Cooperatives NorthWest

Community shares: One Planet offer extension
One Planet (Accrington) Limited is extending its community share offer to Monday 16 August. The co-operative has recruited 80 members and raised £12,325 towards its target of £15,000 - a real achievement in the current economic climate.

The extended deadline is an opportunity for people to contribute towards the shortfall of only £2,675. Investment of withdrawable share capital starts at £25. Email: Mike.Stapleford@prospectsfoundation.org.uk, Company Secretary, One Planet (Accrington) Ltd. Tel: 01254-380675.

Conference: Futures North
Saturday 11 September, Bodington Hall, Leeds
Futures North is a conference that is seeking to bring together representatives from across the third sector, together with people from the public and private sectors, to look at how we can all better collaborate in the face of the forthcoming public spending cuts.

The cooperative model has a lot to offer our communities in the challenging times that lie ahead, and if it is to fulfil its potential a much more effective and open dialogue needs to be established between the public, voluntary and cooperative/social enterprise sectors. Futures North provides a practical opportunity to build mutual understanding and make the all important contacts that will enable us to go forwards together. More detailed information is at www.futures-north.coop

Co-operation: NWHS sponsor FC United
Housing co-operative North West Housing Services (NWHS) will act as match sponsor for FC United’s home fixture against Burscough in February. All the Salford tenants of the Windsor Albion co-operative it serves will be able to attend the game free of charge. This link up between the two organisations began at a Co-operatives North West “Principle 6” networking event. NWHS is totally owned and controlled by its customers. Tenant empowerment enables co-op members to take control of their own neighbourhood and influence community cohesion.

At the other end of the scale, the Co-operative Group has kindly funded one of FC United’s community work programmes aimed at young people. As well as this, the Co-operative Membership is part funding the launch of this year’s FC Minithon.  To find out more about FC United, visit www.fc-utd.co.uk

Opportunity: Are you an ISO9001 specialist?
Sustainable Change Co-operative is looking for someone with experience in implementing ISO9001 within social enterprises, co-operatives, charities or other related sectors to assist them in implementing an integrated ISO14001/9001 management system within a social enterprise. Experience with integrated systems would also be beneficial. They are looking for someone within easy reach of Liverpool and/or Manchester. Email: contact@sustainable-change.co.uk or Tel:0161 860 7571/ 07794 779 352.

Support: Enterprise centre increases opportunities for deaf community
Co-operative & Community Finance is helping one of the main charities for deaf people in North West England to run a unique enterprise centre that provides sustainable income for the charity and employment opportunities for deaf people.

The East Lancashire Deaf Society (ELDS), based in Blackburn, has bought and refurbished King’s Court, a Georgian building near the town centre, and reopened it as an enterprise centre offering 14,000 sq ft of office space, catering and conference facilities. The ELDS provides a range of services to overcome the social exclusion and barriers which deaf people can face.

Co-operative & Community Finance provided capital necessary to help restructure the society’s finances after a large loan from a private developer, which was required for refurbishment. For more information on Co-operative & Community Finance please visit www.icof.co.uk  For more information on the ELDS please visit www.elds.org.uk

Survey: Social enterprise
Please take the time to complete the survey below. There are only a few questions, which all relate to being a social enterprise and the Big Society.
This survey will enable the Social Enterprise Knowledge Exchange Group consisting of the nine Social Enterprise Regional Infrastructure organisations to feed the responses to both the Coalition and to Government. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NNBVB3J

Funding: University announces new leadership bursary awards for social enterprises
NW social enterprise leaders can apply for a "one-off" 100% bursary worth up to £10,000 to join the prestigious leadership LEAD programme delivered in Manchester. The bursary awards are to support up to three social enterprises that employ between 5 - 50 staff. More information can be found at: www.businesslinknw.co.uk/lead.  Register for a bursary application here http://s.coop/2d1 Alternatively, email lead@mmu.ac.uk or call 0161 247 3738.

Funding: Sustainability Awards back for another year
Are you working in a business, charity, local authority, school or other public sector organisation which is tackling climate change?

Each year the Ashden Awards reward ground-breaking initiatives, sharing their hard-won success and gaining them wider recognition. Your solution may be simple – but if it’s inspiring, practical and innovative too, they want to hear about it.

The Ashden Awards offer a top prize of £20,000 and five other honours worth £10,000 to celebrate the success of “ground-breaking initiatives”. http://www.ashdenawards.org/apply

Funding: Communitybuilders Fund
The Communitybuilders Fund offers loans, grants and business support. It offers three elements, which are Feasibility, Development and Investment.
The Investment element of the Fund is for organisations that are ready to grow and expand their role within the community and are on the way towards financial self-reliance. This part of the fund offers a combination of loans and grant money of between £50,000 and £2 million. Find out whether your organisation is eligible today: http://www.thesocialinvestmentbusiness.org/cb6/  If you would like to call us to discuss your investment needs, please call 0191 269 2278

Support: Businesses urged to use free service
The head of Business Link Northwest is urging small and medium sized businesses to continue making use of its free service while ministers decide on the future shape of government business support. The coalition government is currently reviewing the delivery of government business support as part of its commitment to replacing Regional Development Agencies with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) from April 2012.

Until any new proposals are finalised, Business Link Northwest remains the region’s free and impartial business support service and will continue to offer the same high-level of support to business owners. In the 12 months to March 31, 2010, Business Link Northwest engaged with over 97,000 businesses. For further information please visit www.businesslinknw.co.uk

Co-operatives North West is funded by trading income, the Co-operative Enterprise Hub and the North West Development Agency