2011 at The Co-operative Enterprise Hub

2010 was a fantastic year for the Enterprise Hub. Over the year, we helped dozens of new and established co-operatives throughout England and Wales and, during 2010, we expanded the scheme in order to help support organisations in the North East, the West Midlands and the South East.

In 2011, we hope to continue providing the same level of advice and support to many more co-operatives across the country.

As a result, we're delighted to announce that the funding available for the Enterprise Hub has been increased by 50 per cent, from 5 million to 7.5 million.; funding which will be directly channelled into helping to establish and support co-operatives in many regions of the UK.

By the end of the year, we're setting a target to help more than 350 enterprises in England and Wales. You can watch several video case studies from the co-operatives we've provided assistance to on our video page. We'll also be posting several new interviews in the coming weeks and months, so stay tuned for that.

In the meanwhile, well leave you with the thoughts of Peter Marks, the Chief Executive of The Co-operative Group:

"With flaws exposed in traditional business models, more and more people are recognising there is an alternative which enables them to take a lead and have a say in the running of businesses and services important to their lives.

The co-operative model offers an alternative way to do business and provides a robust approach to enterprise that can help restore a lost sense of community cohesion and contribute to the re-building of a more balanced and sustainable UK economy."