Workshop: Is starting a co‑op right for you? Didcot, Oxfordshire

In Oxfordshire and thinking of starting a community business? If so, a co-operative might be right for you. This workshop is for groups who are:

• Considering taking ownership of a rural asset such as a village shop or community building
• Working to create new services or facilities in their town or village, where there might be a lack
• Interested in taking on and converting an existing business that might be at risk through retirement or closure

Co-operative Futures has teamed up with Co-operatives UK to deliver this FREE Is starting a co‑op right for you? workshop on Wednesday 14 February 2024 at The Junction in Didcot. It will introduce the co‑op business model, with a particular focus on community ownership of rural assets.  

You’ll gain a deeper understanding of co‑ops as successful, values‑based businesses as well as their purpose and benefits. Find out if the co-op model suits your business or community enterprise idea.

Completely FREE to attend, this session is part of the Business Support for Co‑ops programme, which offers up to six days’ expert support to new and existing co‑ops, delivered with support from The Co‑operative Bank. 

Why co‑ops? 

All kinds of businesses operate as co‑ops – pubs, energy suppliers, taxi firms, bookstores, community gardens, wine sellers, farms, sports clubs and much more. 

They are run by their members, who can be customers, employees, residents or suppliers – and who have a say in how the co-op is run, making it a fairer, more collaborative and democratic way of doing business. 

Co-ops are also resilient as a business model. They are more than twice as likely to survive the early years of trading when compared to other start-up businesses.

What to expect  

The workshop will be led by a local Co operative Development Worker Alice Hemming from Co-operative Futures. We will have presenters from two Oxfordshire based co-operatives who will share their experiences of setting up a community business and why being a co-op is important to them. They are:

• Jo Harvey from Sustainable Wantage: Having been a community benefit society for over a decade, they play a key role in their community, offering a food larder, refill shop, repair café, market garden and many other environmental projects out of their thriving community space called The Mix. 
• Vivian Woodell from West Oxfordshire Community Transport: Set up as a community benefit society in response to poor transport connectivity, WOCT now run 6 popular bus routes across the district. Vivian is a seasoned co-operative business expert, having also founded the Phone Co-op and co-operative housing projects.

This informative, interactive and fun session will give you a more in‑depth understanding of co‑operatives, as well as the next steps for starting one. 

The details 

• Date: Wednesday 14 February 2024 
• Time: 5.30-8pm 
• Place: The Junction, 42 Lydalls Road, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 7HX 

We will be providing delicious vegan food from local family catering start-up Planted Plates.

Join us 

To sign up for the workshop, follow the BOOK HERE link, fill in the form – and we’ll see you in Didcot! Places are limited so book early to avoid disappointment!  

Can’t make it? We are running workshops in partnership with co‑op experts throughout the country, so check our Discover Co‑ops page to see if there’s another session at a time and location to suit you.  

By signing up to this event you agree to being contacted by Co‑operatives UK and the delivery organisation about this workshop.