Ethos public relations Manchester

Help others pledge to save the planet

by Ethos public relations

What is your favourite way to help save the planet? Got an idea that could help others do their bit to tackle climate change? Then Greener Together – the co-operative way wants to capture your ideas to help everyone live a greener lifestyle.

Whether your idea is to snuggle under a blanket rather than turning up the heating or making your own shopping bags out of old jeans, then upload it to the pledge generator at www.greenertogether.coop/pledge-generator.

"With many co-operative members telling us they wanted more of a challenge to support them to live greener and the means to decide what that challenge would be, we thought an online pledge generator was the perfect solution," said Michelle Lockwood, manager of Greener Together, an initiative run by Co-operatives UK.

We have received some fantastic ideas, including hanging soft curtains to trim five per cent off your heating bill, inviting friends over on a regular basis for a shared feast to swap food and reduce waste and thoroughly towel drying your hair to cut down on time spent using a hairdryer!

"It is great to see so many co-operative members logging on and generating some excellent pledges to help others live in a greener way."

Hundreds of individuals across the country are supporting Greener Together – the co-operative way, which encourages and supports them to overcome the barriers of lifestyle change and live in a more sustainable way.

The project helps co-operatives make a significant impact on climate change, and reduce their environmental impact in the three key areas of energy, waste and personal transport.

Part of the Greener Living Fund, sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the project aims to help people to live in a more sustainable way, by focusing on the small actions every individual can take in their daily lives and enables member organisations of Co-operatives UK, the Confederation of Co-operative Housing (CCH) and the Plunkett Foundation to work with their members and customers in achieving greener behaviour.

To find out more about Greener Together, visit the website at www.greenertogether.coop

Football is the focus - as communities are urged to take ownership

by Ethos public relations

Ed Mayo, Secretary General of Co-operatives UK, delivered an inspiring keynote speech at policy seminar – Community Shares – Taking Ownership Local – in London recently and paid special attention to co-operative football.

In his speech – Future potential for community investment, Building on the lessons - Ed said the way to improve football in the UK is to follow the approach of leading Spanish clubs and hand them over to their fans.

"Of the 11 players who started out on the field for Spain’s winning World Cup team, 10 of them play for a co-operative,” he said to a packed audience of over 100 representatives from HM Treasury, The Office for Civil Society, The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) and the Financial Services Authority (FSA).

“FC Barcelona is the poster child of co-operative football and I am delighted that, with Supporters Direct, we have launched a report and the first UK version of the Barcelona statutes – with the support and encouragement of Barca’s outgoing President Joan LaPorta. Barcelona has 170,000 members and is a remarkable case of democratic innovation – drawing members jury-style by lot for its Delegate Assemblies. If you want to change the Board in Barcelona, you vote for it, as 53,000 did in the elections last month.

“The health warnings apply. Not all Spanish clubs are organised on anything like this model and there is if anything more of a common tradition of ownership by fans in Germany. However, you can only grow community ownership not import it (there are fifteen clubs now in the UK organised like this – the most recent is Lewes – but not in the top flight).

“But perhaps there is a Spanish recipe here that we too can enjoy.”

The policy seminar also saw the launch of two new guides to community share issues - Community Shares: A Practitioner's Guide and Investing in Community Shares. The new guides have been released by a coalition of organisations that provide local enterprise support, including Co-operatives UK and the Development Trusts Association (DTA).

The Community Shares Programme is a two-year action research project, launched in January 2009, due to a huge surge of interest in community investment. There have been a total of 40 new schemes in the last twelve months alone. The registration of new Industrial and Provident Societies (IPSs) more than doubled in the last quarter of 2009 and recent initiatives have raised more than £42m from over 30,000 community investors across the UK.

The two guides to community share issues - Community Shares: A Practitioner's Guide and Investing in Community Shares are available from www.communityshares.org.uk/resources.

The new football report - Barca – fan ownership and the future of football clubs’ - and the full FC Barcelona statutes are available on line at www.uk.coop/barca.

New report highlights the need for a new co-operative framework for the Big Society to succeed

by Ethos public relations

Rolling back the state and expecting communities to leap into the driving seat will not succeed without a new co-operative framework of rights and responsibilities, says a new paper from the ippr (Institute for Public Policy Research), published today by Co-operatives UK.

The authors of the report – Carey Oppenheim, co-director of ippr; Ed Cox, director of ippr North; and Reg Platt, ippr researcher – are pleased that “bottom-up and community-led activities which bubble along under the radar are receiving new public recognition”.

However they caution that:

• If the Big Society is to emerge successfully, not only community but state services too need to develop a culture of co-operation;

• A framework of community development and business support is critical for community-led regeneration to be effective.

Ed Mayo, Secretary General of Co-operatives UK – the trade association for co-operative enterprises which commissioned the paper – says that “co-operative and community initiatives have been providing innovative services for years. This year we launched the first ever Co-operatives Fortnight in order to highlight the sheer number of co-operatives providing community-based alternatives across the UK.”

“We welcome the interest in co-operative and community initiatives coming through from the Big Society proposals. But as this report shows, it is not enough to cut services, as citizens don’t know where their rights stop and their responsibilities start.

“The Big Society will be successful only if communities have a free rather than a shotgun choice on whether to take over and run services; if the communities have the skills, business support and community backing to make them happen; and if the residents, local authorities and other stakeholders are able to co-operate and work together.”

The launch of the ippr report follows the UK’s first ever Co-operatives Fortnight, which took place from 19 June to 3 July, with tens of thousands of people across the UK celebrating the co-operative alternative.

The full report – Regeneration through co-operation: Creating a framework for communities to act together – is available to download at www.uk.coop/ippr.

Villagers celebrate recycling success and get Greener Together

by Ethos public relations

Chepstow villagers became recycling ambassadors, after hosting a fantastic Community Recycling Day recently where over 50 guests took part in activities including scarecrow making.

Volunteers at community enterprise, Brockweir and Hewelsfield Village Shop and Café (BHVSA), organised a fun-filled day, to show local adults, children and visitors practical ways of recycling, after they signed up to Greener Together – the co-operative way, a new initiative run by Co-operatives UK.

Greener Together is a major project which encourages and supports individuals to overcome the barriers of lifestyle change and live in a more sustainable way, and the team at BHVSA, inspired by the project, ran workshops on how to make compost, how to recycle fabric and offered advice on energy saving in the home.

Greener Together pioneer, Chrissy Birch, who helped organise the Chepstow event, said the day was a huge success with everyone getting involved and learning new recycling skills. “The day was fantastic and it was great to see so many people interested in learning more about recycling, making compost and saving energy,” she said.

“And with fun workshops including scarecrow making, fabric recycling, making bird feeders from juice cartons and a clothes swap, it was a great day out for all the family.

“The Greener Together project gave us the impetus to hold the event. We would never have thought of a community recycling day, but everyone enjoyed themselves and we all felt we really could be ‘greener together’.”

Michelle Lockwood, Manager of the Greener Together project at Co-operatives UK, said: “The team at BHVSA did a fantastic job in helping to raise awareness of the importance of recycling and energy saving, and we are delighted that so many people went along to find out more about these key issues and about Greener Together.”

BHVSA is among hundreds of individual co-operative members across the country supporting Greener Together – the co-operative way.

With its dedicated website www.greenertogether.coop, Greener Together helps co-operatives make a significant impact on climate change, and reduce their environmental impact in the three key areas of energy, waste and personal transport.

To find out more about Greener Together, visit the website at www.greenertogether.coop.

Spanish formula launched for UK football clubs

by Ethos public relations

The way to improve football in the UK, now the World Cup is over, is to follow the approach of leading Spanish clubs and hand them over to their fans, according to a new report being launched today (15 July) by Co-operatives UK and Supporters Direct.

The report is published alongside the first English translation of the statutes of Spanish club FC Barcelona, the poster child of co-operative football.

FC Barcelona – like the other leading Spanish football team, Real Madrid – is a co-operative owned by 175,000 members. Of the 11 players who started out on the field for the winning World Cup team, 10 of them work for one of these two co-operatives.

In a recent survey, carried out by Co-operatives UK and included in the report, 56% of respondents across the UK see the benefits of this approach, believing their club would be in better hands if it was owned co-operatively by the fans.

Dave Boyle, Chief Executive of Supporters Direct and the author of the report, comments; "FC Barcelona is a powerful example of how a club can be organised co-operatively and still successfully compete with rivals across the world. The club has long been known for being owned by its fans but, until now, we couldn’t see how things worked ‘under the hood’. Fans looking at what rights and powers they have in the club can only look on with envy.

"Of course, co-operative football clubs are like all clubs – they are not immune from financial troubles during times of economic austerity. But it’s the ownership structure that really sets them apart.

"There are a growing number of supporters’ trusts in the UK looking to give fans a greater say and stake in their clubs; our aim is to show how the co-operative model can run effectively and to the benefit of all involved."

Commenting on the benefits of applying the co-operative model to clubs, Ed Mayo, Secretary General of Co-operatives UK, said: "Football is an international game and just as we can learn tactics on the field, so we can learn from co-operative models of ownership off the field too. There have been pioneers over the last decade with supporters' trusts lower in the leagues.

"Over the next 12 months we want to see competition among the great named clubs with financial troubles to turn to their fans and become the first British Barcelona."

The new report, 'Barca – fan ownership and the future of football clubs', and the full FC Barcelona statutes are available on line at www.uk.coop/barca

Tens of thousands across the UK celebrated a successful first Co-operatives Fortnight

by Ethos public relations

Across the UK, tens of thousands of people have celebrated the first ever Co-operatives Fortnight, which ran from 19 June to 3 July. From events to early day motions, Twitter and tastings, members and supporters of co-operatives have got together to promote the co-operative alternative.

Co-ordinated by Co-operatives UK – the trade association for co-operative enterprises – Co-operatives Fortnight united the whole co-operative sector to demonstrate that there is an alternative way of doing business where profits and ownership are shared.

Ed Mayo, Secretary General of Co-operatives UK, said: “This was the first ever Co-operatives Fortnight and we’re delighted with its success. It was a collaboration between thousands of people and made an incredible difference – it excited and united co-operatives everywhere and really helped us all to promote the sector.”

Over the course of Co-operatives Fortnight, an incredible range of activities took place, including:

•    Over 150 events in every region and devolved nation in the UK
•    Over 3,000 stores promoting the Fortnight nation-wide
•    Over 4,000 people watching the Co-operatives Fortnight film
•    Thousands getting involved through online social networks
•    13 co-operative schools being established
•    Two parliamentary motions being passed: one in Westminster, one in Edinburgh
•    The first formula for co-operation being revealed
•    And Co-operatives UK announcing that the co-operative economy has grown to £33.5 billion.

Meanwhile, during the Fortnight, HF Holidays held open days and gave away free cream teas at seven of its country houses, Unicorn Grocery in Manchester created a dance video, Cycle Training UK took over a local park to show the fun of teamwork, nearly 1,000 people attended Midlands Co-operative’s celebration of international co-operation at Aston Villa’s football ground and the Co-operative Group brought hundreds of school pupils to the Stadium of Light in Sunderland to learn about co-operation.

In research commissioned by Co-operatives UK, as part of Co-operatives Fortnight, co-operatives are now associated with being fair by the majority of people (75%, compared to 18% who associate PLCs with fairness). And 67% of people can now name more than one co-operative business.

“We are as pleased as punch that so many of our members used Co-operatives Fortnight as an opportunity to promote themselves and the wider co-operative sector,” Ed Mayo said.

“And we’re delighted to have had the support of the Founding Sponsors – not just because they made Co-operatives Fortnight a reality, but also because their enthusiasm and the events they held really raised the profile of the Fortnight.”

The founding sponsors, each of which ran a variety of events and promotions to members and customers throughout the Fortnight, were: The Co-operative Group, The Midcounties Co-operative, Midlands Co-operative, Anglia Co-operative Society, The Southern Co-operative, Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society, Lincolnshire Co-operative and Channel Islands Co-operative Society.

Co-operatives UK is carrying out a detailed evaluation of Co-operatives Fortnight to determine exactly how many co-operatives took part and how many of their members, customers and the local community got involved.

“Mass market model of music in crisis” – co-operatives may be the answer

by Ethos public relations

Peter Jenner, a key figure on the British music scene for over 40 years - best known for managing bands including Pink Floyd and T Rex and currently Billy Bragg - is calling for more creative co-operatives in the UK.

Peter Jenner, who has been actively involved in the Music Managers Forum from the outset and now on the advisory board of the Featured Artists Coalition, which campaigns for the protection of performers’ and musicians’ rights and greater transparency in the music industry.

“I believe the mass market model for music is in crisis and I think a co-operative
approach could provide ways to rebuild a community of musicians but also fans who are interested in people actually making music,” Peter Jenner said.

“New inspirations will come from individual creative musicians and new people and structures that develop to support them. I think co-operatives could help to build some bottom-up structures, because the top-down ones aren’t working.”

Peter Jenner’s appeal for more creative co-operatives coincides with the launch of a new guide, ‘Creative co-operatives – A guide to starting a co-operative in the creative industries’ by Co-operatives UK which sets out advice for freelancers, newly self-employed people and recent graduates on setting up creative co-operatives.

Ed Mayo, Secretary General of Co-operatives UK, said: “Co-operation, collaboration and co-working, whether within formal co-operatives or informal networks and ad hoc structures, have much to offer workers in the creative industries.”

The launch of the new guide and website from the national trade body that campaigns for co-operation is part of the first-ever Co-operatives Fortnight (19 June – 3 July 2010), celebrating that There is an alternative…

With a turnover of almost £34 billion and 12.9 million members, co-operatives are the largest membership movement in the country, and now want their voice for a more ethical economy heard.

Peter Jenner said: “There is a declining amount of traditional investment for the creative industries and the investment of time and experience is as important as the investment of money in the new music business paradigm.

“I believe co-operatives could well be a solution to the problems creatives are facing in this challenging economic and technological climate.”

If you are interested in finding out more about how to set up a creative co-operative, please visit the website or download a copy of ‘Creative Co-operatives – A guide to starting a co-operative in the creative industries’.

Freelancers urged to take a co-operative approach

by Ethos public relations

The number of freelancers in UK creative industries is continuing to rise and Co-operatives UK, the national trade body that campaigns for co-operation, has today launched a new guide and website - www.uk.coop/creative - to help freelancers set up their own creative co-operatives.

Paul Robinson runs his own software company and is a founder member of FlyThe.Coop, a co-working space for IT and digital creative workers based in Manchester's Northern Quarter. He believes working with other like minded individuals can offer the best of both worlds for a freelancing creative.

“Freelancers tend not to want to build a huge business,” he said. “The advantage of co-operation and collaboration is that it allows freelancers to be entrepreneurial and go beyond being a micro-enterprise. It can also leverage co-operative support from others as well as advice from Co-operatives UK. Essentially you are no longer on your own.”

Liz Taylor is a marketing specialist at The Very People, a co-operative of experienced editorial, PR and marketing consultants offering the combined strengths of senior specialists based across Scotland’s central belt.

“The days of being guaranteed a job for life are pretty well gone,” Liz said. “The freelance community continues to grow and often this means working as a sole trader or in a very small company.

“Joining or starting a co-operative means that people can create larger groups and win contracts on that basis. Freelancers may not have joined a co-operative but many will already be collaborating informally. The time has certainly come for co-operation, as it has many benefits.”

The new guide and website , ‘Creative co-operatives – A guide to starting a co-operative in the creative industries’ sets out advice for freelancers, newly self-employed people and recent graduates on setting up creative co-operatives.

With a turnover of almost £34 billion and 12.9 million members, co-operatives are the largest membership movement in the country and this new guide and website is part of Co-operatives UK first-ever Co-operatives Fortnight (19 June – 3 July 2010) which celebrates that There is an alternative…

If you are interested in finding out more about how to set up a creative co-operative, please download a copy of ‘Creative Co-operatives – A guide to starting a co-operative in the creative industries’.

Creative graduates urged to take a co-operative approach

by Ethos public relations

Students graduating from creative courses will be interested in a new guide and website which has just been launched by Co-operatives UK, the national trade body that campaigns for co-operation.

www.uk.coop/creative is designed to offer help and advice on setting up a co-operative with other like minded individuals and is ideal for graduates who may find it daunting going it alone.

Actress, Victoria Brazier, is a member at The Actors Group (TAG) in Manchester, which is the oldest co-operative outside of London at 30 years old and represents actors across the region.

“About 18 months after leaving drama school, I was in a play at The Royal Exchange in Manchester,” she said. “I invited various agents to see the show, and TAG took me on.

“Being part of the co-operative means I can keep up to date with my colleagues and changes in the industry - we support each other. It also puts you in charge of your own career in a way that having a personal manager never would.

“I just wanted an agent and to be honest, I was not even sure what a co-operative was or what it had to offer,” she admits. “But I soon discovered the advantages of co-operation and I realised that it was something I really wanted to be a part of.”

Linda Ball, a Senior Research Fellow at the University of the Arts London and co-author of the study Creative Graduates, Creative Futures, published by the Institute for Employment Studies, says universities should be talking about co-operation much more.

“Although universities are getting much better at running group projects, they need to make it much clearer to students how important collaboration is, and to provide opportunities for students to get together and co-operate in different ways on projects, and simulate what's actually going on out there in the working world,” she said.

The new guide and website , ‘Creative co-operatives – A guide to starting a co-operative in the creative industries’ sets out advice for recent graduates as well as freelancers and newly self-employed people on setting up creative co-operatives.

Winners of Co-operative Awards 2010 are announced

by Ethos public relations

Six dynamic and successful businesses have been honoured with national Co-operative Awards to recognise their innovation and contribution to the co-operative sector.

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society, Delta-T Devices, Shared Interest Society, The Handmade Bakery, whomadeyourpants? and Winyates Co-operative Housing received the Co-operative Award in recognition of their excellent work in diverse areas of the economy.

The six winners were chosen from a diverse shortlist and all excelled in the past year to help promote, unite and develop their business as well as the co-operative movement.

David Button, Chair of Co-operatives UK, which organised the awards said: “The Co-operative Awards 2010 celebrate the diversity, innovation and excellent work of co-operatives across the UK and all six winners are worthy recipients of these awards.”

Chelmsford Star is a retail co-operative society based in Mid-Essex, which was formed in 1867, and now has an annual turnover approaching £70million.

Delta-T Devices, in Cambridge, was founded in 1971 and specialises in instruments for environmental science, in particular: agronomy, plant physiology, meteorology, soil moisture, solar energy studies and environmental monitoring.

Shared Interest Society, in Newcastle, is a co-operative lending society that aims to reduce poverty in the world by providing fair and just financial services. The world's only 100% fair trade lender, Shared Interest annually lends over £33 million and work in 36 countries around the globe.

The Handmade Bakery in Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire, which only started trading in March last year, is an innovative community supported artisan bakery which has already built up a reputation for the care and passion everyone puts into bread making.

Southampton-based co-operative, whomadeyourpants? is a worker co-operative specifically formed to empower marginalised women by providing flexible employment, education and a social and community space. The organisation makes ethical underpants from materials sold on by industry at the end of season.

And Winyates Co-operative is one of five self managed neighbourhood co-operatives supported by Redditch Co-operative Homes in Redditch, Worcestershire, which provides affordable housing to people in need by giving them the power to control and manage their future.

The awards were presented to the winners during the Gala Dinner at Co-operatives 2010 in Plymouth – part of Co-operatives Fortnight.

To find out more about the co-operative sector please visit www.uk.coop.

whomadeyourpants? wins national co-operative award

by Ethos public relations

Southampton based co-operative, whomadeyourpants?, formed to empower marginalised women by providing flexible employment, education and a social and community space, has been honoured with a national Co-operative Award.

The business, founded in 2008, which makes ethical pants from materials sold on by industry at the end of season, received a Co-operative Award 2010 in recognition of its innovation and excellent work.

David Button, Chair of Co-operatives UK, which organised the awards, said: “whomadeyourpants? is an innovative and interesting co-operative which tries to make people think about what goes on behind the scenes of manufacturing and wants to make some connections between purchaser and producer.

“Their passion in what they do is amazing and they are worthy recipients of a Co-operative Award.”

Commenting on the co-operative’s success, Becky John of whomadeyourpants?, said: “We are delighted to have been given this award.

“Everyone in the co-operative has worked hard to get us to where we are and they share in its success. This award gives us even more determination to continue in our success.”

Ian Rothwell, Development Manager from Co-operative and Community Finance, based in Southampton, collected the award on behalf of whomadeyourpants? at a special Gala Dinner in Plymouth recently - part of Co-operatives Fortnight – where five other co-operatives received awards.

whomadeyourpants? is part of a thriving co-operative economy. Latest figures from Co-operatives UK reveal that there are some 4,992 co-operative businesses in the UK with a combined turnover of some £34 billion.

To find out more about whomadeyourpants? please visit their website.

Delta-T Devices wins national co-operative award

by Ethos public relations

Cambridge based business, Delta-T Devices, a co-operative business specialising in instruments for environmental science, has been honoured with a national Co-operative Award.

The business, which was founded in 1971, received a Co-operative Award 2010 in recognition of its innovation and excellent work.

David Button, Chair of Co-operatives UK, which organised the awards, said: “Delta-T Devices is one of those co-operatives that shows the variety of different co-operatives across the UK.

“When some people think of co-operatives they think of food stores and funeral services but co-operatives exist across a wide range of sectors and Delta-T Devices has excelled in its sector.”

Commenting on the co-operative’s success, Chris Nicholl, Chair of the Management Committee of Delta-T Devices, said: “We are delighted to have been given this award.

“Everyone in the co-operative has worked hard to get us to where we are and they share it its success. This award gives us even more determination to continue in our success.”

Delta-T and five other co-operatives received their award at a special Gala Dinner in Plymouth recently - part of Co-operatives Fortnight.

Delta-T is part of a thriving co-operative economy. Latest figures from Co-operatives UK reveal that there are some 4,992 co-operative businesses in the UK with a combined turnover of some £34 billion.

To find out more about Delta-T Devices please visit their website.

Shared Interest wins national co-operative award

by Ethos public relations

Newcastle-based ethical investment co-operative, Shared Interest, has been honoured with a national Co-operative Award.

From its base in the Groat Market, the co-operative lending society aims to reduce poverty in the world by providing fair and just financial services.

The business, set up in 1990, annually lends over £33 million and works in 36 countries around the globe. And as the world's only 100% fair trade lender, Shared Interest received a Co-operative Award 2010 in recognition of its innovation and excellent work.

David Button, Chair of Co-operatives UK, which organised the awards, said: “Shared Interest has shown how co-operation can be used to help tackle some of the world’s big issues.

“Their excellent work in promoting the cause of co-operation and supporting co-operatives around the world makes them worthy recipients of a Co-operative Award.”

Commenting on the co-operative’s success, Patricia Alexander of Shared Interest, said: “We are delighted to have been given this award.

“Every member of the co-operative has worked hard to get us to where we are and we all share in its success. Shared Interest is 20 years old this year and this award gives us even more determination to continue our vital work in supporting fair trade.”

Shared Interest and five other co-operatives received their award at a special Gala Dinner in Plymouth recently – part of Co-operatives Fortnight.

Shared Interest is part of a thriving co-operative economy. Latest figures from Co-operatives UK reveal that there are some 4,992 co-operative businesses in the UK with a combined turnover of some £34 billion.

To find out more about Shared Interest please visit their website.

The Handmade Bakery wins national co-operative award

by Ethos public relations

The Handmade Bakery in Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire - an innovative community supported artisan bakery - has been honoured with a national Co-operative Award.

The business, which only started trading in March last year, received a Co-operative Award 2010 in recognition of its innovation and excellent work.

David Button, Chair of Co-operatives UK, which organised the awards, said: “The Handmade Bakery is a relatively new business but it is already supplying its bread widely and has built up a reputation for the care and passion everyone puts into bread making.

“This care and passion deserves to be recognised and I am pleased to present them with a Co-operatives Award.”

Commenting on the co-operative’s success, Johanna McTiernan of The Handmade Bakery, said: “We are delighted to have been given this award. We have come so far in so little time.

“Everyone in the co-operative has worked hard to build an alternative model for community baking and we are all proud of its success. This award gives us even more determination to continue to promote real bread and co-operative ways of working.”

The Handmade Bakery and five other co-operatives received their award at a special Gala Dinner in Plymouth recently - part of Co-operatives Fortnight.

The Handmade Bakery is part of a thriving co-operative economy. Latest figures from Co-operatives UK reveal that there are some 4,992 co-operative businesses in the UK with a combined turnover of some £34 billion.

To find out more about The Handmade Bakery please visit their website.

Winyates Co-operative Housing wins national co-operative award

by Ethos public relations

Winyates Co-operative Housing, one of five self managed neighbourhood co-operatives supported by Redditch Co-operative Homes in Redditch, Worcestershire, has been honoured with a national Co-operative Award.

Winyates Co-operative Housing received a Co-operative Award 2010 in recognition of its innovation and excellent work.

David Button, Chair of Co-operatives UK, which organised the awards, said: “Housing is one of those areas where co-operation really can play an important part in delivering real benefits to members.

“Winyates Co-operative’s work and diversity within the co-operative movement deserves to be recognised and I am pleased to present them with a Co-operatives Award.”

Commenting on the co-operative’s success, Nathan Cutler, Chair of Winyates Co-operative Housing, said: “We are very grateful for the recognition that this award brings.

“It will only encourage us to drive forward in our endeavours and to continue to build on our success.”

Winyates Co-operative and five other co-operatives received their award at a special Gala Dinner in Plymouth recently - part of Co-operatives Fortnight.

Winyates Co-operative is part of a thriving co-operative economy. Latest figures from Co-operatives UK reveal that there are some 4,992 co-operative businesses in the UK with a combined turnover of some £34 billion.

To find out more about Winyates Co-operative Housing please click here.

Chelmsford Star wins national co-operative award

by Ethos public relations

Chelmsford Star, the retail co-operative society based in Mid-Essex, has been honoured with a national Co-operative Award.

The society, formed in 1867, which has an annual turnover approaching £70million, received a Co-operative Award 2010 in recognition of its innovation and excellent work.

David Button, Chair of Co-operatives UK, which organised the awards, said: “Chelmsford Star is a great example of the excellent work that consumer co-operatives undertake across the UK.

“Chelmsford Star actively plays a part in the local community through charity events and is committed to rewarding its members."

Commenting on the co-operative’s success, Tony Gudgeon, Chief Executive of Chelmsford Star, said: “We are delighted to have been given this award.

“We have foodstores, travel agencies, department stores and funeral branches across the heart of Essex and this award gives us even more determination to continue in our success.”

Chelmsford Star and five other co-operatives received their award at a special Gala Dinner in Plymouth recently - part of Co-operatives Fortnight.

The co-operative society is part of a thriving co-operative economy. Latest figures from Co-operatives UK reveal that there are some 4,992 co-operative businesses in the UK with a combined turnover of some £34 billion.

Chelmsford Star, trades in Braintree, Chelmsford, Ingatestone, Danbury, Writtle, Hawkwell, Wickford, Southend, Brentwood, Canvey Island, South Benfleet, Tilbury and Shoeburyness.

To find out more about Chelmsford Star please visit their website.

Co-operative sector nudges £34 billion

by Ethos public relations

Latest figures from Co-operatives UK reveal that co-operative businesses in the UK have pushed up their combined turnover by some 15.8% to almost £34 billion – during the same period UK GDP decreased by 4.9%.

As the coalition government debates the provision of public services via a co-operative model, and trust in PLCs and other models of business continues to decline, Ed Mayo, Secretary General of the trade body for co-operatives, Co-operatives UK, says the co operative sector is well placed to step up to the challenge.

The figures - released during the first ever Co-operatives Fortnight - show that the UK has some 4,992 jointly owned, democratically controlled co operative businesses, which together reported a combined performance of £33.5 billion and the number of co-operative members (ie owners) surged by 14% to 12.9 million people (over one in five of the population). Co-operatives now sustain over 237,000 jobs in the UK.

These numbers include not only the consumer owned high street “Co-operative” shops but also employee owned co-operatives, co-operative consortia, agricultural co-operatives, housing co-operatives, fishing co-operatives, credit unions and community owned co operatives.

Ed Mayo said: "Despite the ongoing difficulties in many sectors of the economy, co-operative businesses have maintained their momentum of recent years and continue to grow and prosper.

"Co-operatives work across the economy, from football to farming, finance to funeral care. They address some of the biggest challenges – from inequality and climate change to the changing nature of business and the economy. Co-operatives are not immune to the woes of the economy, but these results show that the co-operative economy is in good shape."

Consumer owned co-operative food retailers, including the Co-operative Group and a number of regionally based co operative societies such as Southern Co-operatives and Chelmsford Star have seen significant sales increases compared to last year. Trading profit before depreciation for all consumer co-operatives is slightly down on the year, although the last five years have seen significant improvements in the profitability of the consumer societies.

The Co-operative UK 100 – the annual ranking of the UK’s biggest co-operative businesses – was also unveiled. The top ten co-operative businesses in the UK are the Co-operative Group, John Lewis Partnership, Midlands Co-operative Society, The Midcounties Co operative Society, First Milk, Milk Link, National Merchant Buying Society, Openfield Group, East of England Co-operative Society, Scottish Midland Co-operative Society.

Said Ed Mayo: "Co-operatives enable customers, employees and communities to work together, allowing them to control the business and share the profits: co-operatives are a powerful alternative."

The Co-operative Economy can be downloaded at www.uk.coop/economy/uk100

Pioneering ‘formula for co-operation’ launched in the UK

by Ethos public relations

Co-operation is back in vogue. The principles developed by the Rochdale Pioneers in the UK over 166 years ago, are now the foundation for a global economy supporting half of the world’s population, a co-operative sector in the UK to which one in five of us belong and the government’s new coalition leadership.

The UK’s first ’formula for co-operation’, which was launched on Saturday 19 June at Westminster Central Hall in Central London, reveals the attributes and qualities needed by those organisations, businesses and governments who seek to harness the potential of co-operation in business and economic life.

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The first formula for co-operation

The formula for co-operation has been developed by leading Innovations Specialist Ian McDermott from International Teaching Seminars and Jason Miller of Tinder-Box business coaching to mark Co-operatives Fortnight 2010 (19 June – 3 July 2010).

Using the seven principles of co-operation, the pioneering formula is the result of an extensive study into the seven principles of the co-operative movement. It determines the personal and group components of shared commitment, common interest and mutual trust needed for co-operation to occur in both an organisation and an individual.

Ian McDermott, co-author of the formula, comments: “Co-operation lies at the heart of all collaborative achievement. Three elements are essential for successful co-operation and when all three elements of shared commitment, common interest and mutual trust are present, you get what economists call a multiplier effect. That is to say the effect of each is compounded: each multiplies the effect of the other.”

“The skills of co-operation are some of the most sought after skills in the 21st century – something we are currently seeing in the new coalition government,” says Jason Miller of Tinder-Box business coaching and co-author of the report.

“The ability to co-operate effectively stimulates new ways of thinking and organising while challenging those involved to be innovative and devise collaborative frameworks. This formula begins to articulate those qualities.”

Ed Mayo is the Secretary General of Co-operatives UK and comments: “All too often, competition and co-operation are seen as opposites. The reality is, that in order to compete effectively, we must co-operate. The lack of co-operation in the UK at present is costing £32bn; this is a formula that the UK economy can no longer afford to ignore.

“There is a new agenda of co-operation, with Co-operatives UK already highlighting the co-operative alternative across many sectors of society – from pubs to football clubs, healthcare to agriculture, credit unions to community owned shops.”

The formula for co-operation is the first of its kind to be launched in the UK and is launched in the form of a preliminary report which aims to develop and promote further understanding of co-operation.

New research reveals true picture of UK’s neighbours – we are half as ‘neighbourly’ today than in 1982

by Ethos public relations

The most comprehensive piece of research into the UK’s neighbours, has revealed that the UK is less than half as neighbourly in 2010 than it was 28 years ago in 1982. And around one in two (49%) Brits say people nowadays know more about their favourite celebrity than they do about their neighbour.

According to Co-operatives UK, we know the names of just seven people in our neighbourhood compared with thirteen in 1982.

Those in Scotland (94%) know more names of their neighbours than anyone else in the UK and in England it’s the Northerners who know most of the names of their neighbours (94%) - while Londoners are least likely to know their neighbours with 11% being unable to name any. People in Wales have more close friends than others across the UK.

Research conducted online by YouGov, in May, on behalf of Co-operatives UK also reveals that in 2010, the majority of us speak to our neighbours once a week or less often (66%), one in four of us (27%) hold a spare key for our neighbours and while the number of people looking after pets or plants has halved (now 23%), over thirty million of us now take in parcels for those next door.

The good news is that a significant number of us take steps to keep an eye on those in our neighbourhood who are elderly or disabled - 26% keep an eye on a non- relative and 11% on relatives - and twenty one million conversations are taking place each day between neighbours.

"It is intriguing” says Ed Mayo, Secretary General of Co-operatives UK, “that we see our neighbours much less but we like them more!”

The survey also reveals that:

•    We are four times less willing to start up conversations with complete strangers – a drop from an average of 78% across a range of social settings to 21% today;
•    The numbers of ‘never neighbours’, people who will never call round next door, has increased by over half (from 26% in 1982 to 43% today).
•    Six out of ten of our neighbours called round for a chat (i.e. once every few months or more often) in 1982 compared with more than two in ten (22%) today.
•    We find it much harder to start up a conversation with complete strangers across a range of social settings, just two out of ten of us find it easy today compared to eight out of ten finding it easy in 1982.

“While it is true that our streets have changed, Britain at heart still thinks of itself as a neighbourly nation and the reciprocity of contact, conversation and assistance across the garden fence or front drive is still a major driver for co-operation and trust in Britain today.”

“And our research confirms that you don’t need to love your neighbour, but it does help to get on.”

The research was conducted ahead of the first ever Co-operatives Fortnight (19 June – 3 July 2010) – which brings together all those with a passion and interest in co-operative action.

The survey is published in a report ‘Co-operative Streets: Neighbours in the UK’ which can be downloaded at www.thereisanalternative.coop.

Ed Mayo elected to the Board of Cooperatives Europe

by Ethos public relations

Ed Mayo, Secretary General of Co-operatives UK, the national trade body that campaigns for co-operation, has been elected onto the board of Cooperatives Europe at their Regional Assembly.

The Assembly, which took place on Monday 31 May in Brussels, saw Ed join the board along with 12 other successful candidates from across Europe.

Cooperatives Europe asbl is the biggest membership organisation in Europe promoting the co-operative model of enterprise for sustainable economic progress with social objectives and is the European region of the International Co-operative Alliance.

Commenting on his election, Ed Mayo said: "Co-operation is important the world over and it is great that the UK, often seen as the birthplace of co-operation, is represented in Europe."

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Ed Mayo elected to the Board of Cooperatives Europe

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