Plunkett Foundation News

Every so often, you get to speak at an event where the energy coming off the audience makes you feel like you're standing in front of an open fire. I had that last week when I spoke at the Transition North event in Slaithwaite. The event was an ambitious one, bringing together not only transition supporters from across the North, but also a broad range of people from the co-operative movement. Sponsored by The Co-operative Group, it was a real chance to explore links between the two movements.Following on from leading light in the Transition Towns movement Rob Hopkins and...

I was delighted that Plunkett's work has been recognised in this year's Mutuals Yearbook, which case studied one of the village stores. The yearbook is produced by Mutuo, the impressive think-tank which promotes the role of mutuals.This recognition was extended to an invite to speak on membership at the annual Mutuals Forum alongside the Eaga Partnership and Luton & Dunstable Hospital Foundation Trust. What could our shops teach such a gathering of major mutual organisations? Quite a lot was my argument.The freshness and vitality of our recently formed mutual enterprises meant that their members were doing many things that some...

Plunkett Foundation News 16.10.2009PLUNKETT PERSPECTIVE This week’s Perspective revisits Plunkett’s roots with a trip to Ireland and the Plunkett House; the first home of the Plunkett Foundation. http://plunkettfoundation.blogspot.com/ To follow the Plunkett Foundation on Facebook visit       http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=79687818921&ref=nf To follow the Plunkett Foundation on Twitter visit http://twitter.com/PeterCouchman NEW MAKING LOCAL FOOD WORK REPORT RELEASED  Community Investment in Community Supported Agriculture was produced by community shares expert Jim Brown for the Community Supported Agriculture Strand of Making Local Food Work.The report can be downloaded from Making Local Food Work partner the Soil Association's website.  Follow the link http://tiny.cc/oaegs  https://www.makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk/news/news.cfm/newsid/115  HAMBLEDON VILLAGE SHOP...

Campbell Robb, Director General of the Office of the Third Sector and Social Exclusion, has announced he will take up a new post as Chief Executive of the housing and homelessness charity Shelter in the new year. Cabinet Office will make an announcement on Campbell’s replacement in the very near future. Campbell Robb was appointed as the first Director General of the Office of the Third Sector in May 2006. During this time he has successfully delivered a comprehensive programme of support for the sector, worth over £515m. Under his leadership, OTS has delivered a further package, worth around £60m...

FARMA has marked its 30th birthday. FARMA, the Natinal Farmers Retail and Markets Association, represents farmers, growers, producers and farmers' market organisers throughout the UK. They are the only organisation in the UK dedicated to supporting the local direct sales sector and driving local foods. Members gathered from across the UK at Packington Moor Farm to enjoy a delicious local meal prepared by the award-winning catering team there. Speakers commented on the incredible journey of the local food sector, from the Association's roots in the pick-your-own movement of the 1970s and 80s, then the rise of farm shops in the...

The Soil Association is we are running a series of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) training days over the winter months as part of the ‘Making Local Food Work’ Programme.  All these events will take place in Leeds or Sheffield, and are free to CSA practitioners. They are being led by experts in the various fields, and are designed to  provide the technical knowledge and confidence to launch or expand your Community-Supported Agriculture project. The first event, Business Planning for CSAs, is being run by Julie White and John Metcalfe, both social enterprise consultants who between them have decades of experience...

Click Here to take survey The Plunkett Foundation is undertaking a survey of Parish Councils across England and Wales to find out what the level of awareness is within rural communities of community-ownership approaches to rural challenges. Community-owned village shops are one example of this approach but there are many more.The Plunkett Foundation would like to see as many Chairs or appointed representatives of Parish Councils as possible responding to this quick questionnaire to give us a better understanding of what rural communities are aware of, and what they are not.This will help us to provide new services which help...

Plunkett went back to its roots with a visit to Ireland last week. Minister Tony Killeen made the invitation when he spoke at our AGM. It was a wonderful opportunity to use our standard tool of analysis of "What would Horace have done"?First call was Cork where Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Agency, was holding a conference on Ireland in Uncertain Times. The event provided an excellent insight into the challenges of Ireland's rural communities. The economic briefings made it clear that the impact of global recession was happening harder and faster in Ireland than in the UK by...

The Walton Lea Project, a social enterprise which has been supported by the Plunkett Foundation through Strengthening Rural Communities across the North West and the Enterprise Support project of Making Local Food Work received a visit from the Secret Millionaire a few weeks ago.  On the programme broadcast today (14th October), the Walton Lea Project received £20,000 from the Secret Millionaire to help develop their work.The Walton Lea Project (WLP) was established in 1998 to provide supported employment, training and life chance for adults with learning difficulties. The project is based near Warrington within the setting of a Victorian walled...

14 October 2009Farmers’ markets run by social enterprises should be supported due to the potential benefits they provide to communities say a new Government report on traditional retail markets.The report backed the approach taken by Making Local Food Work in helping support the development of social enterprise models of farmers’ markets as a way of providing a vehicle for producers to provide local food to their communities.The Collaborative Farmers’ Market project is part of Making Local Food Work, a programme delivered by seven national organisations which helps people to take ownership of their food and where it comes from.  The...