Weekend to shine a light on community businesses
Every day, tens of thousands of people go to work at one of the 7,000 community businesses in England.
Hundreds of thousands of us shop, visit or benefit from them directly, yet they are still relatively unknown.
Amongst them are community shops, with an impressive survival rate of over 95 per cent compared to around 50 per cent for small businesses generally. In some communities, they can be the single biggest employer in the area.
That’s why Power to Change, the independent trust supporting community businesses in England, is once again organising Community Business Weekend (4-7 May 2018, #CBwkd18) to shine a light on these community-powered gems that not only bring much-needed services and spaces to a community but boost local economies and reinvest the profits for the benefit of local people.
Pubs, libraries, housing, shops, farms, transport, and renewable energy are just some examples operating across Shropshire and the West Midlands.
The weekend is a unique opportunity for community businesses to invite local people to see behind the scenes, understand how they can get involved in running a business for community good and have a say in local decision-making.
Within the current context of continued cuts to local services and the slow recovery of wages and household incomes, there’s arguably never been a better time (or a more pressing need) for communities to take control and prosper.
Visit communitybusinessweekend.org to find out more.
Sarah Colombini, Community Business Weekend 2018
