Co-op Fortnight - Our 50 new Co-ops Pledge
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Published 25 Jun 2024 in Raising Awareness
Co-op Fortnight 2024 is here! This annual campaign, running until Sunday 7th July, aims to raise the profile of co-ops across the UK, led by Co-ops UK. Follow our stories to learn more...
This year's theme is all about ‘co-operative growth,’ and we're joining forces with other co-ops in the movement to urge all political parties to commit to this growth ahead of the General Election on 4th July. Throughout Co-op Fortnight we will also be showcasing the work that Your Co-op is doing to support ‘co-operative growth’, starting with our pledge to support the creation of 50 new co-ops.
Since May 2022, we as a Society have helped to create over a dozen new co-operative businesses created by and serving the communities they’re based in.
Through partnerships with organisations including the Plunkett Foundation, Co-operative Futures and Co-operative Community Finance (ICOF), we are on our way to meeting our pledge to create 50 new co-ops by 2027. We have also supported the creation and development of Bright Future Co-op, which helps create jobs for victims of modern slavery.
With the Plunkett Foundation, a charity which supports community-owned businesses, we have helped to get four of these such businesses get off the ground.
One such business is The Rising Sun Community Pub groups based in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, which reopened a pub which had been vacant for ten years. At a difficult time for the hospitality industry, the pub’s opening has bucked the national trend and has been supported by 240 local shareholders, demonstrating the power of cooperation.
A further eight co-operatives have also been established through our partnership with Co-operative Futures, ranging from community waste and refill shops in Shropshire, to greenhouses in the park promoting sustainable crop production in Oxfordshire. The partnership has also meant a further 14 existing co-operatives have been supported to grow or improve their sustainability credentials.
Over the past 12 months, Co-operative Futures has been working with a group of residents to establish the Blackbridge Charitable Community Benefit Society, a community co-operative supporting wellbeing, learning, and providing employment advice in Podsmead, Gloucester. A key part of this project is creating a sports hub, which will provide a wide range of outdoor sports activities and has secured £5.4 million of funding to help support this, with local children being given the opportunity to try out different sports with a professional coach.
We were also one of the first organisations to work with Bright Future Co-op, which brings charities and businesses together to offer survivors of modern slavery a four-week work placement. The co-op now has over 30 members, including a mix of organisations in the programme who refer their service users, and business members offering employment opportunities, from several sectors. So far, over 80 people have found stable work through Bright Future Co-op.
With 2024 marking 180 years of co-operation, we are pleased that we are continuing to instil the values which run through our Society of members and colleagues in new businesses and community groups.
The global co-operative movement has lost none of its drive and determination to support local communities in its near two-centuries of existence, and that is thanks to the core values and principles which underpin all co-operatives.
We know that the co-operative business model is a sound and beneficial one, with new coops almost twice as likely to succeed as start-ups using other business models.
We will continue to update you on our progress, and you can read more about our work so far in our latest 50 new co-ops report here.