With challenges rising for community-owned shops, adaptation is essential. Our Future of Rural Retail report sets out the steps communities should consider taking to thrive. Across the country, around 450 community owned shops are acting as vital lifelines for the communities they serve. Many have been trading for decades, and [...]
Hear from our Chief Executive, James Alcock, in his New Year’s message filmed at Hampstead Norreys Community Shop. “We want to put our members at the very forefront of everything we do.” As we step into 2026, Plunkett UK’s Chief Executive, James Alcock, shares a clear message: our members sit [...]
Plunkett's Community Business Manager, Alison Macklin, offers valuable insights on what your community business should prioritise as we enter 2026 January can feel like a pause button for many businesses. After the festive rush, people are busy finishing off Christmas leftovers, embracing Dry January, or bracing themselves for credit card [...]
In the next edition of his Scottish Comms tour, Communications Officer, Michael Wolverson, tells the story of how locals came together to save a 200-year-old pub in a once ‘forgotten part of Scotland.’ “This pub has always been the heart of the community, and we have brought it back” Just a [...]
Reflecting on a jam-packed and rewarding 2025 at Plunkett UK Looking back at 2025, we are immensely proud of the impact that community businesses - and especially our members - are making across the country. Yet our work is far from finished. As more rural communities face the loss of vital [...]
This is the story of Dunbar Community Bakery; one of the first community businesses to be established by residents via a community share offer. Situated on the East Lothian coast, Dunbar Community Bakery is a thriving community owned business with over 1,000 shareholders and a population of around 10,000 to serve. [...]
Enjoy this short film to see how community-owned businesses transform lives across the UK; and see how you can help us keep them thriving. At Plunkett UK, we believe community is at the heart of everything we do. This short film captures the everyday impact of [...]
This is the story of Huby & Sutton Community Shop; a volunteer-run hub at the heart of its village, now honoured with the King’s Award for Voluntary Service. “We think about how we can keep it local in everything we do.” Finalists at the 2024 Rural Community Business Awards These [...]
This is the story of The Rising Sun, an award-winning pub that has become a vital hub for the community of Woodcroft, Gloucestershire. When the village faced the closure of its only facility, the community fought to save it. With support from Plunkett UK, the community reopened their cherished pub in [...]
Wendy Chamberlain MP and Willie Rennie MSP have visited two inspiring communities in Fife to support these local initiatives and the role of Plunkett UK in supporting thriving rural communities. Visits to The Haven Community Inn in Cellardyke and Elie Kirk Community Enterprise Limited (EKCEL) formed part of the parliamentarians’ tour [...]
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