Stories
These are the stories of amazing community businesses across the country working to make their communities better places to live. Get inspired.
Region
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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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Empowering residents in a new build estate to create the community assets and shared spaces they want and need.
Empowering Places was a unique five-year programme designed by Power to Change to explore ways in which ‘locally rooted’ anchor organisations, operating in areas of high deprivation, could be supported to ‘catalyse’ new community businesses. The programme hypothesised that this, in turn, would contribute to an overarching vision of more prosperous places, with more jobs and opportunities for local people.
Westcliff-on-Sea is a suburb of the popular seaside city of Southend-on-Sea. Westcliff is undergoing an exciting transformation, emerging as a thriving hub for businesses and a vibrant destination for the Southend community. Central to this is the community-led revival of a historic department store.
The young women on a mission to establish Lewisham’s first community owned live music venue.
Ryde on the Isle of Wight has a rich cultural and artistic history - with one of the UK’s oldest carnivals taking place in the town. Shademakers UK are helping to tell the story of Ryde’s creative past by restoring a 300-year-old former department store. They are very hopeful that the project will create pride in the area and bring more people to the town centre.
In 2016, a Victorian Arcade in Dewsbury closed after the number of shoppers fell drastically. Dewsbury Arcade remained empty for seven years. Now, a community is determined to refurbish the Grade II listed site and inspire further investment in Dewsbury. They want to create the UK’s first community-run shopping arcade and pave the way for the transformation of the town centre.
When a flagship department store closed in Bristol, two local organisations took on a mission to revive the building and help regenerate the city centre. Sparks, the reimagined department store, opened in 2023. With more than 750,000 visitors to date, they’ve made a significant impact on their community by creating a vibrant space for everyone and attracting new people and businesses to the area.
A brand new community venue in one of the country’s most deprived wards exists as a template for how contemporary music venues can be run while proudly proclaiming: The Future is Birkenhead.
This Kindred investee is using food to support refugees and asylum seekers, build connections, and break down barriers with the local community.
Empowering young Londoners through renewable energy projects, Repowering London puts all generations and communities at the heart of our energy system.
A food growing hub in the heart of North London promoting education and enterprise
In 2018, Power to Change joined forces with Bristol and Bath Regional Capital, Big Society Capital, and Bristol City Council to create and co-fund a first-of-its-kind blended fund for Bristol.
The Bookery: fostering community pride and opportunities through reading and literacy.
In 2019, we teamed up with Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and local social economy leaders to form Kindred, an independent CIC providing repayable, interest-free money to STOs.
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