Growth Hub hosts webinar series to support county’s essential co-operatives, mutuals and alternative businesses
Cornwall’s essential co-operative and mutual sector is being spotlighted in a webinar series designed to support community-driven organisations.
Co-operatives, mutuals and alternative businesses have been described by the Department of Business & Trade as a “significant but often overlooked” part of the UK economy – delivering social value as well as strong business performance.
Cornwall Growth Hub has identified more than 100 examples of these community-driven enterprises locally, including community-run shops and pubs, local sports clubs, community energy partnerships, farmers markets and housing societies.
The Growth Hub is hosting a series of webinars in March, covering finance, bid writing, volunteer recruitment and employee ownership. They’re suitable for any purpose-driven organisations: charities, community interest companies, co-operatives, mutuals and community benefit societies.
Kirsty Miles-Musgrave, Operations & Communications Manager at the Growth Hub, said: “We recognised that running a co-operative, mutual or purpose-driven enterprise isn’t the same as running a traditional business. Organisations built around people and purpose bring lasting social and economic value to Cornwall, but they face distinct challenges around governance, finance and sustainable growth.
“We want to shine a light on how these “alternative businesses” step up and support our communities – often with limited resources but powered by passionate people. We’ve also been out capturing incredible stories of resilience from this important sector of the business community.”
The webinar series runs during March with the following sessions:
- Wednesday 4 March, 1830 : Funding the Future – Financial Models That Strengthen Purpose Led Businesses
- Wednesday 11 March: 12:00 Are You EO Curious? Exploring Employee Ownership for SMEs
- Tuesday 17 March: 12:00 Purpose-Driven People: How to recruit and retain awesome volunteers
- Thursday 19 March, 18:30: Bid Writing for Purpose-Led Businesses
A full list of relevant webinars, events and stories are listed on the Growth Hub website:
Organisations built around people and purpose bring lasting social and economic value to Cornwall, but they face distinct challenges around governance, finance and sustainable growth.
