Plunkett Foundation's Latest Newsletter

For those who are new to knowing about the Plunkett Foundation which is giving Save The Red Lion Campaign support, advice & guidance as it  starts the detailed process that could lead to the purchase of the Red Lion pub for the community, reproduced below are a couple of extracts from the Foundation’s latest newsletter.

Update from Plunkett's Chief Executive, Peter Couchman

An outbreak of Sanity
Speaking in 1899, Horace Plunkett said "I know no better way of estimating the economic sanity of any community than by observing the state of its public opinion upon the relative efficacy of State-Aid and Self-Help, and the extent to which the latter is relied upon."

Based on this litmus test, 2013 is demonstrating an outbreak of sanity in our rural communities. The Plunkett Foundation is seeing a significant rise in the number of communities seeking help to explore self-help solutions. Demand for our services is outstripping all our estimates as more people realise that the only way to protect or create vital services is doing it themselves. What we are also seeing is a far broader range of options being explored than just the village shop.

The range was out well when Prime Minister David Cameron, speaking in his role as President of the G8, spoke of his desire to see social investment unlocking community action. "This isn’t some pipe dream. Already there are 311 community-owned shops, 18 community-owned pubs, as well as community owned bookshops, cafes, swimming pools, bakers, farmers markets, even community owned broadband networks." 

None of this means that communities think that Governments should be let off the hook. They want to access advice that doesn't cost them, they want a variety of funding forms including grants available to them and they want their role as a community-owned enterprise to be a benefit not a barrier when they engage with the planning system. So welcome to all those communities who've taken the first steps toward self-help and thank you for raising the level of economic sanity in our world.

Community enterprise openings!

There are now 314 community shops and 20 co-operative pubs open and trading across the UK. ‘The Rose and Crown’, Slaley, was taken over by local community group Slaley Community Assets Ltd on Saturday 3 August.