The report of the recent study visit to Mondragon in the Basque country was launched at the Co-operative Group Membership (Wales/Cymru) Conference on July 7th Continue reading
Norman Lamb, Minister for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs launches the Nuttall Report on employee ownership, Sharing Success.
The ICA have released the 2012 International Year of Co-operatives statement of greetings to co-operators worldwide, which will be on International Co-operative Day, July 7th 2012
Read the statement here: International Co-operative Day 2012
Wales Contributes to UK Co-operative Economy Outperforming the Market for Fourth Consecutive Year
The 394 co-operative enterprises in Wales with a turnover of £1.3bn have contributed to the UK co-operative economy outperforming the UK economy for the fourth consecutive year, with a growth of 1.5% in 2011 compared with 0.7% in the UK economy, twice the rate of the UK economy.
Annual figures released today by Co-operatives UK, the trade body for co-operative businesses, show that while the real level of GDP in the UK in 2011 is 1.7% lower than in 2008, the turnover of the co-operative sector has grown by 19.5% over the same period.
‘The co-operative economy 2012 – alternatives to austerity’ details how a member-owned economy with a turnover of £35.6bn has experienced an 8.9% rise in the number of co-operative enterprises from 5,450 in 2010 to 5,933 in 2011 and a 5.5% rise in the number of memberships from 12.8m in 2010 to 13.5m in 2011. Continue reading
Co-operatives which don’t already have a .coop internet domain name can get one free for the first year throughout 2012.
Don’t miss out.
Details and application at www.identity.coop
The popular gallery Craft in the Bay is celebrating its tenth birthday since opening the doors to the refurbished ‘D Shed’, a Grade II listed Victorian maritime warehouse in the heart of Cardiff Bay. It is 10 years ago this month that the organisation successfully fund-raised £1.4 million to open the building to the public. The group says that the key to its on-going success is the strong cooperative ethos at it’s heart. With it’s membership of 76 of some of the very best craft-makers in Wales who are involved in all areas of the organisation, each craft-maker volunteers their time to help staff the gallery. Visitors to the gallery can meet a different craftmaker each day in the spacious, light, airy exhibition and craft retail area, or take part in hands-on craft workshops, hire a conference space, and visit the ever-popular Kemi’s café. The Guild also has a large programme of community work, the most recent being a START project in conjunction with the Prince’s Foundation for Children & the Arts – Continue reading
John Restakis, Executive Director, British Columbia Co-operative Association, Canada will be speaking about
SELF HELP CO-OPERATIVES – Co-operative Solutions for Citizen-Directed Services
A learning consultation to inform & support the transformation of Social Services in Wales
Various locations across Wales fom Tuesday 26th June – Friday 29th June 2012
Full details:- John Restakis tour 2012
Key figures have met to thrash out the future for credit unions in Wales at the National Assembly for Wales.
In a packed meeting, the Welsh Assembly Cross-Party Group on Co-operatives and Mutuals brought together Welsh Assembly Members, Welsh financial bodies including a wide variety of credit unions, the Principality, Co-operative and Barclays, the Wales Co-op Centre and other concerned groups, to discuss the challenges for financial co-operatives in Wales. Continue reading
Mondragon Co-operative Corporation have launched a new video for 2012
Don’t forget, there will be more details on Mondragon at the Co-operative Group conference Continue reading
Credit Unions have made substantial progress since the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Growth Fund began in 2006. Growth Fund offered suitable credit unions financial and business support for increasing access to financial services and loans to people on low incomes who would not otherwise be able to access them.
The Growth Fund ended in March 2011. DWP has conducted a feasibility study into how the credit union sector can modernise and expand to serve a million more customers with the products that they need. Continue reading
The Irish Cooperative Organisation Society, The National Association of Building Co-operatives and the Irish League of Credit Unions came together yesterday (May 15th) at Croke Park, Dublin, to launch the Co-operative Alliance Ireland to celebrate the International Year of Co-operatives. Around 100 people filled the room to hear a range of speakers including Peter Couchman and ICA President Dame Pauline Green. Great speeches by the Minister for Jobs, Research and Innovation, Sean Sherlock, TD and especially the President, Michael D Higgins, who has a philosphical and historical knowledge and understanding of the movement in Ireland second to none. Both are fully committed to co-operatives and mutuals as a way of rebuilding the Irish economy in a more stable and sustainable way. Continue reading
Scope have launched their policy thinkpiece, Individualism versus Collectivism in Care at the Assembly today, 08/05/2012. Continue reading
The International Co-operative Alliance world expo of co-operatives together with its Congress takes place in Manchester from Mon Oct 29th to Friday Nov 2nd.
Full details are now available at www.manchester2012.coop
Wrexham Supporters Trust, set up with the support of the Co-operative Enterprise Hub and Supporters Direct have launched a community share issue to raise £300,000 to add to the £60,000 they have already raised.
Our Club, Our Future was launched on Thursday, April 26th at the Nick Whitehead Theatre at Glyndwr University at 7.30pm when Wrexham supporters were given an opportunity to ask questions of the joint WST and Supporters’ Direct team, which developed the offer.
If you want to buy into the club, full details of the share issue are at:-
http://www.wst.org.uk/www2/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=912&Itemid=164
or at
http://supporters-direct.coop/news/item/?n=15173&cat=sd_eng
The next meeting of the Welsh Assembly Cross-Party Group on Co-operatives and Mutuals will be on:-
Wednesday May 23rd 2012 at 12.30pm
“What next for credit unions? Opportunities and challenges for financial co-operatives in a changing environment”
Mark Lyonette, Chief Executive of ABCUL
Barry Roberts, General Manager of North Wales Credit Union
Committee Room 24, National Assembly for Wales, Ty Hywel, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, CF99 1AA
Please note
These meetings are open to interested members of the public.
This event is inside the security zone, and space is limited. You will not be able to attend unless you contact Jackie Aplin in advance to have your name added to the list of invitees.
e-mail: jackie@cooperatives-wales.coop
A light buffet lunch will be provided – sponsored by the Co-operative Group Cymru/Wales Membership
The Robert Owen Museum http://robert-owen-museum.org.uk/ at Newtown has secured a grant of £5,000
The funding is coming from the Association of Independent Museums (AIM) to complete work on a portrait of Robert Owen and two large watercolours of mills. The plans are to commence work in the autumn of this year.
Please do not forget the Robert Owen Birthday Celebrations on May 12th – 11:30am at the Tomb in Newtown, followed by refreshments, painting unveiling and the chance to see the Museum’s new lighting.
Further details from:
Dr Gemma-Jane Bowker, Robert Owen Museum Press and Marketing Officer gemmajaner@gmail.com
Wales Co-operative Centre’s latest report on business succession as a way of saving Welsh businesses has just been published.
Download the report here:- Business Succession Time Bomb
Thursday 29 March, 6.00pm
Cineworld, Mary Ann Street, Cardiff
A film by Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein
To celebrate the United Nations International Year Of Co-operatives 2012, the Wales Co-operative Centre is screening ‘The Take’.
In the wake of Argentina’s spectacular economic collapse of 2001, Buenos Aires becomes a ghost town of abandoned factories and mass unemployment. Thirty unemployed auto-parts workers, part of a daring new movement of worker co-operatives, walk into their idle factory and refuse to leave. All they want to do is re-start the silent machines. But this simple act – the take – has the power to turn the globalisation debate on its head.
“A stirring, idealistic documentary!”
New York Times
“An eye-opening, possibility-widening documentary! If Michael Moore could calm down just a little and maintain a watchful distance, The Take suggests the kind of film he’d make!”
Newsday
Take this rare opportunity to see the film in Wales, be inspired and join the discussion with other co-operators.
Join us for a drink from 6.00pm – the film will be screened at 6.30pm. Tickets are free, but availability is limited, so book now to avoid disappointment.
Watch the Trailer Book your seats
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23 February 3.00-6.00 at Cardiff City Hall
All in this together: co-production, co-creation and public service delivery
Open meeting/seminar (plus in Llandudno Junction via a video link).
Five superb speakers:
Mark Drakeford AM
Rosie Farrar (exDesign Council & NESTA, now Spice)
Elke Loeffer (Governance International)
Megan Mathias (Kafka Brigade)
Paul Thurston (Design Wales).
Once we are all inspired by what’s possible, the final hour will be used as a springboard for setting up an action group to galvanise others and get co-production to the top of the Welsh participation and citizen engagement agenda.
Limited places – book now via: http://allinthistogether.eventbrite.co.uk
We hope to video-conference the event in N.Wales. Please email Ruth for details ruthdineen@yahoo.com.
The event is being organised as part of the Co-production Resource project with the support of: Cardiff Council’s Partnerships & Citizen Focus Team, Design Council Wales, Institute of Welsh Affairs, Kafka Brigade, new economics foundation, Patchwork Circles, Spice.
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March 8th 2012, 5.30pm at the Glamorgan Building, Cardiff University
Glamorgan Lecture – A conversation with Robin Murray and Stephen Yeo
Chaired by Prof Kevin Morgan
Booking essential
Full details:- Co-operatives – 8th March 2012
The Importance of Social Innovation What can older people in Wales learn from Quebec? Wednesday 8th February 2012 |
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Our National Assembly for Wales event is now full. We can place you on a waiting list or you can directly reserve a place at this overspill event. Please arrive by 11.45am to enable a prompt start With keynote speaker Jean-Pierre Girard, hosted by social care charity Cartrefi Cymru Jean-Pierre Girard is a leading researcher of co-operative care in Quebec, which covers 50% of such provision. They have pioneered a service user approach as a direct consequence of user control over the design and delivery of these services, as a complement to, and not a substitute for, public services. Providing care and housing for older people is one of the major challenges which we face, as providers, funders and citizens. This event will explore whether services based on Co-operative values and principles can help to overcome these challenges. It is also an opportunity to make contact with potential allies for the development of better care in Wales. To Book: Please click HERE to book on-line, or send an email headed “Quebec Coop Event” to enquiries@cartrefi.org or phone 01633 266781 Cartrefi Cymru and the Wales Progressive Co-operators are organising the overall programme, supported by The Co-operative Cymru/Wales during United Nations International Year of Co-operatives 2012, alongside Public Health Alliance Cymru and the Welsh Food Alliance. |
Secretary - David Smith
54 Capel Dewi Hall Road
Newport
NP20 2QP
+44 (0) 7597 008176
david(at)cooperatives-wales.coop
Skype: Davidsmith.wales
Follow us @CoopsWales
