The report is produced by the ICA with the scientific and technical support of the European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises The top 300 co-operatives and mutuals in the world had a joint turnover of US$2.17tn in 2020, down from $2.18tn in...
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In 1997 the Robert Owen Group launched a co-operative school centred initial teacher training project through the Marches Consortium and in partnership with the University of Gloucester. The scheme rapidly grew and became the largest of its type in the United Kingdom , successfully training over 3,700 post graduates who now work in our schools and colleges with many at senior leadership levels. Alongside this we launched a Master’s level programme for trainers in schools and for former trainees and teachers to access as career progression.
It became clear that the absence of an institute of higher education in the Marches sub region posed a real impediment to developing research, seminal thinking and platonic discourse. We often ignore the valuable infrastructure that comes with a quality centre of higher education. The Directors of the Marches Consortium developed a Robert Owen Learning Academy in Leominster and encouraged many ‘hub’ schools to have satellite post graduate libraries for their ‘clusters’.
This is all now background history but our 1998 creation of “query” as a radical journal of left field thinking has now in 2021 led to the addition of this section to the Marches Hive website. We want to stimulate thinking, discussion and the sharing of relevant news and knowledge.
We called the original 1990’s journal query because our minds turned to the creation in the 1870’s of the Tredegar Medical Aid Society which started life as as ‘Health and Education Fund’. In 1920 Walter Conway , Aneurin Bevan and others formed the radical Query Club as a new development. The Club was a cross between a debating society, a mutual support group , a focus for sharing contemporary knowledge and a body set on advancing radical thinking to address the issues of the day. In those times adult education was very much in cells following on the model of the early Methodist house groups.
We believe the challenges of today in many ways mirror those of one hundred years ago and we do encourage everyone’s to engage with query and to share your thoughts, views, knowledge and understanding so that we can all grow together . Thank you
News Articles
Fonterra co-op will introduce its new capital structure in the spring
Farmer members approved the proposal to move to flexible shareholding New Zealand dairy co-op Fonterra will implement its new flexible shareholding capital structure in late March next year. The co-operative, which is owned by over 10,000 farmers, says...
Pentecostal Credit Union launches new product for young savers
'GiftBox! is a product that will make them aware of the benefits of being part of the PCU as well as increase their awareness of financial matters' A London-based credit union is looking to encourage saving habits in millennial and gen Z members with a new financial...
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan commits to supporting worker co-ops and employee-owned businesses
Sadiq Khan announces ground-breaking new partnership with Co-operatives UK and the Employee Ownership Association (EOA) to boost worker ownership and employee ownership in London. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today (2 December) announced a ground-breaking new...
Carbon Co-op looks for community retrofit champions in west Yorkshire town
The eight-month scheme will run in Todmorden with the goal of improving energy efficiency and addressing the skills gap in the construction industry Carbon Co-op, which works to reduce climate emissions from people’s homes, has is on the lookout for community...
Happy New Year – 2023 and all that..
As we put Christmas 2022 behind us and look forward to the New Year we all probably have similar aspirations: good health; peace; security; freedom from hunger; suitable and affordable housing; financial well being; progress; love of family ; strong communities;...
Co-operatives “Down under”
What types of co-operatives are there in Australia? Practically any type of business can be operated by a co-operative. In Australia, around 1,700 cooperatives are active in a very diverse range of sectors, including agriculture, arts, child care, health care,...
COOPERATIVES IN AFRICA
A cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united, voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise. They are vehicles for sustainable development through...
Co-op Party report makes a series of recommendations for the future of education
'Already we are seeing the emergence of a new way of doing things ... this contribution takes lessons from co-operatives delivering education' A report from the Co-op Party makes a set of recommendations for the future of education, “built on the co-operative...
Full Steam Ahead
Full steam ahead for first co-operatively owned rail service Formal application submitted to run a co-operatively owned train services in Somerset and Wiltshire. An ambitious move to launch the UK’s first co-operatively managed rail service has moved a step closer...
