watch our video now

Click on 'Play' to watch a video introducing the Co-operative Enterprise hub, or alternatively you can read the transcript beneath.

Transcript of Video

We are investing £4 million over the next 3 years to support the co-operative sector, through the Co-operative Enterprise hub. The hub does a number of things; its primary focus is to provide advice and training to new and existing co-operative enterprises. This consists of 4 days free advice and support and is delivered on a regional basis by co-operative development bodies on our behalf.

We are also providing grants specifically in the area of renewable technology or energy efficiency. So we are looking for co-operative solutions to tackle the issue of climate change.

We are also providing loans through the Co-operative Loan Fund. We are moving away from grant dependency and towards sustainable businesses.

We believe in the co-operative model so much that we want to support the wider sector and ensure that businesses are sustainable into the future. The co-operative sector is really diverse and we have already had a significant number of applications from organisations like acupuncturist, play groups, home care services, organic fruit growing co-operatives and it is our aim to support as many organisations as we can. The type of support that co-operative enterprises can access through the Hub includes business planning, financial forecasting and employment and staffing. We also help with specifically related Co-operative issues such as legal and governance. We also help with the registration fees for setting up a co-operative enterprise, so there is really no excuse to not starting a co-operative business.