Welsh Assembly Cross-Party Group on Co-operatives and Mutuals
The next two meetings of the Welsh Assembly Cross-Party Group on Co-operatives and Mutuals will be on Jan 23rd and Jan 28th:- Continue reading
Co-ops and Credit Unions – Perfect Partners in Community Regeneration
22-23rd Feb 2013, Parkway Hotel, Cwmbran
Booking is now open at www.co-forum2013.eventbrite.co.uk
2012, the International Year of Co-operatives, was a great opportunity to raise the profile of the Co-operative and Mutual movement, and worldwide the movement is now fired up for action. The year in Wales was buoyant with events across Wales including the Co-operative Group’s ICD Conference and a series of research papers published by the Wales Co-operative Centre. Continue reading
The International Co-operative Alliance has published a Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade
Generation Community is a new community cooperative registered with the FSA, pushing the boundaries in Co-operative finance. Gen Community are launching projects (PV, wind, and renewable heating) in the £1 – £2 million range, and are not geographically tied to one specific area of the UK. Gen Community is appealling to the ‘low carbon community’ nationally to finance installations in areas which typically exhibit good locations for installations, such as south Wales, but lack the capital to proceed. Gen Community’s aim is to empower the wider ‘low carbon community’ to aid the roll out of low carbon technologies across the UK. Continue reading
The latest edition of the Robert Owen Museum Newsletter is available to download here:- Newsletter December 2012
If you would be like to receive updates regularly, feel free join their email list by emailing brandwoods1950@btinternet.com
Hard copies will be available in the Museum later in the week.
The Museum uses Facebook for regular items of Museum news and interest, so even if you are not a regular Facebook user, do check them out at http://www.facebook.com/RobertOwenMuseum
2012 has been United Nations International Year of Co-operatives. From Chelmsford to China, Ilford to India, co-operatives and their members and supporters around the world have come together to show how co-operatives build a better world.
And what a momentous year it has been. Across the globe co-operatives have celebrated what makes their business different. We’ve seen everything from flash mobs to formal conferences. Continue reading
Wales Co-operative Centre has published its final report during the 2012 International Year of Co-operatives. The report, Community Co-operatives in Wales, details the extent and value of Community Co-operatives.
Read the full report here:- IYC Report 4 Community Co-ops
A detailed research report, commissioned by the Co-operative Party and written by Professor Paul Salveson has been published with the support of SERA, ASLEF, Co-operatives UK and ourselves. Continue reading
On the 16th July 2012, Business, Enterprise and Technology Minister Edwina Hart announced the setting up of the Welsh Co-operative and Mutuals Commission. The remit of the Commission will be to make recommendations on growing and developing the co-operative and mutual economy in Wales in order to create jobs and wealth in support of the Welsh Government’s aims and ambitions.
The Members of the Commission will be as follows: Continue reading
“Humanizing the Economy – Co-operatives in the Age of Capital” by John Restakis, Executive Director of the British Columbia Co-operative Association is now available as an audio book published by the Post Hypnotic Press. Continue reading
Future Co-operatives programme is out and booking is now available. Organised by Co-operative Futures, this is regarded by many as one of the highlights of the co-operative calendar.
This time the event will be held at HF Holidays’ Longmyndd Hotel in Shropshire from January 26th to 28th 2013
For details see:-Programme – Future Co-ops 2013
Dear Co-operator
Are you based in Mid or North Wales?
If so, you are invited to:-
A joint members meeting with 
Monday November 26th
10.00am for 10.30am until 3.00pm
The Interchange
317 – 319 Abergele Road
Old Colwyn, Colwyn Bay, LL29 9YF Continue reading
A date for your diary. Details will follow in the new year
Alex Bird of Co-operatives and Mutuals Wales, in partnership with Derek Walker of Wales Co-operative Centre and Liz Moyle and Ashley Drake of the Co-operative Group presented a workshop at Co-operatives United about their visit to Mondragon in April 2012. Continue reading
This was a momentous occasion for the UK co-operative sector. Co-operatives UK proudly hosted, with the Co-operative Group and the ICA, the culminating event of the International Year of Co-operatives here in the UK, in Manchester; with an abundance of Co-operatives UK members and societies supporting the event. |
The Rochdale Pioneers film premiered at the Co-operatives United event in Manchester last week will be shown on FILM 4 this SUNDAY (11 NOVEMBER) at 5.45. It is well worth seeing, please advertise as widely as possible.
The inspirational new movie telling the story of the birth of the co-operative movement in Rochdale in 1844 is set for its TV Premiere on Sunday, 11 November. Continue reading
On Monday November 26th we are holding a joint members meeting with Co-operatives UK at the Interchange, Old Colwyn, Colwyn Bay to launch our joint membership offer.
The event is free to members and those interested in joining and includes a buffet lunch.
We welcome your feed back, so please come along and tell us what you want from us
Register for this free event at:-
http://cooperatives-wales.eventbrite.co.uk/#
The international management consultants, McKinsey & Company have discovered co-operatives, and it seems that they rather like what they’ve found. They released their much-heralded report “McKinsey on Co-operatives” on Tuesday on October 9th at the International Cooperative Summit in Quebec where their global managing director Dominic Barton arrived to deliver their findings.
“The time has come for the [cooperative] model to be put forward and celebrated,” he told his audience. He called for a shift generally in business from “shareholder value to stakeholder value” and strongly criticised the short-termism of conventional business, driven by the need to produce three-monthly financial accounts for investors. “Quarterly capitalism does not lead to good results. The short term pressure is toxic,” he said.
Read the full report at:-http://www.mckinsey.com/client_service/strategy/latest_thinking/mckinsey_on_cooperatives
A workshop session Mondragon – a view from Wales at Co-operatives United will be based on the study trip to Mondragon and report published earlier this year by the IWA. This was made possible by generous sponsorship from the Co-operative Group Membership (Wales/Cymru).
The workshop is at 12.30am on Wed October 31st in Business (Central 5) as part of the Co-operatives United world co-operative forum at Manchester Central
If you have not already registered to attend Co-operatives United please click here for more information. Once registered for the event, there is no need to register for our workshop – its first come first served.
Copies of the report will be available on the day, or you can order in advance – hard copy or download from:- http://www.iwa.org.uk/en/publications/view/216
It’s not to late to reserve your place at Co-operatives United, the International Congress of the ICA in Manchester from 31st Oct to Nov 2nd at Manchester Central
Full details are booking forms now available at www.manchester2012.coop
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
