Living Our Values

Our vision is to safeguard and expand access to a wide range of essential goods and services in rural communities. This has the added bonus of strengthening local economies but also creates meaningful opportunities for employment, volunteering, and training.

That idea of safeguarding extends beyond services and the environment—it includes a strong focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). We want every community business we support to be a welcoming, inclusive, and safe space for all.

With these ideas so central to our work, a fair question to ask is – how do Plunkett live their values, day to day? If we expect others to follow our lead, what are we doing to add credence to the mantras?

On a strategic level, Plunkett is currently working on a new Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework to enhance our sustainability and reduce our environmental impact. Also, to champion EDI, social responsibility and ethical decision-making, and ensuring good governance to drive positive change within our organisation and network.

Our partnerships with various institutions at both national and local level show a commitment to collaboration. From working with the Government’s Community Ownership Fund between 2022 and 2025, to our recent joint venture with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, we will always seek to be involved with initiatives that benefit our members and others in the community-owned sector.

The Ickleton Lion, Cambridgeshire, a community pub we supported to open in 2024, in collaboration with the Combined Authority.

Gairloch and Loch Ewe Action Forum (Highlands), winners of the ‘Investing in Local People’ award at the Rural Community Business Awards 2025

Beyond community ownership, cross-sector work is key to creating better futures. Our work with both Anthropy and the B4 Network allow us to learn from other industries while sharing our own expertise, all with the shared goal of securing a brighter future for the UK.

We celebrate the incredible work happening across the sector through our annual Rural Community Business Awards, and we use our website, social media channels, and national media to inspire and inform. We know that you can’t be what you can’t see, and it’s our role to shine a light on the remarkable stories of community businesses across the country.

Plunkett UK was founded on Sir Horace Plunkett’s belief in the co-operative model, rooted in equity and shared ownership, and that legacy lives on today. We remain committed to the power of working together—and to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to contribute, if they choose to.

Our team 

At its heart, inclusion is about removing the barriers which may preclude an individual from accessing the same opportunities as others. Reflecting this commitment, Plunkett recently appointed George Ogier, as our first Impact Officer. Part of George’s role is to embed these values both within our organisation and among the groups we support.

Another arrival is our new Head of External Affairs, David Lydiat. It is an appointment that strengthens our ability to advocate on behalf of our members and beyond. This work includes pushing for national grant funding, and a community right-to-buy. We want to ensure that the support groups receive aligns with a robust national framework for the community-owned sector.

Making sure that we live our values doesn’t simply extend to the groups we support and the work we do. Without our team, Plunkett wouldn’t exist, and we are committed to staff wellbeing. We are a living wage employer and explore ways in which we can support our team. From Mental Health First Aiders to “Lunch and Learn” sessions to investigate pertinent topics around self-care, we are committed to ensuring a work/life balance exists for the people who give so much to the organisation on a daily basis.

Written by George Ogier, Impact Officer, Plunkett UK