Publications

Plunkett Foundation's impact and performance

Here you can download our Impact Reports highlighting how we helped rural communities in the previous year, and our financial accounts in our Annual Reports. 

Plunkett Foundation Impact Report 2012

Plunkett Foundation Impact Report 2011

Plunkett Foundation Report of the Trustees and Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2011 

Better Business

Our Better Business report is the most comprehensive research into the performance of community-owned shops ever to be published. It provides some of the most valuable statistics in the sector in support of a co-operative approach to rural social enterprise. 

A Better Form of Business - Community-Owned Village Shops (2012)


COMMUNITY-OWNED RURAL SERVICES 

Rural Broadband - Reframing the Debate
This report, produced jointly by Plunkett Foundation and the Carnegie UK Trust, explores the issues of rural broadband and the solutions that community enterprise can provide.
Rural Broadband - Reframing the Debate Report
Rural Broadband - Reframing the Debate Summary

The Community Farm - a successful community share issue case study.  

Investing in Community Shares - http://www.communityshares.org.uk/sites/default/files/investing_in_community_shares_a-z_final_1_7_10.pdf

Community Investment: Using Industrial and Provident Society Legislation - http://offline.cooperatives-uk.coop/live/images/cme_resources/Public/In%20the%20Spotlight/ITS%20Sept/Community-Investment-guide.pdf

Community Shares: Practitioner’s Guide to Governance and Offer Documents - http://www.communityshares.org.uk/sites/default/files/practitioners_guide_final_7_7_10.pdf

Investing in Community Shares - http://www.communityshares.org.uk/sites/default/files/investing_in_community_shares_a-z_final_1_7_10.pdf

Simply Legal - a guide to legal structures - http://offline.cooperatives-uk.coop/live/images/cme_resources/Public/MakingLocalFoodWork/SimplyLegal.pdf

Simply Finance - a guide to finance for community food enterprises - http://www.uk.coop/simplyfinance

Simply Governance - a guide to the systems and processes involved in community food enterprises - http://www.uk.coop/simplygovernance.

Addressing Rural Isolation in Central and Eastern Regions: The Role of Community Shops.

Strengthening Rural Communities: Information, Advice & Support Guide & DVD

This informative booklet highlights the rural social enterprises that were supported through the Strenthening Rural Communities across the North West project.

A Practical Guide for Communities Considering Purchasing Land and Buildings

The Plunkett Foundation developed this guide on behalf of the Building Community Assets consortium members Co-operative and Community Finance and Social Enterprise East of England.  Building Community Assets was a capital grants programme funded by the East of England Development Agency which supported a range of community organisations and social enterprises to own assets to secure their long term future.

Advice Sheets for Community-Owned Rural Shop

The Plunkett Foundation has developed a series of advice sheets covering all aspects of setting up and running a village community owned shop. You can either access them as pdf files from the page below or if you prefer you can purchase a full set in hard copy.

Enterprising Approaches to Rural Community Transport

With funding from the Department for Transport, Plunkett and CTA conducted the first comprehensive research study of the sector in 2006 and compiled an evidence-base of the extent to which it already uses social enterprise approaches. The results show that almost all rural CT operators trade to some extent, but there is significant potential for them to increase their long-term sustainability by optimising multiple income streams.

Rural Lifelines – Older People and Rural Social Enterprises

This 2004 publication summarises research carried out by the Plunkett Foundation, PRIME, Age Concern and the Countryside Agency on the relationships between older people and rural social enterprises. The research sought to test the hypothesis that older people are major beneficiaries of social enterprises in rural areas, in view of the services which they receive from them, but are also significant participants in the management and operation of these same enterprises.

Enterprise4Inclusion

FOOD AND FARMING

Influencing consumer buying behaviour -  http://www.makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk/templates/asset-relay.cfm?frmAssetFileID=815

Local Food and Climate Change - http://www.makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk/templates/asset-relay.cfm?frmAssetFileID=623

Community Investment in Community Supported Agriculture - http://www.soilassociation.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=5wx%2fk2q0d6I%3d&tabid=373

Simply Legal - all you need to know about legal forms for community enterprises - http://www.makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk/templates/asset-relay.cfm?frmAssetFileID=595

Social Business Toolkit - http://www.makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk/about/toolbox/Toolbox.cfm 

The Real Choice - How local foods can survive the supermarket onslaught

This report shows how local foods – grown, processed and consumed in the same district – can flourish, provided the growth of supermarket chains is restrained by sound planning policies. These 'local food webs' bring a range of social, environmental and economic benefits and help to conserve some of our most beautiful countryside.

GENERAL CO-OPERATIVE INTEREST

Co-operation - A Beautiful Idea

This booklet explains, in less than 80 pages, the theory and practice of co-operation and mutualism.  It's author is Plunkett Fellow Edgar Parnell.  Available in both printed and eBook versions.  Printed copies are available for £5 plus postage and packaging.  10 or more copies are available from Plunkett by emailing info@plunkett.co.uk.  eBooks and smaller orders are available from http://www.co-oppundit.org/publications_.html
 

Reinventing Co-operation ­ the Challenge of the 21st Century

A book designed to dispel the myths and misunderstandings that surround the co-operative business model and to set out, in straightforward language, the essentials of understanding and organising a co-operative. (This volume is the revised and expanded version of the best-selling Reinventing the Co-operative, no longer in print.)

Edgar Parnell (Plunkett Foundation) 1999, 312 pp.
ISBN 0 85042 136 5
£24.95 plus P&P

The Little Nut Tree: The Memoirs of Margaret Digby

An insight into the life and times of one of the co-operative movement’s champions and most tireless workers.

(Plunkett Foundation) 1979, 415 pp.
ISBN 0 85042 026 1
£5.00 plus P&P