Please see this report of the successful launch of the ‘Village Greens’ community grocer for Prestwich.
More information on this great initiative at their website or by email: info@village-greens-coop.co.uk or call Rachel on 07944 102208

Phenomenal people of Prestwich
The launch of Village Greens Community Co-op Share Offer saw over 150 people packed into The Studio. This exceeded all expectations and proved the strong desire from local people and supporters to be a part of creating something new and wonderful right here in Prestwich.

Attendees enjoyed sampling goodies from local suppliers and were able to see cash flow forecasts, business plans and co-op principles as well as talking to the founding members following a full presentation of the vision for Village Greens grocery. An overview of the background research showed that the Co-op is a viable business proposition filling a gap in the market for fresh, local, organic and affordable produce.

Finance for the project will be raised through Community Shares, which open a way for everyone to become a member of the co-op through buying shares allowing the business to be owned by the community for the community.

A target of £120,000 needs to be raised by 2nd December 2013 for Village Greens to open. This allows for refit of the unit, equipment in the store itself, stock, staff wages and a contingency reserve for everyday overheads.

It may sound a lot, but with investment being anything from the minimum of £100 to a maximum of £20,000, this easily breaks down to an average of just 600 people investing £200 each. Early signs are that this is easily achievable. For tax payers there is also a wonderful incentive called SEIS, where they may be eligible for 50% tax relief on their investment. Village Greens Community Share Offer has advanced assurance from HMRC that the shares are eligible, but it is up to each individual to check this out for themselves.

The ambitious venture has been founded by a group of like-minded, conscientious and passionate people who have invested their time and energy to bring the vision of Village Greens into a reality. The retail shop plans to utilise an existing vacant unit in The Longfield Centre to help encourage consumers to buy locally. There is not much you can’t already find in the village itself, but people do need to be encouraged to walk to individual shops rather than parking at the supermarkets. This re-awakens diversity, opens up the community spirit and allows the village to evolve to the needs of its residents, plus it puts our hard earned cash back into the local economy.

Community Co-ops have a fantastic success rate, far higher than other small businesses in the UK. This is because they are created for the people by the people, offering a much needed service which is then supported by the people, and its members.

Co-ops are run democratically with one member one vote regardless of size of investment, making them very different to most other companies.

Everything you need to know is available to read on our website and you can buy your shares in Village Greens by:

1) applying on line at our website www.village-greens-coop.co.uk and paying via bank transfer
2) print off the form and send with your cheque to address indicated

or

3) come and see us on a Wednesday night at The Parkside pub, Bury Old Rd between 7.15-8pm. We can help answer your questions and you can bring your share application with you.

Share offer closes on 2nd December so don’t miss this opportunity to be in from the beginning and help create Village Greens.

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