Further support for trading: Specialist support agencies

Social enterprise is an umbrella term covering a range of different types of enterprises and initiatives. This page provides links to the national support agencies that work with specific types of social enterprise, or provide support in specialist areas of trade, such as rural enterprise.  

Community development

Trading is becoming an increasingly important part of community development, as more communities realise the potential of trading as a way of delivering local services. The following national organisations provide support on community development issues:

• Locality is the national network for community enterprise organisations, and provides specialist support in developing community assets and transforming communities.
• The British Association of Settlements and Social Action Centres (bassac) is a national membership body for organisations that help neighbourhoods thrive through the provision of space and support for community activities.
• Community Matters is the national federation for community organisations, providing advice and support to its members.

Co-operatives

Co-operatives are enterprises that are owned and democratically controlled by their members. There is a wide variety of co-operative enterprises, ranging from employee-owned businesses, to credit unions and consumer co-operative societies.

• Co-operativesUK is the national membership and promotional body for all co-operatives in the UK. It maintains a list of co-operative development bodies that provide support to co-operatives throughout the UK. There are co-operative networks for every region of the country.
• The Co-operative College provides learning, education, training, consultancy and research for the co-operative, mutual and social enterprise sectors in the UK and internationally.
• ABCUL (Association of British Credit Unions Limited) is the main trade association for credit unions in Britain. It provides a wide range of services to its members, including information, representation and training.

Other specialist areas of trade

• The Association of Charity Shops is the membership body for charities that run charity shops. It provides training, support and networking opportunities to members, and represents their interests on key policy issues.
• Social Firms UK aims to support, strengthen and grow the social firm sector so that more people facing the most significant barriers to work can gain employment.  Social firms are market-led businesses that are set up specifically to create good quality jobs for people who are severely disadvantaged in the labour market.
• The Plunkett Foundation aims to improve rural livelihoods through co-operative and social enterprise. It is the leading provider of support to rural community shops.

Back to Further Support section.