Wales Co-operative Centre

Last updated

Wales Co-operative Centre is a non-profit co-operative development agency in Wales. It is the largest co-operative development body in the UK, [1] managing several major initiatives in Wales.

Contents

It delivers a range of projects to promote social, financial inclusion and digital inclusion. Its team of advisors work across the country, helping co-operatives, social enterprises, community groups and voluntary organisations. [2]

The Centre was originally an industrial and provident society, which in 2014 became a community benefit society. It is funded through the Welsh Government, Europe, some local authorities and some earned income. The centre has over 80 staff members working across Wales at offices in Caerphilly, Bangor, Carmarthen and Swansea, including its head office in the Y Borth building. Its membership elect a management board, who appoint the executive committee.[ citation needed ]

History

1980s

The Centre was established in 1982 by the Wales TUC to provide business support to co-operatives in Wales. Two years later the Centre published the first list of co-operatives in Wales and launched its first programme of training courses. It helped establish the first credit union in Wales in Rhydfelin (now called Dragonsavers [3] ) in 1988, and also began providing advice to trade unions and their members about employee ownership.

1990s

In 1992 the Wales Co-operative Centre was the largest co-operative development agency in England and Wales. (As of 2018 the UK's largest co-operatives included John Lewis Partnership [4] and the Co-operative Group.) The Centre's support helped Tower Colliery to become the largest employee-owned company in the country in 1995. [5] [6] The Centre also helped to set up the UK's first credit union based on an NHS Trust, in Bridgend. In 1998 the Centre merged with Cardiff and Vale Co-operative Development Agency and took over the Enterprise Rehearsal Project which helped benefit claimants into self-employment (examples [7] [8] ). It began working with social enterprises in Wales in 1999 and became the first Chair of the All Wales Social Enterprise Network. [9]

2000s

The Wales Co-operative Centre gained support from the Welsh Assembly Government in 2000 for a significant credit union development and grant fund initiative, which then became a flagship project under the new European structural funds Programme. [10] In 2001, the Wales Co-operative Centre brought together the Communities First Support Network to support the work of the Communities First Programme. [11] The Coalfields Regeneration Trust provided further funding in 2002 for the Centre to administer the Debt Redemption and Money Advice Scheme to protect those most at risk from doorstep lenders. In 2004 it secured European Objective One funding to continue work in developing co-operatives and that led to a major expansion of the Centre. The Welsh Assembly Government's 'Social Enterprise Strategy for Wales' formally recognised the role which social enterprises and co-operatives play in economic development in 2005. [12] Communities@One was launched by the Communities Directorate of the Welsh Assembly Government in 2006, and the Wales Co-operative Centre won the contract to deliver this digital inclusion initiative. 2007 saw the Centre launch a Fair Trade project working with businesses across Wales to show them the benefits of adopting a fair trade policy, following funding from the Welsh Assembly Government. [13] In 2009, the Centre won contracts to deliver the Social Enterprise Support Project [14] and the Welsh Assembly Government's digital inclusion project, Communities 2.0. [15]

2010s

2010 saw a change of Chief Executive. After a total of 18 years with the Centre, Simon Harris left to become Director of Wales at Business in the Community. He was replaced by Derek Walker, coming from Director of External Affairs at the Big Lottery Fund. [16] [17] In 2015, the Centre began delivery of the Social Business Wales project [18] which provides online and face-to-face support to social businesses seeking to expand and increase employment. It also won the contract to deliver Digital Communities Wales, [19] the Welsh Government's digital inclusion programme to get people in Wales online. 2016 saw the start of two new projects, Care to Co-operate (which supports the development of social care and well-being co-ops) and Community Shares Wales, which helps communities raise investment to save or create amenities and services.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abertillery</span> Town in Wales

Abertillery is a town and a community of the Ebbw Fach valley in the historic county of Monmouthshire, Wales. Following local government reorganisation it became part of the Blaenau Gwent County Borough administrative area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cooperative</span> Autonomous association of persons or organizations

A cooperative is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-controlled enterprise". Cooperatives are democratically controlled by their members, with each member having one vote in electing the board of directors. Cooperatives may include:

Communities First was a Welsh Government programme aimed at reducing poverty. The programme was community focused and supported the most disadvantaged people in the most deprived areas of Wales with the aim of contributing to alleviating persistent poverty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Lottery Community Fund</span> UK non-departmental public body

The National Lottery Community Fund, legally named the Big Lottery Fund, is a non-departmental public body responsible for distributing funds raised by the National Lottery for "good causes". Since 2004 it has awarded over £9 billion to more than 130,000 projects in the UK.

A social enterprise is an organization that applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements in financial, social and environmental well-being. This may include maximizing social impact alongside profits for co-owners.

Shaw Trust is a charitable organisation in the United Kingdom which supports people with complex needs into good work. It was founded in the village of Shaw in Wiltshire in 1982.

The United Kingdom is home to a widespread and diverse co-operative movement, with over 7,000 registered co-operatives owned by 17 million individual members and which contribute £34bn a year to the British economy. Modern co-operation started with the Rochdale Pioneers' shop in the northern English town of Rochdale in 1844, though the history of co-operation in Britain can be traced back to before 1800. The British co-operative movement is most commonly associated with The Co-operative brand which has been adopted by several large consumers' co-operative societies; however, there are many thousands of registered co-operative businesses operating in the UK. Alongside these consumers' co-operatives, there exist many prominent agricultural co-operatives (621), co-operative housing providers (619), health and social care cooperatives (111), cooperative schools (834), retail co-operatives, co-operatively run community energy projects, football supporters' trusts, credit unions, and worker-owned businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwina Hart</span> British politician (born 1957)

Edwina Hart, MBE is a Welsh Labour politician who represented the constituency of Gower from the establishment of the National Assembly for Wales (Senedd) in 1999 until 2016. Hart served in the Welsh Government as a cabinet minister for the full 17 years she was an AM including as Minister for Health and Social Services from 2007 to 2011 and as Minister for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science from 2011 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wales TUC</span> Trade union co-ordinating body in Wales

The Wales TUC is the co-ordinating body of trade unions in Wales. With 48 affiliated unions as of 2021, the Wales TUC represents nearly 400,000 workers.

Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) is the national membership organisation for the third sector and volunteering in Wales. Its aim is to work towards 'A future where the third sector and volunteering thrive across Wales, improving wellbeing for all'.

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is an apex regulatory body for overall regulation of regional rural banks and apex cooperative banks in India. It is under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Finance, Government of India. The bank has been entrusted with "matters concerning policy, planning, and operations in the field of credit for agriculture and other economic activities in rural areas in India". NABARD is active in developing and implementing financial inclusion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Griffiths (Welsh politician)</span> Welsh Labour politician and Member of the Senedd for Newport East

John Griffiths is a Welsh Labour and Co-operative politician who previously served as Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development from 2011 to 2013. Griffiths has represented the constituency of Newport East in the Senedd since 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antigonish Movement</span> Community development organization in Canada

The Antigonish Movement blended adult education, co-operatives, microfinance and rural community development to help small, resource-based communities around Canada's Maritimes to improve their economic and social circumstances. A group of priests and educators, including Father Jimmy Tompkins, Father Moses Coady, Rev. Hugh MacPherson and A.B. MacDonald led this movement from a base at the Extension Department at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

Community Archives Wales (CAW) is a website of digital content created and maintained by a number of community heritage groups from across Wales. The initiative for the project came from a partnership between lead partner Culturenet Cymru, a not-for-profit enterprise arm of the National Library of Wales and Glamorgan Archives, Swansea University Archives, South Wales Miners' Library and West Glamorgan Archive Service. The original project ran from 2007 to 2008 with funding from Communities@One, an initiative of the Communities First programme in Wales.

The Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods (WISERD) is an interdisciplinary social science research centre with its administrative base at Cardiff University, Wales. Its aim is to draw together and build upon the existing expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methods and methodologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnegie United Kingdom Trust</span> UK charitable foundation

The Carnegie United Kingdom Trust is an independent, endowed charitable trust based in Scotland that operates throughout Great Britain and Ireland. Originally established with an endowment from Andrew Carnegie in his birthplace of Dunfermline, it is incorporated by a royal charter and shares purpose-built premises with the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust, and the Carnegie Hero Fund Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Miles</span> Welsh Labour Co-operative politician and Member of the Senedd for Neath

Jeremy Miles MS is a Welsh Labour and Co-operative Party politician, serving as Minister for Education and Welsh Language in the Welsh Government since 2021. Miles has been the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Neath since 2016. He previously served in the Welsh Government as Counsel General for Wales from 2017 to 2021, Brexit Minister from 2018 to 2021, and the Minister for coordinating Wales’ recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Arthur Williams</span> Canadian politician

Robert Arthur Williams is a consultant and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Vancouver East in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1966 to 1976 and from 1984 to 1991 as a New Democratic Party (NDP) member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autism Cymru</span> Former Welsh national charity for autism

Autism Cymru was "Wales' national charity for autism" with offices in Cardiff, Wrexham, and Aberystwyth. The charity was established in May 2001 through an initial 3yrs grant provided by The Shirley Foundation. The founder chair of the Trustees was Dame Stephanie Shirley of the Shirley Foundation.

Citizens Online is a UK basic digital skills and digital inclusion charity that was founded in 2000 by Mark Adams and CEO John Fisher. Its aim is to ensure this switch to online doesn't exclude people, and help to bridge the digital divide. The group works to help other organisations with the impacts of the switch to online services. The main service offered by Citizens Online is called Switch, which won "Best Digital Inclusion Product or Service" in the Digital Leaders Award for best product in 2015.

References

  1. ↑ "Wales Co-operative Centre | cooperatives-wales.coop" . Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  2. ↑ "walescoop.com | Domain Name For Sale". Uni Market. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  3. ↑ "Dragonsavers Credit Union". www.dragonsavers.org. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  4. ↑ "Co-operatives offer template for David Cameron's big society | Business | the Guardian". TheGuardian.com . Archived from the original on 22 July 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  5. ↑ "Tower Colliery – background". Archived from the original on 2 July 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  6. ↑ Tower Colliery – case study
  7. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ↑ "Cancer pain inspires wig service". 26 September 2005. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "Community Enterprise Wales". Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  10. ↑ Chambers, Clare. "PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLEThe funding of credit unions where has all the money gone?CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS The funding of credit unions – where has all the money gone".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ↑ "Welsh Government | Communities First". 7 April 2012. Archived from the original on 7 April 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  12. ↑ "Welsh Government | Social Enterprise Strategy for Wales". 15 March 2012. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  13. ↑ "(Annex A)". Assemblywales.org. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  14. ↑ Social Enterprise Support Project
  15. ↑ https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/statistics-and-research/2019-07/150728-evaluation-communities-20-final-summary-revised-en.pdf
  16. ↑ History source: Wales Co-operative Centre Marketing team
  17. ↑ "Wales Co-operative Centre appoints new chief executive | Social Enterprise". Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  18. ↑ "Social Business Wales". Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  19. ↑ "Digital Communities Wales". www.digitalcommunities.gov.wales.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.