[Main image: The Bright Future board]
In 2023 alone, more than 17,000 victims of modern slavery were identified in the UK, and it is estimated that more than 130,000 people are currently being exploited. It is something that exists in every part of the country, in towns and cities and across different sectors.
Eight years ago, a conversation sparked an idea: how could businesses make a difference to survivors of modern slavery. The answer? Employment.
Bright Future, which grew out of that first conversation, is a co-operative whose members include some of the UK’s most prominent employers, as well as charities who work with survivors of modern slavery. Employers include the Co-op Group, the Midcounties Co-operative, Aldi, and Morrisons (together representing more than 24% of the UK grocery market) as well as Pilgrim’s Europe, Currys, Siemens, Speedy Services and The Very Group.
The programme provides a supported, fast track to work in partnership with its business and referral partners. Through its national matching system, individuals are matched with an employer that is able to provide an initial 4-week work placement in a suitable sector and location. If the placement is successful, the individual is then offered a permanent job.
June 2025 marked five years of the organisation, which to date has supported almost 100 modern slavery survivors into long-term employment – helping prevent re-exploitation and offering a path to independence. To celebrate, a reception was hosted at the Terrace Pavilion, Houses of Parliament. Sponsored by Gareth Snell MP, the event brought together Bright Future’s members, partners, and supporters to reflect on what has been achieved, and look at how to achieve the organisation’s mission to see all survivors of modern slavery living in freedom with dignity.
At the event, guests heard from “Mary” (name changed to protect privacy), a survivor of modern slavery who was helped by Bright Future to secure a placement with The Midcounties Co-operative’s Childcare business: “I’ve actually been looking for work for a long time to support my child and family. I always wanted to work in childcare, but I didn’t know how to access jobs like this or where to even begin. Bright Future Co-operative and the nursery gave me the chance I’d been hoping for. This opportunity opened a door that felt closed for so long, and I’m really grateful for that.”
Stories like Mary’s are why Bright Future is now launching a nationwide call for more employers to step forward and join its mission. To spread the message, the co-operative is inviting Members of Parliament from across the political spectrum to sign the Bright Future Dignity Pledge – a new initiative asking MPs to encourage local businesses to become Bright Future members and help support more survivors of modern slavery.
Welcoming the launch of the pledge, Jess Philips MP said: “Employment, alongside strong employment support, is one of the greatest routes to freedom. However, for so many victims of modern slavery, that trust and belief in opportunities for a fair and safe working environment has been taken from them. We are in the unique position to be able to right some of these wrongs.
“Bright Future was developed using a co-operative model, which inherently has people at its core, to come up with a genuinely useable and workable solution – and I cannot praise it enough. Bright Future represents what we can be doing and what more needs to be done, and I can only encourage every organisation in the country to sign the pledge, to take on placements and be a part of this movement for positive change.”
Pete Westall, chair of Bright Future Co-operative, added: “Bright Future is built on a simple but powerful idea: that everyone has a right to live in freedom and with dignity. By joining the co-operative, employers can play a vital role in ending the cycle of exploitation – creating opportunities that change lives, strengthen communities and promote sustainable independence through long-term employment.
“On our fifth anniversary, we want there to be opportunities in every corner of the UK for survivors of modern slavery to rebuild their lives and we urge even more businesses and MPs to step up and join us. Together, we can ensure survivors of modern slavery are seen, supported, and given the futures they deserve.”
The anniversary also coincides with the UN International Year of Co-operatives, which aims to highlight the vital role that co-operatives play in international development. The impact of Bright Future is a powerful example of how the co-operative model can drive meaningful change and its ongoing growth can play a role in delivering the government’s pledge to double the size of the co-op economy in the UK.
For more information on how to become a member of Bright Future, visit: www.brightfuture.coop
