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Co-operatives Fortnight guide

Co-operative

Awards who

gets your vote?

Ater the success o lastyears Co-operative Awards,showcasing the excellent worko co-operatives across thecountry, Co-operatives UK ispromising the 2010 Awards tobe even bigger and better!

And now its your chance toget involved! To recognise andcelebrate all that is excellentwithin the co-operativemovement, Co-operatives UKwants to hear rom you.

I you are part o or know aco-operative business that reallyshows what makes co-operativesa better alternative, now is yourchance to put them orward orthe Co-operative Awards 2010.

Simply go to www.congress.uk.coop/2010/awardsorm and, inno more than 500 words, explainwhat makes your nomination anexcellent example o aco-operative. Explain their

people, products and services. Inshort, tell their story! The closingdate or nominations is Monday26 April 2010. Winners will benotied o their success by theend o May 2010.

And the awards will be presentedon Saturday 26 June 2010 atthe Gala Dinner, part o Co-operatives 2010 in Plymouth.

Be co-operative

nominatea co-operative

today!

Momentum is building or the rstCo-operatives Fortnight, which

starts on 19 June until 3 July 2010.

Be a part othe frst-everCo-operatives

Fortnight

Co-operatives UK thanks the eight Founding Sponsors oCo-operatives Fortnight: Co-operative Group; MidcountiesCo-operative; The Southern Co-operative; Anglia Co-operative;Lincolnshire Co-operative; Chelmsord Star Co-operative;Channel Islands Co-operative and The Midlands Co-operative

With its theme o There is anAlternative, co-operatives up anddown the country are gearing upor the ground-breaking initiativerom Co-operatives UK.

The Fortnight will be a majorcampaign to spread the messageabout the co-operative alternative,with a dedicated website www.thereisanalternative.coop ull oantastic resources and ideas.

This is the rst time since theco-operative business modelwas developed in Rochdale over165 years ago, that the entiremovement has celebrated

co-operatives nationwide. Ed Mayo(pictured, right), Secretary Generalo Co-operatives UK, says it isgoing to be truly collaborative.

We want all co-operatives to do

something during the Fortnight, nomatter how big or small, says Ed.Whether thats putting up posters,holding a meal or members,hosting an open day or the publicor collaborating with other nearbyco-operatives, its taking part thatmatters.

The Co-operatives Fortnight teamare stepping things up a gear now,with the introduction o a new

weekly Co-operatives Fortnighte-newsletter; a new Facebook page,Twitter and YouTube channel; acalendar and map or co-operativesto register what theyre doingor the Fortnight; downloadableresources on the website includinguseul toolkits and bright posters;activity packs ull o Co-operativesFortnight goodies and orums oreveryone to talk about what theywill be doing!

By joining in and doing somethingduring Co-operatives Fortnight,

co-operatives will not only beable to promote co-operation asa better alternative, but will alsobe able to raise the prole o theirown organisation.

Be part o Co-operativesFortnight, says Ed. Its going tobe powerul. And the more peoplethat take part, the bigger impactwell have.

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Whatshapp

ening

duringtheFort

night?

Co-operatives FortnightFounding Sponsors

Co-operatives across the countryare already getting their activitiesin place.

In the East o England,Co-operatives East is combiningits AGM on 30 June in Ipswich with

Brag and Brandish an eventthat will bring co-operatives romacross the region to a networkingand trade air, to put up a stall,make a splash!

In the South East, WestmillWindarm Co-operative is holdingan open day, while Co-operativesSouth East is helping co-operativesdo something or the Fortnight byoering up to 50 co-operatives

100 to help them do somethingduring the Fortnight.

Co-operatives South West isholding events in the run up toCo-operatives 2010 in Plymouth

and during the Fortnight andhas had Co-operatives Fortnightt-shirts printed or members towear when taking part in the GreatWest Run on behal o Exeter CitySupporters Trust.

Across the UKIts not just the Founding Sponsors

that have plans or the Fortnight.

In the run up to and duringCo-operatives Fortnight,co-ops everywhere willbe busy!

Co-operatives UK,the organisation

co-ordinating the Fortnight,will be producing a serieso national reports,ocusing on co-operativesand airness, co-operation andbusiness and co-operationand neighbourliness. It willdevelop a series o thoughtpieces and launchthe Co-operativeReview, whichoutlines keytrends acrossthe wholeco-operative

sector.

Co-operatives UK will also berunning a social media campaign,including a Facebook page, badgeand game; regular tweets andweekly e-newsletters.

The co-ordinating body will beworking with partners to produceshort reports on co-operationin ootball, nance and ood.

And all co-operatives

planning activities or Co-operatives Fortnight can useresources developed byCo-operatives UK and cometo the organisation or PRsupport and advice.

The Founding Sponsors oCo-operatives Fortnight havevarious plans or the two weeks.

The Southern Co-operative will bepromoting the co-operative modelto small businesses in the region.Ted Merdler, Head o BrandEngagement and Communication,

says: We work closely with localbusiness associations and several oour corporate partners are directlyinvolved with small businesses.

Through these workingrelationships, we will be able toget the co-operative message tomany o these smaller rms acrossour trading area. It may be thatthrough these businesses workingtogether to solve problems anddevelop ideas, new co-operatives

may arise in the uture.

Midcounties Co-operative,meanwhile, has a serieso in-store eventsplanned and will beworking with members

to run local eventsand co-operative

celebrations topromote

the co-operativemodel obusiness.

Ben Reid,

ChieExecutive oMidcountiesCo operative,adds: We arevery pleased

to be involved, and our aimsshould be to match the success oFairtrade Fortnight.

The Co-operative Groups mem-bers are arranging a series o re-gional events during the Fortnight.

The North Region membership

team is holding a participatoryconerence or Co-operative Trustand Specialist Schools on 24 Juneat The Stadium o Light in Sunder-land. The North West and NorthMidlands Region will be holding acelebration on 3 July in Morcambepromenade.

The Central and Eastern Region isbringing together co-operatives tocelebrate the co-operative altena-tive as part o International Co-operatives Day on 3 July.

In Wales, the Group will be mark-ing International Co-operativesDay with a celebration o co-opera-tives at the Centre or AlternativeTechnology in Machynlleth.

Ed Mayo, Secretary General oCo-operatives UK, adds: We aregrateul to all our sponsors whohave really got on board to get theortnight rolling. The real successthough will always be what all ourmembers can do in the ortnightitsel. We plan to make it as easy

as possible or every co-operative,every riend o co-operatives,to get involved. Nows the timeto think how you can help showthat there is a better way to dobusiness.

Co-operatives UK

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Will HuttonWill is executive vice chair o the Work Foundation which is widely recognised as one o the most infuentialvoices on work, employment and organisation issues in the United Kingdom. Regularly called on to advisesenior political and business gures and comment in the national and international media, Will is today oneo the most pre-eminent economics commentators in the country.

Phillip BlondWidely regarded as the architect o Red Toryism and one o David Camerons inner circle o advisers,Phillip is director o ResPublica, and a research ellow at NESTA. He is an internationally recognised politicalthinker, and economic and cultural commentator. His work has attracted considerable attention as anadvocate o a radical, progressive Toryism. Prospect named him as the British thinker to watch in 2009, andThe Times called his orthcoming book Red Tory one o the highlights o the year to come.

Richard WilkinsonRichard is a co-author o The Spirit Level, published last year to critical acclaim. A researcher in socialinequalities and a co-ounder o the Equality Trust, his work has shown that societies with more equaldistribution o incomes have better health outcomes than ones in which the gap between richest andpoorest parts o society is greatest.

Co-operatives2010 event

o the yearPlymouth will host Co-operatives

2010, which will be one o thehigh points o the rst-ever

Co-operatives Fortnight.

The UKs biggest and mostinfuential gathering oco-operatives, will be held inPlymouth between 25 and 27 Juneand will also celebrate the 150thanniversary o co-operation in thecity.

Key note speakers Will Hutton,

Phillip Blond and RichardWilkinson will provide verydierent perspectives on theco-operative alternative. Thesewill be complemented by theCo-operative Debate, exhibitions,networking opportunitiesand ascinating workshops ontopics such as airness, nance,education, public services andclimate change.

Places at Co-operatives 2010

are going ast! Although the allinclusive conerence packagehas now sold out, there are stillplaces available. Prices rangerom 130 to 375. There are alsospecially priced sessions or smalland medium sized co-operativebusinesses that can be bookedseparately. To reserve your place,visit www.congress.coop and clickon the Reserve a Place link.

And in Wales, the WalesCo-operative Centre is translatingcore Co-operatives Fortnightmaterials into Welsh and will beencouraging people in Wales tomake a co-operative pledge (to

buy, act or work co-operatively).The Centre will also be workingwith Welsh national newspaper,the Western Mail, to produce asupplement ocused onCo-operatives Fortnight.

Comments Simon Harris, ChieExecutive o the WalesCo-operative Centre: The WalesCo-operative Centre viewsCo-operatives Fortnight asa antastic opportunity to

raise awareness, interest andunderstanding o co-operatives.We aim to help people realise thatcollaborative working can make apositive dierence to communitiesand businesses across the country.

Whirlwind attraction

Visitors to the Westmill

Windarm open day fnd

out about green energy and

how co- operativ es work

Show support or the nextCo-operatives Fortnight guide

Co-operative News will beproducing another supplement inthe June 8th edition to celebrate

Co-operatives Fortnight.

This guide to whats going onaround the country will be packedwith news, views and eatures andwill contain messages o supportrom across the Movement.

Make sure your society orco-operative organisation isrepresented by calling Co-op

News today on 0161 214 0874or email advertising@thenews.coop or details o the specialadvertising rates. Also callto order extra copies o thesupplement at reduced rates ordistribution to your members.

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Why not get involved straight away. Spread the word about

Co-operatives Fortnight to colleagues, members and riends.

Visit the website www.thereisanalternative.coop go to theCo-operatives Fortnight Facebook page, tweet using a #coops14hash-tag and put a link to the website on your own site.

When youve decided what youre doing or Co-operatives Fortnighttell us on the Fortnight calendar and map on the website. And contactus or more resources i you need them.

How to getinvolved and

be a part oCo-operatives

Fortnight!

www.thereisanalternative.coop

Written by Co-operatives UK and designed by Co-operative Press. Printed using vegetable oil-based inks on 80% recycled paper.

Visitthecam

paignwebs

itenow:

www.thereisa

nalternative

.coop

During the Fortnight itsel, thereare plenty o things you can do!Here are some ideas:

Check the Co-operativesFortnight calendar and map to seewhats happening near you

Hold an open day, inviting thecommunity or clients in to seehow you work and showcase whatmakes you dierent

As a local co-operative, whynot act as an enabler or yourcommunity identiy somethingthat needs doing in the localarea litter picking, creating acommunity garden etc andorganise to get it done, with peoplein the community, duringCo-operatives Fortnight

Why not join up with otherco-operatives to showcase co-operatives in your region, holdingan event to prole what makesco-operatives dierent

As co-operatives are part oa worldwide movement, whynot celebrate International

Co-operatives Day on 3 Julyto showcase to your membershow your co-operative is part osomething bigger

Come to Plymouth orCo-operatives 2010

Rather than holding anevent, why not visit schools orcommunity groups to talk aboutco-operation during the Fortnight

A great co-operative way obringing your members, yourcustomers or the local communitytogether to showcase theco-operative alternative is to holda meal or them, with everybodybringing dierent parts

Co-operatives Fortnight willgenerate lots o interest in

co-operatives. Why not use it asan opportunity to promote whatmakes your co-operative dierent

For more detail and help onall these ideas go to www.thereisanalternative.coo p anddownload the Co-operativesFortnight Toolkit.