APRIL 2018
The April 2018 edition of Co-op News: connecting, challenging and championing the global co-operative movement. This issue, in the lead up to Co-operative Education Conference, we look at how co-ops are putting principle 5 into action in the 21st century. We also celebrate 150 years of the East of England Co-op and present updates from the Co-op Retail and Abcul conferences.
The April 2018 edition of Co-op News: connecting, challenging and championing the global co-operative movement. This issue, in the lead up to Co-operative Education Conference, we look at how co-ops are putting principle 5 into action in the 21st century. We also celebrate 150 years of the East of England Co-op and present updates from the Co-op Retail and Abcul conferences.
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ENTERPRISE<br />
Social Enterprise UK<br />
removes membership<br />
fee for start-ups and<br />
small enterprises<br />
Trade body Social Enterprise UK has<br />
re-launched its membership offer to<br />
include free membership for start-ups and<br />
smaller social enterprises. The umbrella<br />
organisation, which works to increase the<br />
profile of the sector, has enabled all social<br />
enterprises with a turnover of less than<br />
£100,000 to join for free since 7 March.<br />
It says larger social enterprises will<br />
benefit from more exclusive offers,<br />
with opportunities to contribute to<br />
policy and lobbying work and more<br />
practical support.<br />
Chief executive Peter Holbrook said:<br />
“We’re calling on all social enterprises to<br />
join our movement. The country’s current<br />
p Social Enterprise UK has issued a rallying call to join the movement<br />
economic model is broken but together we<br />
can use our collective voice and mandate<br />
to bring about the change that is so<br />
desperately needed.<br />
“Increasingly, people are recognising<br />
that social enterprise must be the future<br />
of business. We are seeing more CICs,<br />
community businesses, mutuals and coops<br />
emerge. Together we are much more<br />
powerful than we can ever be alone –<br />
our country and our world is crying out<br />
for economic models that nourish and<br />
support our communities rather than<br />
extract wealth and exploit. We are building<br />
a powerful movement and we need more<br />
of you involved.”<br />
Liz Minns, SEUK head of membership,<br />
added: “SEUK’s new membership model<br />
will remove barriers to entry for those at<br />
the start of their journey and expanding<br />
our network will enable us to help<br />
amplify the voice of the sector. Together<br />
we will push for a fairer and more<br />
equitable world. We can achieve so much<br />
together, and we look forward to<br />
you joining us.”<br />
HERITAGE<br />
Steam operator selling community shares to form a railway co-op<br />
A heritage railway line is running a<br />
community share offer in a bid to set up a<br />
train operating co-operative.<br />
Vintage Trains, a steam rail operator<br />
based in Tyseley, West Midlands, needs<br />
£800,000 in shares and donations by 31<br />
May and has already raised over £600,000.<br />
“This puts us well on target, enabling<br />
us to complete our licence application<br />
and hopefully begin operations sooner,”<br />
it says. “However, we are not there<br />
yet. We still need to raise a further<br />
£200,000 by 31 May, followed by a<br />
significantly larger amount to complete<br />
the overhaul of our coaches in order<br />
to deliver a better experience for you,<br />
the passenger.”<br />
Vintage Trains runs a fleet of steam<br />
locomotives on main line routes<br />
throughout the UK, including tourist<br />
hotspots such as York, Oxford, Stratfordupon-Avon<br />
and the Cotswolds.<br />
Adrian Shooter, former chair of Chiltern<br />
Railways, will be the chair of the Vintage<br />
Trains operating company.<br />
He said: “This unique opportunity to<br />
buy shares in a steam train operating<br />
company, will enable anyone to own<br />
a piece of history, while helping us to<br />
train young engineers and continue the<br />
investment in our fleet.”<br />
Michael Whitehouse, chair of Vintage<br />
Trains Charitable Trust and Vintage Trains<br />
Community Benefit Society, said: “This<br />
offer is for everyone who believes there is<br />
magic in the sight, sound and smell of a<br />
steam locomotive, and for everyone who<br />
wants to experience the thrill. Together,<br />
we will create a new golden age.<br />
“We’re really proud of our steam<br />
heritage, and you’re going to help make<br />
sure that the skills of the steam age, which<br />
were invented in Britain and exported to<br />
change the world, live on.”<br />
The organisers say the new co-op<br />
will create up to 11 full-time roles<br />
and promote traditional engineering<br />
expertise before it disappears forever<br />
so that future generations can enjoy<br />
this experience.<br />
Community shares start from £500,<br />
giving members voting rights, travel<br />
benefits on the company’s services and,<br />
after six years, the opportunity to receive<br />
interest payments on their shares and to<br />
withdraw their share capital.<br />
The team is offering to split the<br />
payments for shares into five monthly<br />
instalments. It is also accepting donations<br />
of any amount; a donation of £100 secures<br />
entry for a prize draw to ride on the<br />
footplate of its Shakespeare Express train.<br />
<strong>APRIL</strong> <strong>2018</strong> | 13
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