Co-operatives have great stories to tell. They rescue pubs and football clubs, provide a path out of precarious work and zero hours contracts, and spark conversations about new ways of thinking, living and working.
Co-op News has been telling these stories for nearly 150 years – and now we are doing it in another way. We have teamed up with colleagues at Co-operatives UK, the Co-op, the Co-operative College and Co-operative Heritage Trust on a series of eight podcasts that look at how co-ops are making a difference in communities around the UK.
The series is called More Than a Shop because, in the UK, a shop is what most people think of when you say the word ‘co-op’. Made with Sparklab Productions, each episode lasts around 40 minutes and is hosted by broadcaster and journalist Elizabeth Alker (BBC Radio 3) – who is from Rochdale and mindful of the co-op movement’s place in the town’s history.
“Podcasting is huge,” says Leila O’Sullivan from Co-operatives UK, who helped coordinate the project. “The challenge was to create engaging and entertaining podcasts that stand out, when co-ops are already a challenging area to talk about.”
Together the five organisations developed the themes and drew up a list of contributors. The eight topics for the first series are big, relevant, and society-wide: education; music; climate change; food; end of life; mental health; the future of the high street; and worker ownership.
“We wanted to celebrate the great work that co-ops are doing, but bring in some ‘non-co-op’ guests to get their ideas and thoughts on these topics too. The premise of the podcast is for guests to bring a challenge they identify or face, relating to the episode topic, and then put forward their idea – large or small – that addresses this challenge.”
The podcasts are already contributing to this good work, providing a space for these people to meet and learn what others are doing. Highlights from the series include Chris Hawkins (BBC 6 Music) talking about musicians needing a better deal, while sitting in the studio opposite Terry Tyldesley, who offers just this through the Resonate music streaming co-operative. Or Louise Marix Evans speaking about co-operative community energy generation, while Samantha Moyo (speaker and activist) tells how climate change campaigns are not inclusive enough for people of colour.
“The entire project has been one of collaboration,” says Leila. “We are five national co-operative organisations, all working to the same agenda of raising awareness and championing co-op businesses and the co-op option. We want to normalise co-operation.
“But we also wanted to do something different and actively create something that isn’t just about co-ops. We wanted to reach beyond the movement, beyond our usual audiences, through a range of relevant topics and guests. We have ended up with something that we are all proud of and look forward to building on in future series.”
She adds: “As a production process, it was eye-opening. Geoff Bird, who produced the series on behalf of Sparklab Productions, really listened to us, and has produced a podcast of real quality. I think we have got what we wanted – I’m really excited to hear what people think!”
The first episode, Education for all? A new school of thought will be released on Wednesday 11 March, with the following seven episodes released fortnightly. People can subscribe to More Than a Shop on morethanashop.coop from 29 February. We are already looking ahead to series two. If there are any topics you would like us to explore, please email [email protected].
