What is Co-op Fortnight

What is Co-op Fortnight?

Originally launched in 2010, Co-op Fortnight has gone from strength to strength.

Co-op Fortnight is organised by Co-operatives UK and is then brought to life through events and sharing stories about the power of co‑operation via social media.

Co-op Fortnight 2026

Co‑op Fortnight 2026 takes place from Monday 22 June to Sunday 5 July. This year, the theme is: 

Co-operate and we can change the world

The campaign slogan is taken from This Beautiful Idea, a poem written and performed by Tony Walsh, originally commissioned by the Rochdale Literature and Ideas Festival. 

We think it’s an inspiring way to describe what it means to be a co-operative – and what it means to be a member of a co-operative. We can’t wait to share a specially adapted version of the poem for Co-op Fortnight. 

Recent campaign themes

• 2025 was a special year for Co‑op Fortnight as it fell in the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives. The theme was #CoopHeroes and focused on the inspiring stories of people whose lives have been made better by co-ops and those making lives better – the living proof that co-operatives make a huge positive difference in the world! 
• In 2024, Co-op Fortnight took place in the weeks prior to the General Election. We use the opportunity to call on co-operatives to back our Call for Co-op Growth, and to celebrate co‑operatives as an altogether different way to do business.
• In 2023, we're asking co-ops of all shapes and sizes to come together and tell the world how co-operatives are altogether different! Read stories from last year’s campaign.
• In 2022, we invited people to #UnwrapCoops by submitting interesting testimonials about what made them love co-ops and being part of a co-op. Working with Blakehouse Productions and Calverts we turned people's words in to individual pieces of art and gifs for social media. We also encouraged people to share their own messages during Co-op Fortnight.
• In 2021, the theme was #JoinACoop. The Covid‑19 pandemic forced us to rethink how we do things – as a society, as businesses, organisations and individuals. And co‑ops proved to be a resilient, unifying force during this time. So we spread the word about the benefits of membership and called for people across the UK to #JoinACoop.
• In 2020, we encouraged people to #KeepCooperating, as we witnessed the emergence of a new culture of co-operation in everyday behaviour due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We used this to raise awareness of co‑ops, their values and their potential to change society for the better as we rebuild. Watch our film below.
• In 2019 we called for people to join forces for two weeks of mass co-operation. Co-ops worked together to protect community spaces, hold cooking and gardening activities, host celebrations and spread acts of kindness in their communities.
• In 2018 we celebrated the difference co-ops make across the UK, published The Co-op Economy Report, which revealed co-ops are twice as likely to survive the difficult first five years compared to other businesses, and produced the short film Co-operate.