New film inspires growth of co-ops in the West Midlands

A short film has been created to stimulate the growth of co‑ops and mutuals in the West Midlands. Be Part of It is a collaboration between a renowned poet and organisations in the region that enjoy the power of shared ownership.

It’s launched in the year that West Midlands Mayor, Richard Parker, made a manifesto pledge to double the number of co‑operatives in the region.

Be Part of It mixes imagery, dance and a specially commissioned poem from Jasmine Gardosi, former Birmingham Poet Laureate. It features:

• Dance Co-operative Birmingham: a co‑op of professional dancers who joined forces to reap the benefits of their collective power. Three of their members perform a specially devised dance in the film to accompany the poem. 
• The Developer Society: a Digbeth‑based creative agency that converted to a co‑operative business model to align more closely with their values and nurture creativity by giving their workers ownership, agency, and control. 
• Glue Collective: a worker co‑op based in Birmingham comprising artists and community workers who are addressing social, health and economic challenges in local communities by developing unused plots of land for artistic and nature‑based activities. 
• Hockley Mint: Birmingham‑based manufacturers and suppliers of jewellery and precious metals who now operate as an employee ownership trust (EOT). Family owned for more than 70 years, it became an EOT in 2023 to secure the long‑term future of the business and provide continuity for its loyal employees.

The film was commissioned by the West Midlands Ownership Hub (WMHO), a partnership between the West Midlands Combined Authority, Co‑operatives UK and the Employee Ownership Association, and funded by Power to Change.

The creative project was produced by worker co-operative Media Co-op. Watch the film here:

WMHO Project Co‑ordinator, Jo Ind, said: “I wanted to capture the heart and soul of shared ownership, so we can feel at visceral level why it’s good to take control together. I was excited about commissioning Jasmine Gardosi to write and perform a poem because she is such an outstanding poet.

“I also knew that Dance Co‑operative Birmingham had recently formed and thought it would be great to invite them to devise a dance to accompany Jasmine’s poem, which was performed at the launch of the West Midlands Ownership Hub in May this year. 

“Then the plan was to create a visual poem in video form, splicing the poem‑dance with footage of West Midlands co‑ops and employee‑owned businesses doing their thing.”  

Vilte Vaitkute, Media Co‑op director and editor, said: "The film is about all of us coming together and showing that there is a better, more democratic way to do business. And to make places, to play, to create and inspire.

“As Jasmine’s poem says, ‘be part of it – so we don’t stand alone, so we keep on improving’. I couldn’t be prouder of what we've accomplished together.”

At the launch of the West Midlands Ownership Hub last year, Richard Parker said: “I am proud to have made a manifesto pledge to double the number of co‑operatives in the West Midlands and the Ownership Hub is a crucial step towards fulfilling this promise.”