We are proud to share that we have signed up to The Diversity Forum.

The Diversity Forum is a collective within the UK Social Investment Sector, on a mission to drive inclusive social investment in the UK, through the convening of sector-wide groups, commissioning research, and knowledge sharing.

The Manifesto that we have signed up to is practical and sets out a path for us. Described as ‘a bold new way to address equity, equality, diversity and inclusion in the social investment sector’, it consists of  7 clear commitments to report on annually and 10 initial actions to get started on in the first six months.

We are sharing this with you not just to demonstrate our commitment to equity, equality, diversity and inclusion but also to ask you to hold us accountable and support us on our journey to get there.

Hopefully with these 7 commitments, you will feel empowered to challenge us and work with us to improve our systems and process, redistribute power and resources and work collaboratively and openly to a more equitable, inclusive and diverse future.

This Manifesto has been signed by the staff team and board. We have nominated Anne Wilks to lead on this and she will be liaising directly with the Diversity Forum.

We’re really proud to be doing this. We’d like to say that we’ve been ahead of the curve with the shift in focusing on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) – who wouldn’t? – but the reality is that we have operated in broadly the same way as our sector. Historically, the majority of our lending has been to groups mostly made up of white, able bodied people, fairly typical of the co-op and community business space. Our team and Trustees have largely been the same, though we have focused on consciously increasing our diversity in recent years.

There has been a lot of talk over the years in our sector about why people from certain backgrounds or deprived communities don’t come forward, or start the types of businesses we support. We are aware that people facing multiple oppressions have more – many more – blocks on the pathways to social ventures and so the time has come for us to stop asking why, and start changing from within.

We are in the process of educating ourselves. Ultimately, we hope to be able to create new financial products that reflect the needs of those not currently accessing our services. That is a little way off yet  – but every journey starts with a single step. We’ve taken our first, second and third steps – we look forward to sharing more on our journey as we take it.

While we know there are challenges ahead, we, like many of you, are looking forward to our beloved pubs reopening tomorrow. Now all we need is the weather to ensure socially distanced outdoor eating and drinking can happen – hello summer!

Pubs are often at the heart of their communities, and those that are owned by their communities are even more so. Many are so much more than pubs, providing (in more normal times) everything from homework clubs to post office services, knitting groups and community lunches, and during lockdown, many have been providing takeaway food and grocery delivery as well as takeaway beer. We’re proud to be part of the More Than A Pub funding and support scheme as we know how important community pubs are to the people they entertain, employ and serve.

We’re thrilled that so many of the pubs we’ve supported over the years are reopening – it’s been a frightening time for these businesses. Without the backing of multinationals, these are small independent businesses that rely on regular trade to keep going, and as community ventures, there’s often no financial cushion – profits are ploughed back into the business to do more good. We know how hard it has been for the teams running the pubs to keep going and feel confident about the future. There are still challenges ahead as social distancing will mean fewer patrons present, and consumer confidence, or lack of it, might keep people at home. Time will tell – normal will, one day, come back – and these first steps are being taken carefully and cautiously.

We’ve listed below some of the pubs we’ve been proud to support that are re-opening. If they are local to you, we urge you to enjoy a pint with them and support them as they take these tentative steps towards normality. We might not be clinking glasses when we say cheers but we’ll certainly raise a glass to our pubs!

All the pubs listed below plan to reopen on Saturday the 4th July (subject to no further changes in lock-down requirements):

The Craufurd Arms in Maidenhead  are holding an invitation only opening weekend on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th July 2020

The Three Tuns in Guilden Morden are re-opening on Saturday 4th July at 12 midday

The Abingdon Arms in Oxfordshire will open Saturday 4th July from 12pm-10pm and will be serving food from 12pm-8pm – who else has missed pub grub?

The Fox and Hounds at Charwelton, Northamptonshire

The Chequer Inn at Ash, Canterbury

The Spotted Cow at Holbrook, Derbyshire

The Fox and Hounds at Denmead, Hampshire

The Winterbourne, Winterbourne Bassett, Swindon

The Lamarsh Lion, Lamarsh, Suffolk

The Crown Inn, South Moreton, South Oxfordshire

The Duke of Marlborough, Somersham, Suffolk – booking required

Pubs opening later (subject to no further changes in lock-down requirements)

The Pheasant, Neenton, Shropshire aims to open on the11th

The Auctioneers Arms in Caverswall, Nr Stoke-on-Trent have been busily preparing to open on the 8th July

The Bluebell at Cocking on the South Downs plans to open in mid July

The Boot Inn at Orelton, Herefordshire plans to  open on the 14^th July

If you are a Community Pub borrower and want to share more of your story and experience please do get in touch – we would love to help share your good news!

We can’t wait to raise a glass drink to the health of our community pubs – cheers!