Celebrating 10 years backing community business

Power to Change turns ten this year. To celebrate a decade backing community business, we are bringing you a programme of events, stories, and essays, celebrating the community business sector, reflecting on our lessons learnt, and setting out our vision for the future of communities.

We know community business works to create thriving places

We have seen and evidenced it over the last decade. We also know there is so much more they can do. This year we are reflecting, celebrating, and looking to the future.

With the right conditions, community businesses can help build an economy that works for people and the planet, give communities a greater say in the decisions that affect them, and support people to make meaningful connections within a community they can rely on. The future of business is community business.

Essay collection

Each month, our guest essayists are looking back as well as forward, reflecting on the role of community business in addressing the pressing issues shaping our world.

The future of business is community business

The future of business is community business

Our thinking
Tim Davies-Pugh, Chief Executive at Power to Change, launches our series of blogs and essays in our 10th anniversary year. This series will reflect on how the world has evolved since 2015 and what it might look like in 2035.
You’re invited to dinner: The unlikely allies reimagining our high streets

You’re invited to dinner: The unlikely allies reimagining our high streets

Our thinking
Platform Places shows how community leaders, local business owners, asset owners and councils can gather—not as adversaries, but as co-creators of a shared future. In this essay, co-founder, Bex Trevalyan, explores how grassroots collaboration and imaginative placemaking are breathing new life into Britain’s high streets.
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Give us a chance and we’ll give you community power

Give us a chance and we’ll give you community power

Our thinking
Next up in our 10th anniversary essay collection, Sacha Bedding, Chief Executive of the Wharton Trust, reflects on their journey to empower local people in Dyke House, Hartlepool, to take action in their community.
Imagine if we took community seriously

Imagine if we took community seriously

Our thinking
What would the future look like if communities had more say and power, and how would we make this happen? James Plunkett reflects as part of our 10th anniversary essay collection.
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Stories

We’re unveiling ten new stories to showcase the diversity of community businesses and the innovative work already taking place in communities across the country.

Legacy West Midlands

Legacy West Midlands

Beginning life as a heritage organisation, Legacy West Midlands has become a catalyst to the growth of the social economy in Soho and Handsworth. As well as delivering health, wellbeing, culture, and youth programmes to its community, it now has a hand in connecting local community groups and social entrepreneurs.
West Midlands Combined Authority

West Midlands Combined Authority

West Midlands Combined Authority is committed to tackling inequalities through inclusive growth. To do this, they have set out a bold vision to double the size of the social economy. We've partnered with West Midlands Combined Authority to implement their social economy growth strategy, making the West Midlands a better place to live and work in, for everyone.
North East Combined Authority

North East Combined Authority

The North East Combined Authority is determined to maximise the region’s potential and address deprivation and socio-economic challenges facing their communities. Power to Change is supporting this goal with a partnership to help grow and develop the region’s social economy.
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

Liverpool City Region is transforming into a place with a diverse and vibrant social economy, circulating profits locally to tackle deprivation head on. Since 2018, Power to Change has partnered with Liverpool City Region to help grow and develop the community business sector, as part of the wider social economy.
Star and Shadow Cinema

Star and Shadow Cinema

As entertainment venues across the country are struggling, Star and Shadow Cinema is offering a vibrant, multi-arts and community-focused programme to the community in Newcastle’s East End. They’re breathing new life into their local area and inspiring and training the next generation of entertainment.
Friends of Stretford Public Hall

Friends of Stretford Public Hall

After saving a cherished Victorian grade II listed ballroom through a community share offer, Friends of Stretford Public Hall have transformed the space into a vibrant community hub. They've now set their sights on helping the community have more say over their town centre's regeneration, including through participation in our Community Improvement District pilot.
Sherford Community Land Trust

Sherford Community Land Trust

Empowering residents in a new build estate to create the community assets and shared spaces they want and need.
Three Seas

Three Seas

Three Seas is helping to tackle the housing crisis in Cornwall by developing old coastguard cottages into affordable long-term rental accommodation for local people.
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Communities have the answers

We’ve worked with Magic Torch Comics CIC on ‘Meteor Strike’, a comic bringing to life how community business can help communities tackle some of the big issues of today and in the future – if only the conditions are enabled for them to do so.

Read how this looked for Commonside. Click the first page below to view the full story:

Keep up to date

Get new stories and essays from the campaign in your inbox every month by signing up to our newsletter.

You can follow our ten year anniversary campaign online with the hashtag #PowertoChange10.

Do you want to work with us to give communities the power to change what matters to them? Let’s talk.

 

Contact our team