The Co-operative is offering towns and villages in the South West UK grants to help them get going. The grants of £100 – £150 are to cover anything from organising a community meeting to developing an energy action plan.
Almost half of the official Transition Towns in the UK are in the South West and The Co-operative wants to encourage even more communities to follow their lead.
The Co-Op has twenty grants of £100 for communities working towards Transition Town criteria or to set up an Energy Club and twenty £150 grants for communities addressing the 12 steps or as a project as part of their ‘Local Energy Descent Action Plan’ which has a co-operative solution.
The Co-operative have a range of resources that can be used in Transition Communities such as: Community Food discount cards, Walking bus resources, Community Fund awards, Share your Profits initiative.
Co-operative and membership officer officer Pete Vallance said: “From Totnes to Taunton and Falmouth to Frome, towns and villages are waking up to climate change and deciding it’s never too early to take action for the future. Peak oil is not about running out of oil, but it is about the end of cheap, plentiful oil and how our lives will be affected by this transition.
“The Co-operative is committed to tackling climate change and since the South West is leading the way on the development of Transition Towns it makes complete sense for us to support the movement in any way we can.”
For more information about the South West Grants available please call the South and West Regional office on: 01884 266 892 or Download the application form by clicking this link.
Why can we not have coop grants for starting up in other areas?
By: martin brook on 11 April 2009
at 4:56 pm
I guess this happened because someone in the SW Regional office decided to do it – perhaps other regions will follow this example.
By: Mike Grenville on 11 April 2009
at 5:02 pm
I am requesting to become a member of the TRANSITION NETWORK.
Please send me full information.
Mnay thanks,
Olatunde Johnson,Executive Director.
Friends of the Earth Sierra Leone.
By: Olatunde Johnson on 12 April 2009
at 8:49 am
Hello Martin,
In response to your question.
This initiative has come forward through Co-operative Group Members in the South and West Region.
At the present stage we are only running mini-grants scheme.
However, your organisation may be elligible for other support from The Co-operative Group, such as:
- A Community Food Discount Card
Provides community groups with 10% of most purchases in Co-operative Food Stores.
- Grants to Groups
http://www.co-operative.coop/ethicsinaction/communities/fundsandfoundations/
- Community Banking
Bank account designed with community groups in mind. YOu get to bank with one of the only banks with a credible ethical policy.
- Support for Schools
We’ve been providing walking bus kits for schools (you may have seen them in our new advert) and Green Energy solutions for schools!
- We also run campaigns throughout the year.
- Regional membership also have the capapbility to talk about The Co-operative Group and ethics to Community Groups such as Transition Town Communities.
Hope this Helps
Pete Vallance
Co-operative and Membership Officer (SW)
The Co-operative Group
By: Pete Vallance on 17 April 2009
at 10:13 am
join the cooperative party in your local area& help make them go more green. Or if your in a cooperative check wether your in the international cooperative alliance, which COOP uk is affiliated to & ask them to support grass roots project with good money, in return for publicity from transition town now leading the way where the Coop group once stood.
Coop farms has done vwell out of the organic anti GM movement becoming UKs largest farmer with the help of buy local campaigns greens& transitioneres have led. Also Transitioners are connected to social justice & ethiccal campaigns, 90% of whom bank with the Coop bank & pay them alot
By: Johnny on 3 May 2009
at 3:46 pm
We still funding to provide more groups in the South West with grants as part of our Transition Town Grants Project.
By: Pete Vallance on 19 October 2009
at 12:09 pm