05 February 2025
Plunkett’s community business movement grows with Radstock Co-op’s support.
Plunkett UK responded to more than triple the number of new community business enquiries in Radstock Co-op’s trading area in 2024 compared to the year before.
There were 31 requests for support from communities looking to start their own business, with Plunkett’s staff and advisers providing more than 270 hours of bespoke business support to start-up groups, thanks to Radstock Co-op funding. A total of 58 groups explored community ownership in Radstock Co-op’s Trading Area in 2024.
As well as new social enterprises, Plunkett also helps community businesses that have been trading for a while. Over 170 hours of business support was provided to existing businesses in Radstock Co-op’s trading area. This included 3 health checks for Plunkett members to monitor business performance and make key recommendations, and 2 allocations of financial and business planning advice.
Plunkett UK is a national charity which supports people in rural areas to set up and run a wide range of businesses in community ownership. Plunkett does this to achieve its UK-wide vision for resilient, thriving and inclusive rural communities. Community-owned businesses are owned and controlled by community members who have an equal and democratic say in how the business is run.
Plunkett represents 800 trading community-owned businesses and a further 500 in the process of setting up. More than half are shops; almost a quarter are pubs; one in ten are land, farming and woodland; and 7% fit into the category of ‘other’.
