Discover co-ops webinar: Community shares and ownership

Are you based in West Yorkshire and looking for a fairer, more democratic way to start or run a business? Sign up for this FREE online workshop and learn how co‑ops can help your community to thrive. 

Join us for an enlightening, inspiring 90‑minutes delivered by Co‑operatives UK in partnership with Business for Good West Yorkshire (BfGWY), which is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. 

What’s the webinar about? 

Across the UK, communities are saving local venues, services and buildings by coming together to form co‑ops and raise investment through community shares. 

Join this session to learn how people in West Yorkshire have taken control of local pubs, community centres, transport projects, cultural spaces and more. 

Who is it for? 

Anyone in West Yorkshire exploring: 

• Setting up a community business
• Taking ownership of a local building or service
• Democratic ways to raise investment
• Alternatives to private or council‑run ownership 

What we’ll cover 

• What co‑ops are and why they work
• How community shares create democratic investment
• Real stories from successful local co‑ops
• The challenges, wins and lessons from community ownership
• How to take the next steps and access expert support 

Presenter and speakers

Petra Morris will be presenting the session. She is Co‑op Development Manager at Co‑operatives UK and manages the Business Support for Co‑ops programme, which has supported thousands of co‑ops and is delivered in partnership with The Co‑operative Bank. Petra also has lived experience as a Board member of a community benefit society – Stretford Public Hall. 

Mark Simmonds is a Co‑operative and Community Business Advisor at Co‑op Culture, a West Yorkshire based co‑operative consortium of co‑op and community advisors, entrepreneurs and enterprises. An experienced community entrepreneur, Mark is also a founding member and Director of community‑owned Heptonstall Post Office and The Fox and Goose in Hebden Bridge, the first community‑owned pub in West Yorkshire.   

Alan Beswick is a Board member and Secretary of Headingley Development Trust in Leeds. Founded in 2005, the organisation is a community benefit society with more than 1,200 members. It was set up to develop initiatives that promote and sustain the Headingley area of Leeds. This pioneering community initiative has improved and developed the local area by funding affordable housing, an enterprise and arts centre, a farmer’s market and many other community projects, creating a thriving centre for residents and visitors alike.

Recording the webinar

This webinar will be recorded. We will share the recording with participants shortly afterwards. If you cannot attend, there is another upcoming Discover co-ops webinar on 24 February entitled Workers Unite! which will introduce worker co‑ops. You can also sign up for Co-operatives UK newsletters to be kept up to date with other future webinars. Alternatively, visit our step by step: start a co-op tool, our Discover Co‑ops page featuring previous introductory webinars, or read about the business support available to start-up co-ops.

Reserve your place via the booking link below.