Yorkshire Burners is a co-operative of 11 self-employed charcoal burners from the North-Yorkshire moors and surrounding areas. The group was established in early 2003 to enable British charcoal burners to compete more effectively with cheap imported charcoal, which now has a 90% market share in the UK. The co-operative gives members marketing strength by packaging their charcoal under a common brand and selling it on their behalf to multiple retailers.

The group was supported by Rural Revival to enable it to choose an appropriate organisational and legal structure, register the co-operative, conclude marketing agreements with its members and prepare a long-term business plan. The co-operative will provide direct economic benefits to its members, many of whom are on income support, but will also maintain the standard of woodland management and contribute the development of the local economy.

Bolton Nursery is a community enterprise established by mothers and other community members in rural Cumbria to provide a 26-place full day care nursery on the grounds of a local primary school. The enterprise has emerged from a voluntary association, which runs a nursery three times a week for local children. Increasing demand for the services provided has persuaded the members of the need to establish a permanent facility and to expand the range of facilities provided.

Rural Revival has joined with other supporters, including the Countryside Agency and the Cumbria Rural Development Programme to see the venture through to establishment. Rural Revival provides assistance with legal structures and the recruitment and training of volunteers. Advisory services are being delivered in partnership with Co-operative and Mutual Solutions, a Lancashire-based social enterprise support agency.

In recent years the village of Tackley, in rural Oxfordshire, has lost its post office, two shops and a pub. As a consequence older people (numbering around 200) and younger residents without their own transport have great difficulty accessing essential services. As a response, the ‘All in One’ project has been developed by the community to redevelop the ageing village hall into a multi-functional centre for the community, comprising a community shop and post office, meeting rooms and IT facilities. The centre is to be established as a community enterprise with all profits fed back into the community.

Rural Revival is working with an associate adviser from the Oxfordshire Rural Community Council to provide training on legal and regulatory responsibilities for the management board of the enterprise and to assist in the recruitment and training of volunteers. Advice is also being provided on merchandising skills and general marketing awareness. A seed-cord grant is being used to make minor improvements to the environment in the vicinity of the shop prior to opening, which is scheduled for February 2004.

Bowland Forest Foods was conceived in early 2001 to develop a co-ordinated approach to market development for farmers in the Bowland area of Lancashire. It aims to co-ordinate production to market needs; control the quality of their produce; and to establish a local food brand to add value to members’ produce. However, the subsequent outbreak of Foot and Mouth and Mouth disease stopped the initiative in its tracks, such that it is only now, some three years later, that its members feel confident enough about the future to restart the venture.

A Revival Adviser is working with the group to help them to specify their objectives more precisely, establish and appropriate legal structure, and to put together a capital structure which is both equitable and appropriate to the needs of the enterprise. It is anticipated that the co-operative will commence trading in the summer.

Thames Valley Farmers’ Market Association (TVFMA) is a producer-owned co-operative, running 20 farmers’ markets throughout the Thames Valley. The markets enable producers to sell wholesome, quality food directly to the public, benefiting both farmers and customers alike. The association recently changed its structure to co-operative ownership after previously operating as an unconstituted association. This gives the group a sound basis to develop its profile and expand.

Rural Revival is assisting the co-operative to prepare a medium-term strategy and business plan, and to provide training to its Board of Directors to enable them to better understand their roles and responsibilities. Although the number of farmers’ markets in the UK has increased enormously in recent years, many are run on an informal basis. The TVFMA structure provides a useful model to enable markets to become economically sustainable.

Kington St. Michael is a village of about 900 residents in Wiltshire. The village is surrounded by agricultural land, and its residents include many elderly people and young mothers. The last shop closed in February 2003, leaving a void in the village and causing social isolation for many of its residents. Market research conducted following the closure indicated that over half of the residents were prepared to participate in and support the establishment of a community-owned shop in the village.

After a year of voluntary effort by local residents, plans are now at an advanced stage for a new shop and post-office to be opened in part of the village hall. The community have raised the majority of the capital required for the project from private donations and grants from local authorities. Rural Revival is providing the remainder of the financial package and is working through ViRSA with the management committee to complete the business plan and examine the viability of a credit union, to be run out of the shop.

The Wool Clip is a co-operative of 16 self-employed craftspeople who ‘add value to sheep’ by selling woollen and mohair goods through a shared retail outlet. By providing a market for its members produce, the enterprise enables traditional craft-based businesses to continue, thereby increasing the incomes of its members and indirectly supporting Cumbrian sheep farmers. The co-operative was established in 2001 with the support of Voluntary Action Cumbria. The business has received grants during its start-up period, but is steadily moving towards financial self-sufficiency. All members take turns to run the shop on a voluntary basis, and customers include both local people and visiting tourists.

Antrobus is a village in Cheshire with a history of successful community projects. In 1979, a new village hall was opened following three years of fundraising, and in 2002 a Jubilee playground was set up in the village hall field. So when the village shop and post office suddenly closed two years ago, local people were keen to investigate the possibilities for re-opening the shop as a community venture. Support and advice were obtained from a wide range of organizations, including local councils and ViRSA, such that by October 2003 the Association was able to take on a new Postmistress and re-open the shop. The Association now has 98 members, and the successful shop stocks a range of good quality and local produce in response to local demand.

Trinity Community Partnership is a Development Trust based in Clitheroe, Lancashire. Founded forty years ago, it now co-ordinates a huge range of community-based projects and social enterprises providing services to residents of the Ribble Valley. Trinity began as a youth club, and still offers a variety of activities and opportunities for children and young people, ranging from toddler groups to activities for disabled or socially disadvantaged young people. The Trust also operates a community transport scheme, an IT learning centre and a cinema. Providing training and employment has always been central to Trinity’s purpose, and under the umbrella of the Jigsaw Group, work experience and training are offered to people with learning and/or physical disabilities. Trinity now employs more than 95 paid staff and a team of 120 volunteers.