Co-operative and Community Finance

Happy St David's Day from all of us at Co-operative and Community Finance!

Ramadan Mubarak from all of us at Co-operative and Community Finance 🌙

New investment! 🚀 Supporting mental health in North East England, in partnership with The North East Combined Authority. We’re proud to support IMPACT Northeast CIC with a £56,500 investment to help them scale their vital mental health services. Based in #Sunderland, they provide counselling, ADHD diagnostics, and crisis support to families across the region - offering 17,000 sessions a year to those who need it most. This funding will help them expand private referrals, enhance ADHD diagnostics, and reduce reliance on grants, ensuring long-term sustainability and greater impact. ➡️ If you’re a social enterprise or impact-driven business in the North East looking for financing to grow your impact, we want to hear from you! 📩 Get in touch with our Investment Manager Michael Burns. 🔗 You can learn more about IMPACT Northeast here https://lnkd.in/dkTRKzxY #SocialImpactInvesting #SocialFinance #HealthEquality #MentalHealth #NorthEast

Good news for the weekend! 🍻 Three Horseshoes pub in Helions Bumpstead has received a new funding package enabling refinancing and securing its role as a vital community asset! Richard Russell, Chair of Helions Bumpstead Community Benefit Society said: “Co-operative and Community Finance have been at our side throughout our journey, from the community purchase in 2019 and throughout the years of the pandemic. So, we were delighted to arrange our refinancing with them, now that the Three Horseshoes is in the safe hands of our tenants. Their understanding of local communities sets them apart from corporate lenders and the relationship is one of de facto friendship.” Read about how we supported them here ➡️ https://buff.ly/3CYKSQd #CommunityPubs #MoreThanAPub

Book now!! A landmark annual event for retail co‑op leaders across the UK, Co‑operative Retail Conference 2025 is taking place on 14‑16 March at Eastwood Hall in Nottinghamshire. More info 👉

Let's raise a glass to the growing number of community pubs in Scotland! 🍻 Thanks to our partnership with the Scottish Government’s Scottish Rural Network, the number of open & trading community-owned pubs has doubled in the last three years, and those seeking ownership has increased from 22-40!📈 With funding from this partnership, we have awarded these groups early-stage development grants of up to £2,000 each! To find out more about the partnership and read some inspiring examples in action, check out our latest news piece. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eHcJhHiD

Rural retail is changing! Many community shops are innovating, becoming more than traditional convenience stores. 25 years ago, when the early community shops were established, their key role centred around access to food for those in rural communities – bringing a vital lifeline of basic groceries. Nowadays, following the explosion of supermarket delivery services, many community shops have innovated to become more than a traditional convenience grocery store. Recently there have been changes within the wholesale and distribution industries putting at risk the ability for some community shops to continue sourcing core grocery goods. This has led us to consider rural retailing, specifically community-owned shops, the issues they face, the solutions needed and ultimately, what the future may look like. Join Plunkett UK in one week to find out more ➡️ https://buff.ly/4bipqCr

Lending and Relationship Manager Kevin has been in Suffolk recently visiting the team behind the community shop and post office in Cockfield. They're working on a community pub as their next venture - exciting times!

The latest news from the #CreditUnion sector! Last week, Drumchapel Credit Union celebrated its 55th anniversary, marking over half a century of service to the local community. Founded in 1970, Drumchapel Credit Union holds the distinguished title of being Scotland’s first credit union ➡️ https://buff.ly/3XDtJ5J Members of Northamptonshire based Commsave Credit Union have been awarded a 4% return on their savings totalling £3.1million. Richard Munro, Interim Chief Executive, said "Our members are not just customers, they are also owners. This means that instead of distributing profits to external shareholders, we return these profits to our members, ensuring that everyone shares in the success of Commsave." ➡️ https://buff.ly/41bzs3t The Young Professionals Network will once again host its flagship event at the upcoming Association of British Credit Unions Annual Conference, providing young professionals with an invaluable opportunity for interactive discussions and networking ➡️ https://buff.ly/4hPzC7O

Are you ready for a preview of what's to come for Good Finance Live? Take a look at our agenda and find out more about the panel sessions which will support you with valuable tools and information to take the next step on your social investment journey. From real life insights on the social investment journey, the practical things you need to consider and prepare, and what happens next - our panels seek to answer your burning questions on social investment. See the full agenda and register you interest here > https://lnkd.in/ehvGuSjQ #SocialInvestment #SocialImpact #Community #FinancialEducation #Socialenterprise #Charity Access - The Foundation for Social Investment Better Society Capital Pathway Fund Olivia McLoughlin Annie Constable Maria Lozada Melanie Mills Morinade Akinbobola