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Do you want a community where locals own the shop, fans own the club and people own the power?


Financing Community Ownership

You can do it with our help!


We’ve been supporting people-powered ownership for over 40 years.

We can provide lending to match your needs, from £10,000 to £150,000, on flexible terms and with no personal guarantees, and we can broker deals on larger financial packages.

Financing Community Ownership

If your venture needs financial help and support now or in the future please register your interest to find out more.


 

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Financing Community Ownership

Communities we've helped

Pub saved from demolition

Fox and Hounds community - Financing community energy

In December 2014 The Fox and Hounds in Denmead on the outskirts of Portsmouth reopened under co-operative ownership, after it had been derelict for over two years.

The local community raised nearly £500,000 to buy and refurbish the 150 year building. The community share issue attracted £326,000 from 190 investors and the remainder came from loans from Co-operative & Community Finance and The Co-operative Loan Fund and a grant from Solent Local Enterprise Partnership.

Locals were dismayed when the pub closed in April 2012 and the owner applied for planning permission to demolish the building and erect private dwellings. They opposed the plans and eventually succeeded in having the pub registered as an asset of community value. As a result Winchester City Council refused planning permission and the way was clear for the community co-operative to make an offer to purchase. The sale was completed in July 2014 and then the extensive refurbishment began – almost everything had to be replaced.

Rob Stark, one of the directors of the community co-operative, said:

It’s been a long haul since we started the campaign to save our pub in April 2012. We didn’t decide to be a community co-operative until nearly a year later. It’s a relatively new idea and it was hard to get the advice we needed.

“We’ve been doing very well since the pub reopened in December, slightly better than predicted. But we had a sad setback in February when one of our founders died. Jon Pocock will be sadly missed in the local community.”

The co-operative decided that it would be best to have the pub run by tenants and has engaged an experienced couple who had already run a successful pub and restaurant nearby as tenants. In addition to his skills as a landlord, Stephen Pratt has a reputation as an Elvis impersonator.

The co-operative is run by a voluntary board of five directors and local members also help with specific tasks to improve the venture such as gardening.

Ian Rothwell of Co-operative & Community Finance said: “This community group had to jump a lot of hurdles to get here. The owner was hostile, they received some poor advice and some funding didn’t materialise. When they contacted us for a loan they were delighted by how straightforward it was.

Register Your Interest

I think the Maybush will flourish under community ownership because it will be responsive to the needs of local people.

Chairman Mark Godfrey, Maybush Society

The idea of a music venue and education centre that’s a co-op has really excited people.

– Co-op founder and member Dave Parker, Jazz Co-op

The loan from Co-op Finance has really helped us realise our dream. We’re really engaged with the local community and everyone is so enthusiastic.

– Charity trustee David Booton, Denton West End Library