News Archive
Seven Cooperative and Community Finance Borrowers on the Plunkett Shortlist!
The shortlist is out and we send our congratulations to all 21 finalists in the Plunkett Foundation 2019 Rural Community Business Awards! We are particularly pleased to see seven organisations that we’ve lent to in the past and who are still going strong! We proud to have supported Community Shops Broadhempston Community Shop and Post […]
Responsible Finance as Economic Development – A Business Breakfast
Are you interested in how responsible and sustainable finance can be used to make economic development work for people and the environment, as well as for profit? We are and we’ll be joining Triodos Bank and Finance Bristol & Bath for a business breakfast to discuss it all on the 4th of December – you’re […]
What a difference a year makes!
A year ago, Southampton’s favourite bookshop, co-operatively run October Books, moved into their new premises. We were delighted to support them in their aims and we’ve caught up with them recently to see what a difference a year makes. October Books has been serving the good people of Southampton with radical and alternative books, wholefoods […]
Applications are open for Community Business Trade Up Programme
Applications are now open for a brilliant support programme for community-focused projects, funded by our friends Power To Change and the School for Social Entrepreneurs Do you run an organisation or project that exists to improve your local neighbourhood, village or town? Do you run it like a business, but re-invest profits to benefit your local […]
More Than A Pub heads to London!
Next week we will be part of a fantastic More Than a Pub event in London hosted by The Ivy House, community-owned since 2013. The event will cover all things related to community pubs. Tickets are free and travel bursaries are available. You will be able to hear from three fabulous, and very different, community […]
From victim to survivor – from tenant to landlord
One of the oldest organisations in Yorkshire that supports survivors of domestic abuse and sexual exploitation has bought a town centre office building thanks to the co-operation of several responsible finance organisations. On 22 October Rotherham Rise completed the purchase of the Grade II listed building in Rotherham High Street that it already occupied together […]
Coming soon – the 2019 Practitioners Forum is on the 7th November
Co-operatives UK popular Practitioners Forum is an annual sell-out, for very good reason. It offers superb, practical, professional development for people operating in key roles in co-operative businesses large and small. Coming up in November, Practitioners Forum is made up of a series of specialist forums covering Communications, Finance, Governance, HR and Membership. Delegates are able to […]
Building a New Economy with Stir To Action
We are absolutely thrilled to see the amazing Stir to Action New Economy Programme workshops starting again. Following on from a successful first year in 2018/19, which saw workshops run in Bristol, Dorset, London and Oxford, this new academic year sees the workshops extend geographically, to include Newcastle, Bradford, Plymouth and Dorset as well as […]
What are Community Shares?
Have you heard of Community Shares? Interested – but not sure what they mean? This fantastic video from Community Shares Scotland is a great way to understand what Community Shares are all about – as they say in it, ‘If your community believes in something then investing in Community Shares can make it happen’. ‘Community […]
Our reflections on The Co-op Economy 2019
7215 independent co-ops in the UK 233,733 people employed by co-ops. 13.7 million members. Annual turnover £37.7 billion. We are always proud to be part of the vibrant co-operative economy, but when reports like Co-operatives UK ‘The Co-op Economy 2019’ come out and reveal numbers like these, it’s a wonderful opportunity to take a moment, […]