Co-operative and Community Finance is pleased to announce it has approved a loan to the award-winning Chipping Norton Lido, which will cover the costs of making the pool more energy efficient. The outdoor pool which has become famous for immersing upmarket cars is currently undergoing large scale work to replace its gas boiler with a ground source heating system and associated photo-voltaic solar panels.

Claire Jarvis, one of the trustees of Chipping Norton Lido, said: “The whole team at the Lido are delighted with the loan from Co-operative and Community Finance.  We have been awarded a grant to cover the cost of the work, which we will use to pay off the loan once the project is completed.  Co-operative and Community Finance has given us the opportunity to begin the project immediately, and we are looking forward to getting it underway.  The new system will save the Lido a considerable amount of money per annum as it will be more cost effective and environmentally friendly, and we are hoping that the new constant temperature of 27 degrees will encourage more visitors on colder days.”

The Lido was first opened in 1970 after the local community raised funds for a community outdoor swimming pool and since then, the community has campaigned hard to keep the Lido open for business. Today, it relies on a team of dedicated volunteers who contribute to the running of the outdoor pool and plan fundraising events to ensure the Lido can afford to remain open. 

Clare Jarvis, who also works for the Phone Co-op, the multi-awarding winning co-operative based in Chipping Norton, continued: “The local community holds a series of events during the year including a sponsored swim, quiz night and fun run, which raise money to ensure the day to day running of the pool and also any projects we are working on.  We have been lucky to have regular support from celebrities such as Sharon Davies, Patrick Stewart, Sir Ben Kingsley, David Cameron and local celebrity Jeremy Clarkson, who hosts our Auction of Promises and made headlines in 2005 by driving a Rolls Royce into the lido for BBC’s Top Gear.”

The Lido provides the people of Chipping Norton with a small haven, where they can go for an outdoor swim, relax in the café or picnic on the large lawn.  It offers free events including a ‘Dip n Chill’ evening for 11-18 year olds and keep fit classes for Over-60s.  The Lido can also be hired for corporate events or parties. Over the last couple of years Chipping Norton Lido has won a Community Award from the Amateur Swimming Association and was also the winner of the charities & community award (Oxfordshire Business Awards) and West Oxfordshire District Council’s Chairman’s Award for Achievement.

Ian Rothwell at Co-operative and Community Finance said: “The Lido at Chipping Norton is very special and we immediately saw the value it offers to its local community and surrounding area.  It is a place where families and friends can spend quality time together while keeping fit and having fun, and of course it attracts tourists to the area which ultimately supports the local businesses.  The money we have loaned will be put towards a worthwhile project that, once finished, will save the Lido around £7,000 each year.  We hope that this saving will allow the Lido to continue to offer its leisure services for many years to come.”

Financial support from
Co-operative and Community Finance (C&CF) is helping an award-winning
community media company in South London to
secure its future and provide better facilities for young people.  C&CF is
providing a loan to Eclectic Productions to enable it to purchase and refurbish
its offices in New Cross.  This is part of a joint lending package with Triodos
Bank.

Eclectic
Productions was formed in 2002 after winning an ‘Awards for All’
grant for a small community media project, and it has now grown into a
successful social enterprise dedicated to improving the lives of young people.  In
the last year it has won awards for its contribution to the community and for
creativity.

There are now three
strands to the company, including the running of South City Radio (formerly
Radio Peckham) in which over 200 local residents and 100 local organisations
are involved in broadcasting the station full-time over the Internet.  It also
uses radio technology to help speakers of other languages learn English, and it
runs the Representz programme – a multimedia channel for young people to make
and discuss radio, video and internet content about issues that affect them.

Paul Kilty,
Financial Director at Eclectic Productions believes that in the current
economic climate, purchasing the building is the right step to securing its
future.  He said: “The loan from C&CF has been a great boost to us,
and we are looking forward to starting the refurbishment.  Our plans are to
purchase our offices, and turn the basement into a training facility, radio
studio and conference room.  Having ownership of our office will be a major
asset to the company, and it will enable us to continue to run programmes such
as the teenage pregnancy project, peer research and Representz for the
foreseeable future.”

Speaking about the
investment, Ian Rothwell of Co-operative and Community Finance said:
“Eclectic Productions is a democratic and accountable social enterprise
that has shown dedication to young people and its local community for many
years.  This loan will give its premises a new lease of life and C&CF
believes that the new facilities will encourage more people to become involved
with the worthwhile projects on offer.”

Bristol Credit Union
is well equipped to take advantage of the expected changes in credit union
legislation thanks to a subordinated loan from The Co-operative Loan Fund.

The Legislative Reform Order due to
be laid before Parliament in October will give credit unions the flexibility to
accept local community groups, companies and social enterprises into membership
and to extend membership to new groups of people, such as housing association
tenants and employees of nationwide companies. This will allow large numbers of
people to benefit from credit union services for the first time.

Bristol Credit Union is using the
loan from The Co-operative Loan Fund as resource capital that will be used to provide
members with greater lending opportunities and investment capital over the
coming years. The loan is the final part of The Co-operative Loan Fund’s
2004 initiative, in which over £200,000 was allocated to help support credit
unions in the UK.

Bristol Credit Union was developed in
2005 and 2006 through a partnership of smaller community credit unions, and it
is now proud to offer financial support to the city of Bristol and its surrounding area. The members
of the credit union share a common bond of living in and around Bristol and this
has resulted in the city becoming more inclusive, and benefitting from greater
economic activity and a lower risk of financial exclusion. There are now over 4,500
members in Bristol Credit Union, plus local organisations, landlords and advice
agencies who work alongside the credit union to benefit its savers and
borrowers.

In addition to the wide range of
savings accounts on offer, Bristol Credit Union also welcomes loan applications
from its members, who are safe in the knowledge that by law, their interest
rates will be lower than two percent per month on the reducing balance of the
loan. It is credit union policy to meet the borrowing requirements of as many
members as possible, depending on the available funds, and the loan from The
Co-operative Loan Fund will ensure Bristol Credit Union have sufficient money
to meet the needs of its investors for the foreseeable future.

Speaking about the loan, Bristol
Credit Union Chief Executive James Berry said: “Bristol Credit Union is
delighted to receive this loan from The Co-operative Loan Fund, as it
represents a vote of confidence in us and our future development plans. The
loan enables us to maintain a comfortable capital to assets ratio through an
expected period of fast growth, and helps us to develop further services for
our members, many of whom are financially excluded. Bristol Credit Union has
over 4,500 members across Bristol,
working together for mutual financial benefit. By building a strong capital
base we can help members by encouraging further saving deposits, and
investigate mortgage lending too. It is great to work with an organisation that
understands credit unions and co-operatives.”

The loan is very unusual in the sense
that it is subordinated, which means that in the unfortunate event that credit
union suffers severe financial problems, The Co-operative Loan Fund ranks below
the credit union savers on the creditors list. In addition, the credit union
only needs to make interest-only payments for 10 years and then repay the lump
sum, which relieves a lot of pressure for Bristol Credit Union.

Ian Taylor
at The Co-operative Loan Fund added: “This is the third subordinated loan
we have made to credit unions, and in the current financial climate we believe
it has come at a crucial time. The money will be used to ensure Bristol Credit
Union can support its members and help them overcome the difficult financial
times ahead. We are pleased to be able to offer our support to an organisation
such as Bristol Credit Union, which puts its member’s interests first and
promotes a strong community ethos.”

The
Bristol Vegan Fayre May 30^th
and 31^st
2009

Now
in its 7^th
year, the Bristol Vegan Fayre continues to be the biggest vegan
gathering anywhere in the world, with record crowds expected for this
year’s event after the near sell out 2008 show which saw over
11,000 visitors over the 2 days

Organised
by Bristol based firm Yaoh, The BVF 09 is once again an eclectic mix
of all things vegan, with 100 stalls including 20 caterers with vegan
food from all over the globe, plus 40 talks and cookery demos over
the weekend, and an amazing line up of entertainment for the whole
family.

The
acoustic stage sees a variety of musical talent throughout the
weekend including acts such as Bristol jazz combo Kev & Mike’s
Groovy Thing and local legends Dub From Atlantis, plus headliners
SohoDolls on Saturday, right opposite the onsite licensed bar. There
is also a performance stage in the amphitheatre with Brazilian
Dancers and Sikh swordsmen amongst others, and the Kids Area is
rammed to the rafters with an assortment of magic shows and workshops
for the nippers

But
The Main Stage once again grabs the headlines with some truly
excellent acts on later in the day – The Saturday line up is
definitely party time with The King Blues on the Main Stage at 5pm,
with Ian Dury’s band The Blockheads headlining Saturday at 9pm.
Sunday sees reggae uberstar Horace Andy (famed for his work on the
Massive Attack albums) take the stage at 7pm along with his band Dub
Asante, with Macka B fresh from headlining last years St Pauls
carnival live on stage Sunday 5pm.

The
show starts at 11am both days and runs to 10.30 pm on Saturday and
8.30 pm Sunday. Tickets each day are £8 in advance, £10 on the gate
before 5pm and £12 after 5pm. Kids under 12 come in for £4 each
day, and babies under 12 months come in for free. For advance tickets
go to www.yaoh.co.uk/catalog
- also available from The Bristol Ticket Shop

The
event website is www.bristol.veganfayre.co.uk

Contact
Yaoh on 0117 9239053 or email info@yaoh.co.uk

Thanks
to all our sponsors including Bute Island, Beanie’s, The Vegan
Society, Off The Hoof, VitaMix, VeggieSnow, Mad Promotions,
VeggieVision, Foods For Life, Shakeaway, Community Foods, Kingfisher
Toothpaste and Excellart

Trusts
and foundations should consider environmental, social and governance
(ESG) risks and opportunities in their investments to safeguard value
and protect the interests of future beneficiaries -according to new
research released today by the EIRIS Foundation.

Sustainable returns: The value of environmental, social and governance factors for Foundation investments
examines why issues such as climate change and corporate governance
pose financial risks and opportunities for trusts and foundations.

Despite
their role in supporting pioneering social and environmental projects
through grants, many trusts and foundations are still lagging behind
other asset owners when it comes to responsible investment. This can
lead to significant conflicts between mission and investments. 

The
financial crisis has highlighted the risks that all investors,
including trusts and foundations, are exposed to. It has underlined the
importance of responsible ownership and long-term investing which
require accountability, transparency, and the consideration of
‘extra-financial’ research in the investment process.

The
EIRIS Foundation’s new report sets out why these principles make sound
financial sense for trusts and foundations. It explores the growing
body of evidence to show how the integration of ESG risks and
opportunities into investment can safeguard and enhance value for
shareowners.

The paper also highlights the following steps
that trusts and foundations should take to ensure they are managing
investments in a responsible and sustainable way:

1) Agree a position on responsible investment
2) Research investment manager’s expertise and practice in ESG integration
3) Include ESG integration in the investment mandate
4) Join collaborative initiatives, such as the Carbon Disclosure Project
5) Vote shares on ESG related issues
6) Engage with companies directly or via investment managers
7) Invest in sustainability-themed funds such as greentech, microfinance or timber
Invest in responsible investment funds that use ESG integration

Report
author Sam Collin, Charity Adviser at the EIRIS Foundation, said
‘Responsible investment is nothing new – some charities have been doing
this for decades. There is compelling evidence that ESG issues have a
financial impact and this shouldn’t be ignored by trusts and
foundations. This fits clearly with the fiduciary duties of trustees
and with Charity Commission guidance. Trusts and foundations that fail
to take ESG  issues into account could be seen as acting imprudently
and failing to secure their long term financial sustainability.’

Alastair
Hanton, Chair of the EIRIS Foundation, added ‘The integration of ESG
factors into investment processes is now recognised by the mainstream
as a way to enhance value – as demonstrated by the $18 trillion worth
of signatories to the United Nations Principles for Responsible
Investment. It’s not enough to just assume that ESG issues are being
integrated into the investment process. Acting as responsible owners,
trusts and foundations should question and encourage their asset
managers to adopt and implement best practice in responsible
investment.’

ScienceDaily (2009-04-29) — Satellite images show that icebergs have begun to calve from the northern front of the Wilkins Ice Shelf – indicating that the huge shelf has become unstable. This follows the collapse three weeks ago of the ice bridge that had previously linked the Antarctic mainland to Charcot Island.

Read more here…

Produced daily by the Social Enterprise Coalition

Triodos or Unity
should run social investment bank, says academic

New financial model
‘will allow charities to compete with construction companies’

Help for small
businesses

Continue reading for lots more…

National

Social enterprise
going ‘over the heads’ of NHS mavericks

Gemma Hampson,
Social Enterprise Magazine

The ‘right to
request’ social enterprise initiative is failing to attract the
interest of frontline health staff dedicated to driving change in the
NHS, according to a leading civil servant at the Department of Health
(DH). Right to request was introduced as part of Lord Darzi’s Next
Stage Review Final Report last year giving all NHS staff the right to
ask their primary care trust board if they can set up a social
enterprise to provide NHS-contracted services.

http://www.socialenterprisemag.co.uk/sem/news/detail/index.asp?id=947

Triodos or Unity
should run social investment bank, says academic

Henry Palmer,
Social Enterprise Magazine

An existing bank with
experience working with social enterprises should run the proposed
social investment wholesale bank, according to a leading third sector
academic. Professor Paul Palmer, professor in voluntary sector
management at City University’s Cass Business School, said any new
financial institution would risk creating yet another level of civil
service-style bureaucracy. Palmer was speaking following the Budget
announcement that the Office of the Third Sector (OTS) would launch a
consultation about the much mooted plans to create an investment bank
using unclaimed assets in dormant bank and building society accounts.

http://www.socialenterprisemag.co.uk/sem/news/detail/index.asp?id=946

Expert Eye: Law

Catherine Rustomji,
Social Enterprise Magazine

Collaborations and
mergers could help social enterprises win new business and battle the
recession – but take care. Catherine Rustomji, of Hempsons
Solicitors, offers expert advice. The intense press reporting of all
things recession-related has not left social enterprises untouched.
Recent reports from the Charity Commission refer to more than half of
charities feeling the effects of the downturn with 64 per cent of
largest charities concerned that future work will be affected. An
increase in the number of third sector organisations choosing to
merge has long been predicted as an immediate response in a
recession.

http://www.socialenterprisemag.co.uk/sem/features/detail/index.asp?id=945

Ethical Property
Company promises part-time office space for charities

David Ainsworth,
Third Sector Online

Hive Network planned
for London, Manchester, Brighton, Oxford and Bath. A third sector
landlord is planning to help start-up social enterprises and small
charities to escape from working in cramped coffee shops and draughty
village halls. The Ethical Property Company is launching a scheme to
offer the sector affordable part-time use of meeting rooms,
conference facilities and shared spaces. The Hive Network, to be
launched in June, will initially have buildings in Oxford and Bath.
More are planned for London, Manchester and Brighton.

http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/channels/Finance/Article/901162/Ethical-Property-Company-promises-part-time-office-space-charities/

New financial model
‘will allow charities to compete with construction companies’

David Ainsworth,
Third Sector Online

A Scottish housing
association is pioneering a new financial model it believes will help
charities to compete with construction companies for public building
contracts.
….Hugh Rolo, head of assets and investment at the
Development Trusts Association, said ideas such as this could help
retain more investment in local communities.”The problem the
third sector has at the moment is one of scale,” he said. “We
can’t bid for the biggest contracts. But that will come in time.”
Rolo said his organisation was keen for more charities and social
enterprises to get involved in such contracts.

http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/channels/Finance/Article/901063/New-financial-model-will-allow-charities-compete-construction-companies/

Work scheme targets
young jobless

BBC News Online
Scotland

A new scheme aimed at
creating work for thousands of young Scots has been announced by the
UK Government. Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy said the £95m project
would aim to provide six months paid work for 15,000 young, long-term
unemployed. It is part of a UK-wide initiative called the Future Jobs
Fund announced in last week’s budget. The package will be open to
organisations which prove they can create long-term jobs or training.
 They apply through the department of Work and Pensions
outlining how many and what kind of jobs they hope to create. It is
expected councils and social enterprises will be among the first to
bid for the money.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8021226.stm

Help for small
businesses

BiP Solutions

Public bodies should
take six simple steps to give small business better access to public
contracts, John Swinney said today. Steps include requiring suppliers
to pay sub-contractors within 30 days and using the free web portal
to advertise contracts – Public Contracts Scotland. Finance Secretary
John Swinney has written to Chief Executives and Heads of Procurement
throughout the public sector to promote access to public sector
contracts for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), social
enterprises and third sector bodies.

http://www.bipsolutions.com/cgi-bin/newsroom/newsroom.cgi?action=full_story&act=view_news_list&act2=view_news_list&id=208588&strt=0&searchCriteria=&searchChoice=&sectorToSearch=&startMonth=&startYear=&endMonth=&endYear=&storiesPerPage=10

Darzi invites GP
‘innovators’ to bid for new cash

Gareth Iacobucci,
Pulse

GPs have been invited
to bid for a £220m war-chest of new Government money to encourage
innovation and financial savings in the health service. The cash
injection, first promised to SHAs in Lord Darzi’s next stage
review, has been ring-fenced for projects that deliver ‘a health,
social or financial benefit’.  
….Bids are being welcomed
from the likes of PCOs, GP practices, and social enterprises or
universities if they bid in partnership with an NHS organisation.

http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=23&storycode=4122534&c=2

Recession proof

Jenny Clark and
Karl Wilding, Charity Finance

How will the recession
affect the voluntary sector?
….Much of the orthodoxy in recent
years around sustainability has been to increase earned income, a
message the sector has clearly taken on board. Social enterprise
activity is now the norm, with earned income becoming increasingly
important in the funding mix. Although changes in accounting
practices are partly responsible, we estimate earned income increased
from £10.2bn (43 per cent of income) in 2001/02 to £17bn (51.2 per
cent) in 2006/07.

http://www.charityfinance.co.uk/home/content.php?id=2762&pg=17&cat=78

RBS SE100: Health
and social care

Gemma Hampson,
Social Enterprise Magazine

You just have to
compare this month’s growth figures with the last issue of Social
Enterprise, which featured the fastest growing companies in retail
and fair trade. Only three of the top five retail social businesses
had grown, in stark contrast to this month’s top five which have all
grown by at least 30 per cent. Collectively, the top five have an
average growth of a massive 68 per cent. In fact, only two of the 20
social businesses that completed the growth section of this month’s
survey had reduced in size, and even then their reductions were less
than ten per cent.

http://www.socialenterprisemag.co.uk/sem/features/detail/index.asp?id=942

From the Horse’s
Mouth: PR

Lily Lapenna,
Social Enterprise Magazine

Social enterprises are
often forced to do PR on a shoe-string, especially when starting up
but MyBnk founder Lily Lapenna is proof that you can get results with
minimal resources and here she shares her tips. We have chosen to do
our PR in house – we think it’s cheaper and we think we know our
business best. That doesn’t mean we don’t accept help and we’ve used
consultants for advice. We’ve found this really helpful and some will
spend a bit of time with you initially for free. This can be enough
to get some good ideas.

http://www.socialenterprisemag.co.uk/sem/features/detail/index.asp?id=943

Liam’s Got Issues:
April

Liam Black, Social
Enterprise Magazine

Can we really make a
difference? As if, says Liam Black.
….I’m with late leftie
Antonio Gramsci: ‘I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an
optimist because of will’. Expect the worst, but work for the best.
We know deep in our hearts that we have grievously hurt our earth.
The hard truth is, it’s worse than when I started. So why keep going?
Partly the answer is ‘what’s the alternative?’. Staying in bed,
getting out only to top up the Jamesons? No. Being involved in social
enterprise is about choosing to live as if we can make a difference;
as if greed and indifference are human aberrations, not the default.

http://www.socialenterprisemag.co.uk/sem/tradingplace/detail/index.asp?id=940Local

Local

East Sussex mental
health service could go

Emily Walker, The
Argus

Mental health patients
could be stripped of a vital service that one patient says saved him
from suicide.

….A spokesman for
the PCT said: “In conjunction with East Sussex Adult Social Care we
are re-organising mental health day services across the county so
that they offer local people much improved care and support which
focuses on recovery, inclusion and a return to employment. “Under
the new set up we will no longer commission day services at New Road
Nurseries as we consider that it does not fit in with the new look
services we plan to offer.  ”However, we feel that the nursery
could have a long term future as a social enterprise, with the
potential for commercial activities at the site to support and
develop the services it presently provides.

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/4323089.East_Sussex_mental_health_service_could_go/

Plan to build
crematorium in Buchan

Jamie Buchan,
Aberdeen Press and Journal

A crematorium could be
built in the Buchan area to help fund a new strategy group, it has
emerged.
….Peterhead Projects has been established to look at
ways of improving the local economy and making the area more
attractive to visitors and businesses. One of its first projects will
be a radical revamp of the town’s under-used Lido. Derek Jennings,
a director of the group, said: “For the first two years we receive
core funding from Aberdeenshire Council, but after that we need to
generate income through social enterprises. “We need to ensure that
the company is self-sufficient and be able to plough profits into the
community.”

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1185384?UserKey=

Blogs

Community cohesion
is alive and well – no thanks to the government

Dave Clements,
Guardian Joe Public Blog

Are we really living
in a broken society? When we wrote The Future of Community: Reports
of a death greatly exaggerated, we came to a very different
conclusion. As one promotional blurb put it, communities are “alive
and well despite the government’s best efforts”. We were
suspicious of the motives of those who tell us our communities are
broken and that everything is getting worse. As we tried to get
across in the book, this is more an expression of the political
class’s own sense of dislocation from society than an accurate
reflection of real world problems.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/joepublic/2009/apr/28/community-cohesion-race-ethnic-minorities

Why the public
sector needs to improve its contractor handling

Jane Dudman,
Guardian Joe Public Blog

Today’s scathing
report from the Commons public accounts committee (PAC) about the
failure of central government organisations to address the most basic
aspects of getting good value from the £12bn they spend on services,
highlights just what a tough job the Treasury has on its hands as it
attempts to drive through its agenda of greater efficiency and
savings. The report from Edward Leigh’s committee rehearses a
depressingly long and all-too-familiar list of failings. It says
relationships between central government and its external suppliers
remain “too cosy” despite years of competitive
tendering.
 http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/joepublic/2009/apr/28/policy-public-finance

Of
general interest

Politics:

Flawed attempt to
force social change

Nicholas Timmins,
Financial Times

The equality bill
suggests it is possible to legislate to “narrow the gap between
rich and poor”, as Harriet Harman put it on Monday. But at a time
when the government is already set to miss other self-imposed targets
for improving social and economic conditions, lawyers were sceptical
that public bodies could be ordered to help change society. The
legislation forces public sector organisations to “consider
reducing socio-economic inequalities”. It comes as the government
is introducing a statutory requirement for future governments to
eliminate child poverty, yet Labour is likely to fall well short of
its own interim target of halving it by 2010.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/055cb88c-3382-11de-8f1b-00144feabdc0.html

Business:

Tesco is ‘losing UK
market share’

BBC News Online

UK supermarket giant Tesco has lost market share to
discounters Aldi and Lidl as consumers cut back on spending. Tesco’s
share of the UK market dropped to 30.4% in March, from 30.8% a year
before, according to research firm TNS. Tesco’s share has dropped on
an annual basis in every month this year. Of the other “big
four” Sainsbury’s was flat while Asda and Morrisons gained
share. Wal-Mart-owned Asda moved to its record share of the UK
market, up to 17.5% from 17.1%.  Meanwhile, Waitrose saw its
market share fall.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/8023250.stm

Environment:

Unlikely allies at
last: Prince and Pope

Peter Popham, The
Independent

Throughout the last
500 years the Vatican and the Royal Family have had their share of
disagreements. Not least about wives. But yesterday they were as one.
Both about wives, and perhaps more importantly, about the future of
the planet. Protocol would normally dictate that Prince Charles, on
his third visit to the Vatican, would initially meet Pope Benedict
without the Duchess of Cornwall. But protocol was waived to enable
them to meet the Pope together, instead of the Duchess coming in at
the end.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/unlikely-allies-at-last-prince-and-pope-1675177.html