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Co-operative Heritage Fund

Introduction

As the custodian of the National Co-operative Archive and the Rochdale Pioneers Museum, the Co-operative College takes a leadership role in preserving co-operative heritage and educating a wider public about the history and development of the worldwide co-operative movement. The collections under its care are a resource of global importance, representing significant commercial and intellectual value. Since taking responsibility for the collections in 2000, the College has included the transformation of the Archive and Museum into accessible lifelong learning resources among its key strategic objectives.

Congress in 2006 unanimously approved the following resolution:

Congress welcomes in principle the establishment of a Co-operative Heritage Trust to be the custodian of the heritage assets of the National Co-operative Archive and the Rochdale Pioneers Museum on behalf of the co-operative movement, subject to agreement on the detailed governance arrangements between Co-operativesUK and the Co-operative College. Congress also welcomes the formation of the Co-operative Heritage Fund to ensure the long-term preservation of the movement’s heritage.

Consultation on the formation of the Trust, which will hold the assets of the Archive and Museum on behalf of the movement, is currently under way.

The Co operative Heritage Fund has been established as a restricted fund within the Co-operative College Trust, which is a registered charity, with the following restriction:

The Co-operative Heritage Fund shall be used to meet the costs incurred in the ongoing running of the National Co-operative Archive and the Rochdale Pioneers Museum.

It is anticipated that the ongoing running costs for the Museum and Archive will be in the region of £100,000 per annum. Co-operativesUK and the Co operative Group are the founder donors to the Co-operative Heritage Fund and together they have committed £44,500 per annum for the next four years.

We Need Your Support

We are now inviting other co-operative societies, organisations and individuals to support the preservation and wider use of these unique and irreplaceable collections by contributing to the Co-operative Heritage Fund.

The Briefing Paper (pdf 1120kb) on the Co-operative Heritage Initiatives gives information on the nature and scope of the collections and details some of the work currently being undertaken by the Archive and Museum. It also outlines the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) Project Planning Grant work under way which will lead to a major bid to the HLF in early 2007.

To offer your support, please download and print the Co-operative Heritage Fund donation form ( pdf 39kb) , complete it and return to "Co-operative Heritage Fund, The Co-operative College, Holyoake House, Hanover Street, Manchester, M60 0AS.

For more information please contact Gillian Lonergan, Learning Resources Manager and Archivist at the College by email or call her on 0161 246 2925.

National Co-operative Archive
Rochdale Pioneers Museum