November 2017

HERITAGE
Call goes out for records
of UK worker co-ops
for new archive of
the movement
The Co-operative Heritage Trust is
looking for records from the UK worker
co-operative movement for an archive
project – and for volunteers to help
with the project.
In April, the trust received a grant
of £43,000 from the Heritage Lottery
Fund to ensure that key records from the
movement are identified and saved.
The project, called Working Together:
recording and preserving the heritage
of the workers’ co-operative movement,
aims to identify and make accessible
for the first time records from some of
the major workers’ co-operatives of
the 1970s-1990s, together with co-op
support organisations.
The trust said these workers’
co-ops “played a significant role in
their local communities, but also had
national significance. They aimed
to create jobs where people were
important, with an emphasis on sharing
work, ownership, profits, responsibilities,
and decisions.”
The trust has hired an archivist for
12 months to locate material relating to
workers’ co-operatives, and to ensure that,
where possible, records are deposited
at the National Co-operative Archive
or in the relevant local county record
offices or public archives. The project will
also involve the digitisation of key records,
which will be included on the National
Co-operative Archive website alongside
case studies and learning resources.
A number of exhibition panels will
be created to be displayed at venues
including the Rochdale Pioneers Museum.
u If you have any information that you
believe may be relevant to this project, or
would be interested in volunteering to help
with the work, email workingtogether@coop.ac.uk.
u The project can be followed on
Twitter: @CoopArchive or by searching for
the hashtag #WorkerCoops
Central England Co-op marks World Mental Health day
Central England Co-o is continuing its
efforts to break the silence around mental
health by branding two of its lorries with
the Time to Change logo. It is hoped
this will help publicise the campaign to
remove the stigma surrounding mental
health. The move comes as the society
gets set to promote World Mental Health
Day on 10 October.
Crawley Town agrees to fan representative joining board
Crawley Town, the league two football
club, has agreed to have a memberowner
representative on its board.
The Crawley Town Supporters’ Alliance
(CTFCSA) has announced that the
initial agreement will be in place for the
2017/2018 season and 2018/2019 seasons.
In return, the supporters trust will make
a financial donation of £8,000 in total,
the two seasons.
Southern Co-op celebrates £500k carrier bag levy
In the first two years of the 5p carrier
bag levy in England, the Southern
Co-operative has passed on more than
half a million pounds to local charities
and community groups – along with
£0.8m from its own community fund.
More information on how to apply for
funds from the Love Your Neighbourhood
scheme, visit s.coop/25wre.
Community share offer to redevelop historic Glasgow baths
A community share offer has been opened
to redevelop an historic Glasgow baths
and provide much-needed amenities.
Govanhill Baths follows a long campaign
to protect the site, which was closed in
2001 and brought back into partial use by
Govanhill Baths Community Trust in 2012.
For more detail on the share offer, visit
s.coop/25wwr.
Co-op van showcases Rochdale’s pioneering heritage
A Co-op-branded Morris Minor van is
now on view in Rochdale – the birthplace
of the modern co-operative movement.
Council leader Cllr Richard Farnell, who
came up with the idea for the van, says
he wanted to create something that was
“visible and attractive” and show that
co-operation was “alive” in Rochdale.
NOVEMBER 2017 | 11