago as a response to the […]
Brexit. Co-operative Principles in an Unprincipled World.
It is ironic now, as we allegedly arrive at the Brexit endgame, as we stand a week away from the official leave date on the 29th March, to think that the EU was originally developed after the Second World War to encourage economic and political co-operation. Political co-operation, there’s something we’ve missed recently this side […]
Building a Co-operative Future
For over 45 years, we have supported hundreds of businesses ranging from small community‑run enterprises to large award‑winning organisations – we sometimes describe this as ‘lending good money to nice people doing good things’. As we were discussing within the team recently, this all pretty much started off as a conversation over someone’s kitchen table, a […]
Another 5 year struggle ends in victory
The people of a small rural village near Haverhill, Suffolk, are today celebrating the community purchase of the local pub, which has been closed for five years. The Three Horseshoes in Helions Bumpstead (population 440) joins the growing number of community-owned pubs. There are now 79 trading in England and Wales and several more getting […]