Community Business Weekend 2018
Community business weekend is a weekend-long celebration of all things community business, organised by Power to Change, an organisation which offers advice and support to community businesses.
England is home to over 7,000 community businesses, including shops, farms, pubs, and many more, and these have a combined market income of over £1.2 billion. These community businesses employ more than 35,000 people in total, and are helped by around 120,000 volunteers.
This year’s event will run from the 4th – 7th May, following the raging success of last year, which saw 12,000 people attending over 150 events nationwide, and resulted in 226 people becoming involved with community business – as volunteers, trustees, and shareholders. More information about the events from last year can be seen HERE.
What is a community business?
A community business can be any type of business which trades for the benefit of it’s community. They usually have these four main characteristics:
- Locally rooted – geographically rooted, and responsive to the needs of the area
- Trading to benefit their community – they are businesses that generate income by, for example, selling goods, or hiring out venues – and use this income to benefit the community in which they are situated
- Accountable to the local community – for example through community share offers that creates members who have a voice in the direction of the business
- Broad community impact – benefit the community as a whole
How can I get involved in Community Business Weekend 2018?
Co-operative Futures is hosting a free drop-in, including free coffee and cake on Thursday the 3rd of May. Anyone who is interested in community business is welcome to attend – more information can be found via the Facebook event.
If you are unable to attend but would like any advice or support you can contact Co-operative Futures via our website.
So far, over 290 community business have registered for Community Business Weekend 2018, at 100 different events across the country, running from the 4th – 7th of May. If you’d like to find out more about the community businesses in your area, use the event finder on the community business weekend website HERE.
If you are already part of a community business, and wish to host an event over the weekend, register at the website HERE to get your organisers pack.
If you’re interested in community business but aren’t able to attend an event, find out more at the Power to Change website HERE, which includes information about existing community businesses, as well as the support and potential funding options available to community businesses.
Don’t forget to use #CBwkd18 to see how others are getting involved in the weekend!
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