Blogs

Misty Bower, Plunkett's Community Business Adviser, highlights the key takeaways from our recent webinar, 'Community Business: From Idea to Reality.' Ever thought about starting a business that benefits not just you, but your whole community? A business that alongside trading helps, reduce loneliness, improves the environment, or even catalyses community [...]

Plunkett's Community Business Manager, Alison Macklin, offers valuable insights on what your community business should prioritise as we enter 2025 Alison running an interactive workshop at The National Community Business Conference  After all the disruptions, challenges, and stressful situations of the past few years, it's understandable if training [...]

Reflecting on a jam-packed and rewarding 2024 at Plunkett UK It has been an incredible year for the community business sector and a particulary busy one at Plunkett UK! As more rural communities face the loss of vital core services, an increasing number of groups are turning to Plunkett [...]

As 2024 draws to a close, we want to express our gratitude to our corporate partners and funders for their support It has been another incredible year for the community business sector. Thanks to the generosity of our partners, we have supported the opening of 26 new community-owned businesses and [...]

Find out how six Plunkett team members are making the most of a staff scheme to volunteer more in their communities. The ethos of volunteering runs as a thread through the community-owned sector. Without people coming forward to give their time and skills, community businesses wouldn’t start or keep [...]

Through fundraising we can help more rural communities into next year and beyond As the Christmas season arrives, Plunkett is proud to celebrate the spirit and warmth that community-owned businesses bring to the people they serve. These businesses ensure that no one is forgotten and everyone feels a sense of [...]

Paul Thompson shares some learning from the Scout movement about how to boost volunteer numbers for your community business - when there are plenty of tasks to be done, but not enough people to do them. Recruiting volunteers has always been challenging, especially now with volunteer fatigue post-pandemic affecting [...]

For the past 15 years, the shop at Strood Green in Surrey has offered a space for everyone in the community to not only belong, but to thrive. Andrew Dubock, Communications Manager at Plunkett UK, paid a visit to meet the team, alongside members of a Trust that supports us. [...]

Our expert training series highlights big issues for community businesses At Plunkett UK, we are dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion in our efforts to support new and existing community businesses throughout the UK. Our ambition is to reach areas where community ownership is underrepresented in order to address social [...]

Providing a wide range of services and amenities that communities value and need In our impact blog series, based on the 2024 Impact Report, we've been showcasing how Plunkett UK actively supports community-owned businesses, serving as their main point of contact. As part of our core mission, we empower [...]