As part of WACA’s Learning Visits programme, we’re connecting with established community businesses to gather practical insights and lessons learned. These visits help us understand different models of community ownership and operation, providing valuable guidance as we develop our own local initiatives. Each visit offers a unique perspective on what makes community enterprises thrive.
Trawden Forest Community Centre, Library, Shop and Pub
This impressive multi-faceted community enterprise encompasses several key village assets. The Community Centre, Library and Shop are owned by a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, while the pub operates as a Community Benefit Organisation with 400 shareholders. Their shop operates Monday to Saturday (8am-6pm) and Sunday (8:30am-4pm), hours carefully considered to be manageable for their volunteer workforce.
Their staffing model combines two nearly full-time staff (a Volunteer Co-ordinator who organises rotas and recruitment, and a Community Support Worker who visits vulnerable residents and delivers groceries in their community-owned electric van) with 152 volunteers, of whom 80-90 work in the shop with specific responsibilities for different departments like fruit and vegetables, butchery, bakery, plants, and refillables.
From our discussions with the Trawden Forest team, we gleaned these insightful recommendations:
Consider what kind of management style suits your community
Find a unique selling point and involve media when possible
Include future plans in the business plan
Think carefully about minimum share amounts
Their community ownership model has created a sustainable network of interconnected services, with the pub providing food for their Friendship Group sessions and volunteers taking ownership of specific shop areas.
We would like to express our sincere thanks to Dave Webber for taking the time to share their experiences and knowledge with us. His candid insights into the operations of multiple community assets were extremely valuable. Thank you also to Vanessa Barry from the WACA Learning Visits team for conducting this visit and compiling such a comprehensive report.
