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Cooperatives NorthWest
Our Life Limited
by Andreia | Wed, 20/04/2011 - 12:43
The Wellebing and Health Campaign
Our Life is the North West campaign for wellbeing and health. We aim to identify and tackle barriers to better wellbeing and health across the region by mobilising individuals and organisations to campaign for changes to policy and business practices.
We believe that the current health environment is acting as an impediment to making healthier choices easier and is leading to more ill health across our region. We were set up to challenge and address the unhealthy environment facing the citizens of the North West.
We campaign; we engage the public; we talk to opinion formers; we make our views known in the media and we also push hard for the changes we need to support better wellbeing and health across the North West.
As a charitable community benefit society and social enterprise, Our Life works in partnership with the NHS, local government, business, voluntary organisations, the public and all those who want to see a health environment that will enable the North West to become one of the healthiest regions in the country.
We like to think of ourselves as health's answer to the environmental lobby and to organisations like Friends of the Earth.
We use evidence-based research and harness public opinion to examine and where necessary promote changes to the policy and regulatory frameworks and business practices to encourage healthy lifestyles.
Critical to our success is harnessing public support. We recognise that without this the big changes we need simply don't happen. Our Life is working hard to galvanise public support around our current campaign priorities of alcohol, food and health inequalities.
Our record
- Organised The Big Drink Debate, the biggest ever survey on alcohol in the North West, which revealed that most people in the region think low price and discounts are fuelling our unhealthy drinking culture
- Orchestrated a campaign to get positive support from the public and key workers for the Government's proposed Code of Practice for Alcohol Retailers. The Code was passed by parliament in March 2010
- Coordinated joint advocacy activities with the region's directors of public health to call for the introduction of a minimum unit price to end to the sale of cheap alcohol
- Organised a joint project, Reaching Out, with NHS North West and Pfizer UK, to understand how the NHS and others can best support people living on very low incomes to lead healthier lives
- Harnessed North West public opinion to help stop the product placement of junk food, alcohol or gambling on UK television programmes
- Highlighted the role that positive mental wellbeing plays in people's health in the North West
- Organising a campaign for a fairer food system, ‘Talking Food: Taking Action', which is giving people a real say about the kind of food system that they want to see in the region
Case Studies
We exist to promote business with a social purpose and aim to be the best local co-operative and social enterprise network around, working in partnership with other organisations, businesses, and public bodies, to make Rochdale a better place.
Alpha Communication has been working with value-driven people, enterprises and organisations across the UK for 22 years, to help them promote what they do.
Carers’ Union exists to campaign for better rights, support and information on behalf of all carers in the UK.
Cash Box Credit Union was founded in 2004, when five smaller credit unions merged to create one that could be used by anyone who either lives of works in Tameside.
Co-operative and Mutual Solutions (CMS) is an employee owned business providing specialist consultancy to co-operatives and social enterprises.
CBC is a co-operative consortium, dedicated to helping other co-operatives, democratic social enterprises and employee-owned businesses.
Founded in 1919, the Co-operative College is an educational charity based in Manchester. The College works with learners and co-operatives all over the world, from schoolchildren to African worker co-operatives.
The new business will combine CFS’s strong personal and corporate banking, insurance and investment expertise with Britannia’s extensive high street presence and savings and mortgage product strength.
Ex-cell Solutions offer co-operative solutions to reducing re-offending.
Football supporters who were tired of the high prices and lack of involvement which revolved around corporate football set up FC United of Manchester, a football club which is owned entirely by the fans.
Graham Waterhouse and Mike Faulkner provide management consultancy and personal mentoring to senior staff in co-operatives and other social enterprises or not for profit organisations.
The Health and Wellbeing Co-op is an organisation with an aim of delivering affordable and sustainable health and wellbeing solutions to other co-ops and mutuals who do not have the internal expertise or knowledge to deliver healthcare related benefits to their employees.
Based in Rossendale, HHH is available to people living in the common bond areas of Haslingden or Hyndburn.
JTCU was established in 1996 by the community residents group of Darwen, Lancashire, as a savings and loan co‑operative, with the underlying aim of dealing with social exclusion.
Loop Systems is a co-operative design studio, combining the expertise of both architects and landscape architects, and specialising in sustainable premises design.
Our company aims to help local communities and government in creative and cultural social development and policy design, a set up for direct communication providing qualitative and quantitative information that is directly generated by the public to those governing the city.
Maracuja, based in Rochdale is a co-operative enterprise specialising in healthy multicultural African/Caribbean food and culture, as well as event management, training and consultancy.
New Era promotes a wide range of community based regeneration and economic development, in East Lancashire. Although constituted as a community business, its ethos is much more about improving the lives of local people than making money for itself.
North West Housing Services is dedicated to providing ethical, professional services to housing co-operatives, small social landlords and leaseholders.
Northern Alliance, formed in 2009, is a housing co-operative that acquires tinned up properties and retrofits them to high standards of energy efficiency.
One Planet (Accrington) Ltd trades in local, ethical and fair-trade and environmentally friendly products to raise local awareness.
OpenSpace is a co-operative co-working project, offering cheap, flexible office space in a creative, friendly atmosphere.
Our Life is the North West campaign for wellbeing and health. We aim to identify and tackle barriers to better wellbeing and health across the region by mobilising individuals and organisations to campaign for changes to policy and business practices.
Preston Green Centre is an environmental Fairtrade community cafe and resource centre. Its mission is to encourage 'bottom-up' networking of green folk and to display on our walls 'top-down' information on green subjects.
A housing co-operative established in 1979 to provide good quality, affordable housing for people in Liverpool 8. It is a non-profit organisation run by volunteers.
Secod provides high-quality support services and solutions to community and social enterprises and co-operatives across Cumbria and the North of England.
The credit union is run by a small office team along with dozens of volunteers who staff its regular collection points at 13 venues across South Manchester.
Established in 2005, Substance is a social research company specialising in the youth, sport and positive activities sector.
Sunshine Care was formed by a group of former local authority care workers in Rochdale to support people with short and long term needs, enabling them to have control of their well being, and enhancing their quality of life.
Supporters Direct help fans form trusts by offering advice on how to get it off the ground. We ensure that as many supporters get involved as possible.
The Association for Sustainable Change is a values-led partnership. It works with other businesses, providing consultancy to promote sustainability. It offers advice and support on what sustainability means and how it can become meaningful action for those involved.
Initially founded in 1863, the Co‑operative Group currently has 1.5 million economically active members, and operates in a variety of sectors all over the UK: food, travel, pharmacies, financial services and funeral care.
The Kitchen is a vegetarian community cafe that opened in October 2010. It is based in Bolton town centre, north of Manchester and provides tasty and healthy cafe meals and catering whilst supporting other local food projects and producers.
Trafford Media and Communications provides copywriting, PR, design and artwork, print, direct mail, tender and bid writing, corporate film and video and targeted advertising sales.
UK Credit Unions is a trade association for credit unions, steering groups, and credit union support organisations, offering services to its members.
The Society is an independent voluntary organisation, registered as a charity, based in the UK. It welcomes into membership, co-operative members, employees, managers, specialist practitioners, academics and others who share an interest in the UK and the world co-operative movement.
Unicorn Grocery, a wholefood store and worker co-operative in Manchester, is pioneering a novel response to the looming recession and environmental crisis – with financial help from its customers it is buying land to grow its own local produce.
Unlimited Potential is a community benefit society which uses the skills of local people through social innovation to help people improve their own well-being.
Co-operatives North West Limited is a co-operative company limited by guarantee.
Registered in England and Wales, company number 05386784.
Registered address: 29 Mizzy Road, Rochdale OL12 6HW
