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Could your community come together to create the next hospitality co-op?

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Hospitality co-ops are showing resilience and doing the right thing by their communities through diversifying services and supporting staff, members, and customers.

In throughout what has been an extremely difficult time for the commercial hospitality sector, it has been reported that co-operative and community-owned pubs, bars, cafés and restaurants have been bearing up well throughout the pandemic in comparison. While there has been a 50% increase in the rate of closure in the commercial pub sector, 60% of community-owned pubs have managed to stay open implementing enterprising and innovative ways to both serve their communities and stay financially viable and competitive.

The co-operative hospitality sector has rallied round their communities, staff, members and customers by offering extra services such as takeaway and delivery services, meals on wheels, dementia support, sports clubs, arts and music venues and much more. This flexibility and ability to diversify has brought people from various ages, backgrounds and interests together and provided reason to interact and support each other.

Interest in community ownership has been increasing with communities looking to organisations such as Plunkett Foundation, Co-operative & Community Finance and Co-op Loan Fund for guidance, advice and supportive loan finance to create new opportunities for local involvement in community business.

Hospitality co-ops are also investing in staff and volunteers through training and peer support ensuring good governance and sustainable employment are integral to their business action plans.

Co-op Loan Fund has worked with and supported many fantastic hospitality co-ops over the years including The Royal Oak, Wild Thyme, Café Kino, Greenwich Co-operative Development Agency (GCDA), The Maybush Inn, The Spotted Cow, and The Globe.

Could your community come together to create the next hospitality co-op?

14 million people are members of a co‑op in the UK and you could be too. Join a co-op, support your community and be part of a movement that has the potential to change society for the better.

Coop Loan Fund provides unsecured loans to co-operatives with no personal guarantees up to £85,000 with ongoing advice and support and no set lending terms.

Unique lending: to co-ops, from co-ops.

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Could your business be the next creative co-op?

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Creative co-ops are delivering greater equality – both economically and culturally – not just to the co-operative sector, but locally in our communities, nationally and internationally.

Often made up of a consortia of the self-employed, small businesses and freelancers; creative co-ops can bring people together through mutual support, shared services, democratic governance and sustainable employment with the view to combining skills designed to meet the needs of those who share common values.

This collaboration and networking of creative individuals in a co-operative setting has created advances in the exploration of new technologies, platforms and a digital revolution in the way co-operatives engage with members, stakeholders, customers and suppliers.

Creative co-ops have been able to provide participative, open and democratic roles to creative freelancers who have often felt underpaid, under-appreciated and disconnected in the past. This positive atmosphere within the creative co-operative sector has created teams of people who enjoy working together, but most importantly meet the needs of clients that are focused on making the world a better place.

Co-op Loan Fund has been proud to work with and support many creative co-ops over the years including Sheffield Live, The Globe / Jazz.coop, Blake House Co-operative, Alpha Communication, Stir to Action and Chapel Street Studio amongst others.

Could your business be the next creative co-op?

14 million people are members of a co‑op in the UK and you could be too. Join a co-op, support your community and be part of a movement that has the potential to change society for the better.

Coop Loan Fund provides unsecured loans to co-operatives with no personal guarantees up to £85,000 with ongoing advice and support and no set lending terms.

Unique lending: to co-ops, from co-ops.

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Fair work founded on the principles of co-operation

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At a time of increasing precarious work and recent expanse of the exploitative ‘gig economy’, worker co-operatives can provide sustainability, equality and equity to members providing fair work at a time when it is greatly needed.

 This year Co-op Fortnight, the annual UK celebration of co-operation, is celebrating the benefits and diversity of co-op membership and encouraging people to #JoinACoop up and down the country. Built on values of co-operation; members of worker-owned businesses experience the benefits of autonomy, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity much more than they might expect in other workplaces.

Worker co-operatives have been reported to be more productive than conventional businesses in several sectors and have proven effective in creating sustainable jobs, improving quality of life for members, promoting community issues, and investing in local economies.

Worker-owned co-operatives can also offer extensive skills training and provide the opportunity for greater participation in governance and management of the business putting members at the forefront of decision making that helps their co-op succeed.

Coop Loan Fund is very proud to have worked with a number of excellent worker co-operatives over the years providing fair work in a sustainable, equal and equitable environment including:

Unicorn Grocery – Manchester’s worker-owned co-operative grocery
Stir to Action – Worker-owned organisation providing strategic economic development, national training programmes, and quarterly magazine.
Alpha Communication – Worker owned design & marketing co-operative
Blake House – Worker-owned film makers
Hempen – Worker co-op providing products for the health of people, community and planet.
Wild Thyme Wholefoods – Worker co-operative wholefood shop in Southsea.
R-Eco – Solar panel installers
Centrifuge – A social and economic development consultancy and worker co-op
Valley Organics – Wholefood zero packaging community shop and worker co-op
Café Kino – Vegan café, community space and worker co-op in Bristol

14 million people are members of a co‑op in the UK and you could be too.

Join a co-op, support your community and be part of a movement that has the potential to change society for the better.

Coop Loan Fund provides unsecured loans to co-operatives with no personal guarantees up to £85,000 with ongoing advice and support and no set lending terms.

Unique lending: to co-ops, from co-ops.

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Sustainable, innovative and empowering; how Platform Co-ops and democratically owned tech can address the challenges and inequalities of the modern world

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There is no doubt that the global pandemic has forced many to embrace the use of technology and digital resources to function and communicate effectively throughout the Covid-19 crisis. The co-operative movement however has been shouting from the roof tops about the benefits of democratically owned platform tech solutions long before the coronavirus was on the radar.

Through initiatives such as ‘Unfound’ started by Co-operatives UK and a consortium of co-operators in response to the National Co‑operative Development Strategy, the Co-operative movement has recognised platform co-ops as a sector that requires significant focus and investment.

It is also well understood by the co-operative sector that if platform co-ops are not supported, it will be left to commercial tech giants to take advantage, monopolise the markets and put greed and shareholder profit ahead of people and workers. Examples of this include recent gig economy worker disputes with Amazon, Uber, Deliveroo and others.

Democratically owned platform co-ops are perfectly placed to counter this narrative with sustainable, innovative and technologically enabled solutions which address challenges in the social and service sectors while promoting co-operative values and principles.

Platform co-ops have been incredibly successful in many different sectors including:

  • Utilities
  • Energy
  • Finance
  • Transport
  • Social care
  • Education, training and support
  • E-commerce, online delivery and click & collect
  • Events and live streaming
  • TV, radio and digital media
  • Design and marketing

Although it holds particular relevance in the time of a global pandemic and current economic crisis, co-operatives have long been at the forefront of building up the skills of the digital social economy, whether it be through education and awareness or enabling a culture of innovation and problem solving that creates prosperity and empowerment for all.

Coop Loan Fund has worked with a number of fantastic co-ops that have utilised digital platforms and tech to either enable or support their co-operatives, members, communities and customers to thrive:

Sheffield Live! – Community owned TV and radio station
The Globe / Jazz.coop – Co-operative music venue broadcasting live stream events
Blake House Co-operative – London-based film-makers
Bristol Credit Union – Credit Union offering online member portal
Alpha Communication – Design & Marketing agency
Boundary Brewing – Belfast brewery with online shop and subscription service
Wild Thyme Wholefoods – Worker co-operative wholefood shop in Southsea with extensive online shop and delivery service.
Hempen – Online hemp products for the health of people, community and planet.

14 million people are members of a co‑op in the UK and you could be too. Join a co-op, support your community and be part of a movement that has the potential to change society for the better.

Coop Loan Fund provides unsecured loans to co-operatives with no personal guarantees up to £85,000 with ongoing advice and support and no set lending terms.

Unique lending: to co-ops, from co-ops.

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Putting our co-operative principles and values into action to tackle climate change

Climate change and the climate crisis is no new concept, it has been the subject of policy agenda and environmental activism for decades. Only more recently has it been treated with the urgency required as we are forced to examine and act upon the very real and catastrophic existential threat of climate breakdown.

The co-operative movement has long been at the heart of these discussions and leading the way in putting environmental and ecological principles and values into action through:

  • community renewable energy
  • greener sustainable co-operative housing
  • minimising local and global environmental impact in food production
  • community supported organic and eco-friendly agriculture
  • environmental education and workshops
  • reducing and eliminating carbon emissions
  • creating green jobs and contributing to a fairer more co-operative economy with a green new deal as a priority.

Co-operatives have been global leaders in building economic, social and environmental sustainability through creating models of business based on ethical values and principles. Co-operatives can provide for the needs and aspirations of their members, the communities they live in and in turn their impact and relationship with our environment and influence the positive measures and steps we can take together to tackle climate change.

As co-operatives we have a responsibility to contribute through our individual and collective action as well as advocating and influencing meaningful system change that will benefit us all and the world we live in.

Here at Coop Loan Fund, we are incredibly proud to have worked with some fantastic co-operatives who put the environment, climate change and their own ecological impact at the heart of everything they do including:

Plotgate – Community supported agriculture
Sacred Earth – Nature-based education courses and workshops
Lauriston Farm – Organic farm on 210 acres of site of special scientific interest farmland & saltmarsh on Blackwater Estuary
Hempen – Hemp grower and manufacturer of hemp products
Regather – Organic fruit and veg box scheme and vegan micro-brewery based in Sheffield
Valley Organics – Wholefood zero packaging community shop
Wild Thyme wholefoods – Wholefood co-op promoting zero packaging in their shop
R-Eco – Solar panel installers
Ecological Land Co-op – Small hold farming co-op

14 million people are members of a co‑op in the UK and you could be too. Join a co-op, support your community and be part of a movement that has the potential to change society for the better.

Coop Loan Fund provides unsecured loans to co-operatives with no personal guarantees up to £85,000 with ongoing advice and support and no set lending terms.

Unique lending: to co-ops, from co-ops.

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Brexit Transition: Help for co-op businesses

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“Time is running out. You need to act now. Make sure you are ready,” shrieks the government’s Brexit Transition website.

The co-operative movement has a calmer response. “Co-ops need to work together to minimise the risks and maximise the opportunities in Brexit,” says Co-operatives UK.

Co-op Loan Fund is a good example of co-ops working together, where large co-op societies pool resources to help smaller co-ops.

We provide supportive and flexible loan finance tailored to the needs each co-op. If Brexit brings financial challenges for your co-op, or if it creates new opportunities to grow, contact us. We want to help.

Email us on info@coopfinance.coop

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#KeepCooperating

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This year Co-op Fortnight, the annual UK celebration of co-operation, is a time for reflection. What can we learn from the way co-ops and communities have responded to the pandemic? How can we ensure we build something better for the future?

Co-op Loan Fund brings together the UK’s biggest and smallest co-op businesses in a practical demonstration of the principle of co-operation among co-operatives. It provides unique lending, from co-ops to co-ops. The endowments made years ago by The Co-op Group, Co-op Midcounties, East of England Co-operative Society and Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society have been lent and repaid and lent again so that over £5m has been used to support over 200 co-ops.

The fund has 40 borrowers at present and has kept in close contact with all of them during the crisis, as Ian Rothwell of Co-operative & Community Finance explains:
“Maintaining good communication is vital. Straight away we were asking our borrowers if they needed extra help before it became a big problem. Some said they were OK, others were worried, and all were pleased that we’d got in contact. We’ve provided assistance to nearly half of them.
“Being flexible is also very important and this is one of strengths of Co-op Loan Fund. We tailor our lending to each co-op’s individual needs. I expect some will bounce back quite quickly but for others, such as pubs, it will be a long time before they recover, and we will adapt accordingly.”

The pandemic has confirmed how resilient and innovative co-ops are. Some Co-op Loan Fund borrowers have got busier. These include PrimePac Solutions supplying sanitiser, Valley Organics starting a delivery service, and Rotherham Rise supporting those affected by domestic abuse. Others have found new ways of supporting their communities. These include Greenwich CDA packing food bags, Jazz.Coop livestreaming from musicians’ homes, and Holbrook Community Society starting a takeaway service from the pub while it is closed.

Ian Rothwell has made sure that all borrowers are aware of the various support packages that are available, both the government schemes and also the specific grants including those administered by Power to Change, Plunkett Foundation and the Community Fund.

“During the crisis, organisations that support co-operative and community enterprise have been working together even more than usual,” Ian said. “I expect this to continue.”

Co-op Loan Fund, in common with all lenders, will have to update its risk register to include the risk of another coronavirus pandemic. Ian Rothwell is adamant that the fund will continue to consider lending in any business sector as long as the applications come from democratically-controlled enterprises. He expects that in future various social lenders will work together on combined lending packages to spread the risk.

This is definitely an opportunity for Co-op Loan Fund to #KeepCooperating and build something better together.

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Covid-19 – support available to business, especially co-ops

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It’s now a little over seven weeks since the UK Lockdown was announced, in an effort to control the spread of COVID-19. Things have changed – some a little, some a lot – and so here’s our latest round up of the guidance, support and information out there. We are continuing to work remotely and are fully available to you – please email info@coopfinance.coop or phone 0117 916 6750 if you have questions or concerns that we might be able to help with.

General Business Information

The latest Government advice for business is here

The Coronavirus Job Retention – or furlough – Scheme has been extended. Nothing will change until the end of July, with employers being expected to ‘“share with the government the cost of paying salaries,” from August through to October

The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) is now available through participating lenders. Start your search at the British Business Bank webpage

The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) provides financial support to businesses across the UK that are losing revenue, and seeing their cashflow disrupted, as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and that can benefit from £50,000 or less in finance.

The team at Good Finance are providing a COVID-19 Resource Hub and also have a useful ‘Is Social Investment Right For Us?‘ wizard on their website, if you are considering your funding options at the moment

The Social Investment Business are providing a resilience and Recovery Loan Fund. The twenty-minute application and eligibility checker is here

Support for Co-operatives

Co-operatives UK dedicated Coronavirus webpage covers government support, HR advice, webinars of interest and more – it’s regularly updated.

Five episodes of their More than A Shop podcast are now available here

The Co-operatives College has moved it’s Youth Series online and is working to get their other resources online as fast as possible

We remain available to support our clients and to discuss new support – please do get in touch.

Support for Community Businesses

Power to Change have launched up to £12 million of emergency support to help community business in England during the coronavirus crisis. They have also supported Stir To Action, enabling them to provide their New Economy workshops free of charge – all are now fully booked but you can sign up to a waiting list here

Plunkett Foundation have a dedicated COVID-19 webpage and are also offering one to one support for community businesses across the UK in partnership with The Co-operative. They are also running weekly peer to peer connections sessions for Community Pubs (Tuesdays, 4pm) and Community Shops (Wednesdays, 6.30pm)

The More Than A Pub programme been re-focused to support the needs of trading community pub businesses in England, alongside those community pub groups who have already received support from the programme.

If you would like to support and shop at Community Business at this time check the Power To Change map here

Locality have produced an Information and Support Hub for community organisations too

General Funding Information

The National Lottery Community Fund are honouring existing commitments and being flexible with existing grants. For new applications, they are prioritising funding organisations supporting communities through the COVID-19 pandemic.

From 10 AM on Friday 22nd May, they are opening for applications to the government backed £200m Coronavirus Community Support Fund aimed at small and medium organisations in England

The Architectural Heritage Fund are currently aiming to assess and award grants as advertised

The Princes Trust and NatWest have established a £5million Enterprise Relief Fund which will offer grants to 18 to 30-year olds across the UK who are self-employed and/or running their own business. High demand means they are requesting registrations of interest in the first stage

In general…

Funders and lenders are all active and present on social media, and they – and we – want to support you. Find your funders web pages and channels, connect with organisations like yours to get support and advice from your peers. Please continue to contact us with any questions. We are committed to supporting you, our clients through this, and to there being a healthy sector at the end of it.

We can get through this, together.

 

 

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From the Globe to the Globe

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A unique music co-operative is developing new ways to bring musicians and audiences together while the venue it owns remains closed.

The Globe in Newcastle upon Tyne was bought by Jazz.Coop in 2014 with investment from a community share issue and loans from Co-op Loan Fund and Co-operative & Community Finance. It is thought to be the only pub in the UK that is owned and run by a co-operative with a specific commitment to music, poetry and dance.

Like all pubs at the moment it is suffering from a total loss of bar sales but also the jazz musicians that it aims to support are experiencing a loss of income too.

Jazz.Coop has started to livestream exclusive concerts on Facebook and YouTube. Unlike most of the music available on social media, these Jazz.Coop virtual gigs are not free. Viewers are asked to make a donation to the musicians to access the gig. They can then watch the concert as part of a private Jazz.Coop audience and react with comments in real time. They can also view it later, and again, if they wish.

The next Jazz.Coop exclusive livestream is on Sunday 17 May at 8pm and will feature Swiss-Albanian jazz singer Elina Duni and award-winning guitarist Rob Luft. Click here for details.

Currently Jazz.Coop is streaming these gigs from musicians’ homes but it is planning to stream directly from The Globe as soon as it is safe to do so. At first this may be with only musicians and technicians in the building.

Harry Husaini, the volunteer technical director of Jazz.Coop, said: “It is likely to be a long time before the live music scene gets back to something like normal. High quality livestreaming from The Globe is the way to go. It will enable the musicians to reach a much larger audience including those people for whom it would be too risky to attend in person.”

Jazz.Coop is also looking at ways of enabling its tutors to deliver its popular jazz courses remotely.

Over the last six years Jazz.Coop and The Globe have become well rooted in the Tyneside music community. Last year The Globe hosted 270 music and dance events. Over 700 learning places were provided in workshops and courses, and musicians developed their skills in 75 free jam sessions.

[photo: jazz musicians Elina Duni and Rob Luft]

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Co-op beer flows again

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Much has changed in recent weeks but discerning drinkers have not lost their taste for the funky modern beer made by Boundary Brewing Cooperative in Belfast. 

The brewery closed when lockdown was introduced but started production again a few weeks later to meet the growing demand for its distinctive cans of craft beers.

Head brewer Matthew Dick said: “The last few weeks have been mental. We stopped brewing.  We weren’t quite sure how things would play out. And then the customer orders started coming in. So we’re brewing again. Yay.”

Obviously the brewery and popular tap room remain closed to the public but the online shop is doing brisk business.

Boundary is also running a virtual pub quiz every Friday at 8pm called Silver Linings, and the prize is beer, of course.

Boundary has grown rapidly since production started in 2015 and its beer is now available in Europe, North America and the Far East. Co-op Loan Fund has supported its expansion. Read more here.

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