Recent updates

The latest news from our projects

  • Post-Congress: first update

    An update for A Green Party presence at Co-operative Congress

    Jun 27 2015

    That's Congress over. The last few people have left to get their trains and buses home, or drifted back to their hotels.

    Today's sessions were group discussions around the key issues chosen for this year's Congress: co-ops raising capital without compromising democracy, and (close to our hearts) environmental sustainability. Delegates tweeted the progress of the debates with the hasthtag #coopnow (check it out). There are some exciting co-op initiatives in the pipeline.

    We gave out loads of leaflets and badges, and sold a few t-shirts. Again, lots of good conversations with co-operators from an incredibly diverse range of co-ops. Being a member of a worker co-operative (www.graphics.coop), I tend to gravitate towards that sector, but it was brilliant being there with housing, consumer and credit union co-ops too. A special comradely shout-out goes to members of the Radical Routes network (www.radicalroutes.org.uk).

    Margaret (Birmingham Greens), who was on the stall with me today, is relatively new to co-operatives, so she found it particularly enlightening, but we all learned something from each other. Jon (Islington Greens and The Woodcraft Folk) helped us at intervals throughout the day. Rory (Sheffield Greens, Fair Shares Foundation and Sheffield Hallam University) headed off to London very early this morning to speak at another event, at the instigation of Green MEP, Molly Scott Cato.

    As a Scottish Green, it's been brilliant making close links with Greens from the England & Wales party – especially getting to know Rory, Margaret and Jon. This has definitely been the start of something bigger. Co-operative Greens are Go!

    Embarrassingly, I forgot to take any photos. Hopefully, I will be able to find some that other people took (anyone?).

    cheers,

    Steve West
    Co-convenor, Co-operative Greens special interest group
    Scottish Green Party

    PS: The fundraiser runs for another 3 days – hopefully we will cover all of the outlay.  We have plenty of badges and t-shirts left and they turned out a bit cheaper that we thought, so I've lowered the donation thresholds for these.)

  • So here we are at Co-op Congress

    An update for A Green Party presence at Co-operative Congress

    Jun 27 2015

    The first day of Congress went well. Rory and I stood out a mile wearing our Co-operative Greens t-shirts and the stall was very visible. Everyone definitely noticed us.

    We had lots of good conversations, meeting Green supporters and some "not-quite" supporters from various co-ops. Several people from the Co-operative Party also came over to talk to us (their stall is in the opposite corner).

    Much of the afternoon was taken up with the AGMs of Co-operative News (see www.thenews.coop for Congress updates) and Co-operatives UK (www.uk.coop). Rory joined in the discussion during the Co-operatives UK AGM, where the most dramatic announcement was Pauline Green stepping down as President of the International Co-operative Alliance (www.ica.coop).

    Today I'll be on the stall with Margaret from Birmingham Greens. Looking forward to more conversations and I'll try to remember to take some photos.

    cheers,

    Steve West
    Co-convenor, Co-operative Greens special interest group
    Scottish Green Party

    PS: The fundraiser is still open until Tuesday, as we haven't quite covered all of the costs yet. Please spread the word.

  • How the money is being spent

    An update for A Green Party presence at Co-operative Congress

    Jun 25 2015

    Here's a list of the expenses we've incurred to date.

    £480     fee paid to Co-operatives UK for the stall and delegate places
    £98       trainfare to Birmingham
    £110     for accommodation in Birmingham
    £33       to deliver materials for the stall
    £115     cost of 10 t-shirts for the £50 donors so far
    £36      cost of badges for the donors so far
    £30      estimated postage to send out t-shirts & badges  
    £58      estimated Fundsurfer fees incurred so far

    Total costs so far = £960

    As I write this, we've raised £730, so we are still a bit short. As we raise more, we will incur further costs with badges, t-shirts and fees, so we really need about £1000 to break even. 

    Please spread the word and encourage others to chip in. The fundraiser closes on 30th June.

    cheers,

    Steve West
    Co-convenor, Co-operative Greens special interest group
    Scottish Green Party

  • We're almost there

    An update for 'Sound of a City' - a documentary about live music in Bristol

    Jun 24 2015

    A few weeks to go and a mere £415 off our target, but we won't reach it if people don't keep pledging, so now is the time to share it with friends, family, co-workers, jazz lovers, reggae lovers, music makers and the rest. 

    Thanks again to everyone who has generously pledged. Rewards will come soon after the edit is complete. 

    We're working on our next interview so watch this space for more updates. 

    Have a great Wednesday. 

    SOAC x

  • Co-operative Greens badges and t-shirts

    An update for A Green Party presence at Co-operative Congress

    Jun 23 2015

    The badges have arrived! There are two sizes, 25mm and 32mm. Everyone who donated at least a tenner will get one of each.

    T-shirts are due on Thursday, so I should have them in time for Congress. (I ordered them a month before the event, giving the suppliers plenty of time, but they have been unexpectedly busy and now expect to just make the deadline.)

    I'll be taking stocks to Congress, so if you donated and are attending, please come to the stall to collect your goodies.

    Everyone else who is expecting badges or a t-shirt, please send me a message with your contact details (unless I already know you): You can message me through the link on the fundsurfer page, or email co-operative@scottishgreens.org.uk

    If you are due a t-shirt, I'll need to know your size. They are unisex S, M, L or XL. If you are collecting yours at Congress, please tell me your size in advance, so I can keep yours aside (they might sell like hot cakes!).

    cheers,

    Steve West
    Co-convenor, Co-operative Greens special interest group
    Scottish Green Party

  • Natalie Bennett on the campaign trail again!

    An update for A Green County Councillor for Cambridgeshire!

    Jun 18 2015

    Brilliant help from Natalie Bennett today, the only national party leader to endorse their local county council candidate in this by-election! We can do this, and get an anti-austerity voice on the county council, but only with your help! We're half way there - a push in the last week of the campaign can really help us! 

     

  • Meet the team on the stall

    An update for A Green Party presence at Co-operative Congress

    Jun 17 2015

    We've finalised who will be running the Green stall at Co-op Congress.

    Friday 26th
    Steve West (Edinburgh Greens)
    Rory Ridley-Duff (Sheffield Greens)

    Saturday 27th
    Steve West (Edinburgh Greens)
    Margaret Okole (Birmingham Greens)

    Also helping out will be Jon Nott (Islington Greens).

    Some background on who we are...

    • Steve is a co-convenor of the new Co-operative Greens special interest group of the Scottish Green Party. He works at graphics.coop – a worker co-operative design agency in Edinburgh.
    • Rory is an educator, writer and (part-time) composer. He's a co-founder of the Fairshares Association, which promotes a philosophy and practical model for creating and sustaining networks of solidarity enterprises that share power and wealth.
    • Margaret is an independent publishing professional and is Branch Secretary of the Birmingham Green Party. She stood as the Green candidate for Birmingham Ladywood in the recent Westminster election.
    • Jon is General Secretary of The Woodcraft Folk.

    If you're going to Congress, do come and talk to us.

  • Week 4 - Andy Sheppard

    An update for 'Sound of a City' - a documentary about live music in Bristol

    Jun 17 2015

    Hi all, 

    We are pleased to be able give you an extended clip of the great Andy Sheppard who we interviewed last Friday. We've selected 3 unedited answers he gave which we thought were particularly interesting in relation to the subject of the documentary. This is only 4 minutes of the full 50 minute interview we had with him, so there is plenty more to come in the full film coming later this year. 

    Password: Sheppard

    Hope you enjoy it. We'll be in touch soon with more news and clips. In the meantime, please do share this with friends and family and music lovers. We are still £490 off our first target so we still need loads more people to get involved and support the project. 

    SOAC x

  • Amy C Fitzjohn has a new book out!

    An update for Independently publishing Solomon's Secrets

    Jun 13 2015

    Hi everyone

    It's approaching one year now since I successfully completed my crowdfund to publish Solomon's Secrets.

    A lot has happened in the last 12 months. My writing career is flourishing, thanks in no small part to the generous support of my wonderful crowdfund backers and to the team at Fundsurfer.

    Being a relentless writer, I'm still tapping away conjuring up new stories and characters. I have also now started my own business providing freelance business support on a group or 1:1 basis so I can help other creatives to realise their dreams.

    Check out my lovely new website and 'Business Skills for Creatives' and my business tips blog:

    http://authorpreneur.amymorse.co.uk/

    Perhaps you have friends, family or associates that would benefit from some professional input with their small business or freelance careers? Do pass on my details or email me at: amy@tomcatdesigns.co.uk

    I am also available for public speaking engagements, so please get in touch if you need someone enthusiastic and passionate about creativity and enterprise for your event.

    For those of you who have read Solomon's Secrets, I trust you enjoyed it.

    If you want to know what happens next to Tom Sheridan and Sasha Blake and whether or not they will ever find the Democritus Manuscript you can now move one step closer to solving the mystery with them...

    Gabriel's Game, Part 1: The White Queen is out now on Amazon!

    The final instalment of the Sheridan and Blake Adventure Series will be out in 2016 with Gabriel's Game, Part 2: The Black Knight

    Stay in touch and I always appreciate reviews on Amazon and/or Goodreads so that more readers can escape into the world of Sheridan and Blake.

    Thanks all

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Two weeks to go - we can do this!

    An update for A Green County Councillor for Cambridgeshire!

    Jun 12 2015

    The campaign is going very well and we've had a gret reaction on the doorstep, with local presure groups of all descriptions, and from the national party. Last weekend, Sian Berry, Camden Green councillor and former ( and hopeful future) London Mayoral candidate came down to help on the doorsteps.

    NEWSFLASH!

    The Green Party regards the possibility of having an anti-austerity voice on the Cambridgeshire County Council to be so important that the Green Party Leader, Natalie Bennett, will be campaigning with us in Cambridge on Thursday 18th of June! This is fantastic for Debbie and the campaign, and we need to make this day as big as possible - so please share the news and this fundsurfer as widely as possible.