This is the story of GALE’s award-winning approach to inclusive volunteering and year-round community impact The Gairloch and Loch Ewe Action Forum (GALE) is a community-owned Development Trust based in mid-Wester Ross, serving the village of Gairloch and its surrounding areas. GALE’s mission is to build “a sustainable, resilient, and vibrant [...]
From serving free coffee every Tuesday to improving the mental health of volunteers, James from Co-operatives UK and Andrew from Plunkett made a joint visit to find out how community-owned businesses go above and beyond to truly meet the needs of local people. We were pleased to welcome James Dady, [...]
In this case study, Michael Wolverson, Communications Officer, speaks with committee member Mike Hemsley, who shares insights into Itteringham’s 30-year journey of having a community-owned shop. Could you share the story of how the community came together to establish the community shop 30 years ago? In 1994, Brian Fairhead, [...]
Sophie Ziegler-Jones explains why partnering with Plunkett and supporting community-owned businesses is a natural fit for the co-operative wholesaler Suma, and describes how she was moved by our 2025 Awards. Back in July, I had the privilege of attending Plunkett UK’s Rural Community Business Awards, held at the Royal Society [...]
Plunkett is proud of the 99% survival rate for community businesses – but what does that look like on the ground? Our Communications Officer, Michael Wolverson, shares more from a trip to south west Scotland… May 2025 As I arrived in Ballantrae, the notorious ‘Scottish rain’ swept in, and the [...]
This National Inclusion Week (15-21 September), we’re celebrating how Plunkett and community businesses are building inclusive workplaces and creating lasting impact across the UK. Founded by Inclusive Employers in 2013, National Inclusion Week is an annual celebration of inclusion and a call to action for building more inclusive workplaces. As the [...]
George Ogier, Impact Officer at Plunkett UK, shares his reflections on the recent EDI Special Interest Group meeting held on 9 September. Plunkett UK recently hosted the third event in a series designed to shine a light on both equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and tackling climate change. This session [...]
Misty Bower, Plunkett’s Community Business Adviser, highlights 3 Key Lessons from our Webinar, ‘How to Be Great at Community Engagement’ Did you know that community engagement is essential for a community business to succeed? The Better Business Report 2024 quantifies its significance, stating that ‘the number of people involved’ is a [...]
Hear from Kayla Manga, who spent a week with our communications team, gaining insight into the community business sector and the impact of Plunkett's support. Work experience at Plunkett was one of the most insightful experiences I have ever had. Not only did it give me the opportunity to ease [...]
How Plunkett lives its values through action, collaboration, and a commitment to building a stronger, more inclusive community-owned sector. According to our latest Impact Report, the community-owned sector has grown by an impressive 70% over the past decade. Today, Plunkett supports more than 800 trading community-owned businesses, with a further 800 [...]
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