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News digest.

26th June 2010 - Supporting "Greener Together" at Co-operatives 2010

Today, Bob was in Plymouth to chair a workshop at Co-operatives 2010 on the subject of co-operatives                           getting real and practical on sustainability issues.   Bob outlined ACT!   and its origins, achievements and              future plans. Michelle Lockwood of Cooperatives-UK then explained the Greener Together project.              Greener Together is a new, web-based resource to encourage co-operatives and co-operators to make                            commitments to reduce their carbon emissions, ideally by 20%. This is an excellent resource containing lots              of useful tips and information. Go on ... have a look .... at  www.greenertogether.coop              The workshop was very well attended including the CEOs of many of the larger consumer co-ops. Bob and               Cooperatives-UK will be following up on their interest in the Autumn and trying to encourage  them to work               together in a large campaign reducing their own emissions and communicating with their members.

June 2010 - Flynn is fun !!!!                                                                                                 I freely confess that my 2 years old grandson, Flynn  is an absolute delight and charmer...... that is when                              he is not being a normal, naughty boy. We have great fun !   It is fascinating to observe his development                     and that of his friends.                     It brings it home to you just how real and important the climate threat is. Projections of how it will be in                      60 years time are well within Flynn's expected lifespan (touch wood etc.).  Surely, we should do all that                     to pass on the best life that we can to him and his generation !!!!

                                        
                                

                                              Flynn, aged 2 meets his hero - Fireman Sam                   

31st May 2010 - The General Assembly of Cooperatives Europe, the european region of the ICA, was held in Brussels. This meeting had been reconvened following the cancellation of the original event in Moscow in April, owing to the Icelandic volcano. In a very well attended session, Bob updated delegates on the progress and future plans of ACT! (Cooperatives Addressing the Climate Threat). ACT! is a self-funding unit within Cooperatives Europe which seeks to encourage more co-operatives (of all types) to do more to combat climate change, and to do it together, for greater impact and benefit. 

25th May 2010 - Bob spoke at the AMICE conference in Genoa. AMICE is the Association of Mutual Insurers and Insurance Co-operatives in Europe. The conference organisers and delegates were keen to discuss what contribution the traditional co-operative values were making to business performance in the light of the credit crunch and economic crisis. Bob was able to share some good news from Co-operative Insurance in the UK. Although investment returns had suffered, consumers were looking for organisations they can trust, and new business volumes were well ahead of the previous years.

10th-11th May 2010 - Momentous days !!!! - Bob retired as Chair of Co-operative Financial Services Ltd. (CFS), the owner of the Co-operative Bank and Co-operative Insurance in the UK. A dinner was hosted by the directors of CFS to mark Bob's retirement, during which generous appreciations were delivered by Group Chair, Len Wardle, CFS chief executive Neville Richardson and Bob's successor as CFS Chair, Paul Flowers. Almost coincidentally, Bob became a proud grandfather for the second time, when Archie Blyth Townsend was born to proud Mum Emma and Chris, Bob's artist stepson

Archie at 11 weeks on 1st August 2010

4th May 2010 - "Where will we find our future co-op leaders? and
how will we develop them?" Bob has been interested in and concerned
                                                     about these topics for some time now. That is why Bob supports the worldwide
Masters in Management of  Co-operatives and Credit Unions
                                                  and attended today's first face to face meeting of the Board in Winnipeg.
See "mmccu" for more information about this unique program for the
future leaders (exec and non exec) of our co-operatives and credit unions.

24th March 2010 - Bob was a co-presenter, alongside Ann Santamaki
of Finland and Aldo Soldi from Italy, at a seminar attended by about 150
delegates, which was organised by the Czech Co-operative Union and
the University of Prague. The objective was for Czech co-operators
to hear about and discuss the practices of successful co-ops in
areas including, branding, membership and loyalty and own-label
as a co-op competitive weapon.

19th March 2010 - At the AGM of the Ethical Property Company Ltd (EPC)  today, Bob was elected as the new Board Chair. EPC is an organisation that seeks to support other social change organisations, including charities, NGOs and community groups, by providing them with good value accommodation, mainly office space, on favourable leases and terms. It offers its investors steady, not speculative returns, and describes itself as a triple-bottom line organisation - people, planet and profit. See www.ethicalproperty.co.uk  for further details of this excellent organisation.

1st February 2010 - Bob presented to the US National Cooperative Grocers Association in Tucson, Arizona on the UK co-operative renaissance and the key strategies that the UK retail co-ops had followed to transform the co-op brand and co-op trading performance.

December 2009 - The Copenhagen Climate conference has ended in disarray and disappointment. The outcome is a long way short of the wishes of ACT ! and its supporters. Co-operators everywhere will need to continue their efforts to persuade politicians to do the right things to reduce the dangers posed by global warming.

20th November 2009 - Bob successfully moved a motion at the biennial global ICA General Assembly in Geneva, which reaffirmed the concerns of the worldwide co-operative movement regarding the climate threat, and authorised that a letter be sent to the UN to call for a successful outcome from the forthcoming Copenhagen climate conference. "News" has more information.

15^th September 2009- Bob is pleased to announce the launch on 21^st September 2009 of the co-operative website (www.actonclimate.coop)  and on-line petition in support of a FAB agreement (Fair, Ambitious and Binding) at the Copenhagen Climate Confernce in December 2009.The campaign and petition attempts to unify co-operatives and co-operators in calling for a Fair Agreement.

Co-operators are encouraged to sign the petition and pass details to other co-operators,friends,neighbours and workmates etc.

30^th April 2009 - Bob has taken up the role (probono) of Principal of ACT! -coperatives addressing the Climate the Climate Threat. The purpose of ACT! is to co-ordinate the work of all co-operatives in Europe in their climate change campaigns and to encourage more co-ops to do more and to do it togther- a la 6^th principle. 

16^th February 2009 -  Following a number of requests, Bob is adding to this website a presentation (Reasons to be Proud) and accompanying music “Proud” by Heather Small.The slides illustrate a number of important social and business achievements by the Co-operative in recent years.The reaction has been that the combination of the slides and the music are uplifting and emotional!  See News  for more details.

1^st-3^rd February 2009 – Bob spoke at this week’s biennial conference of the Canadian Co-operative Association  in Banff, Alberta. See  News for details of his presentations, including the overseas premier showing of the Co-operative’s stunning new tv commercial featuring Bob Dylan’s iconic “Blowing in the Wind”, and how he incurred the wrath of some local co-operators for raising the issue of oil extraction from the Albertan Oil Sands , which many leading climate scientists regard as an environmental disaster.

22^nd January 2009 – Bob is delighted at the announcement today that the Britannia Building Society is to merge with Co-operative Financial Services (CFS), subject to a positive vote by Britannia members on 29^th April. The merger, which is expected to complete in July 2009, will be the first under new legislation enabling mergers between co-operatives and building societies. The merger has been welcomed as a boost for the co-operative/mutual model at a time when the short-termism and greed of investor-led financial businesses has attracted widespread criticism for causing the current, global financial crisis. See News for more details, including extremes of  coverage by the UK’s media.

1^st November 2008 - Bob spoke at today’s meeting of the National Federation of Progressive Co-operators, on the subject of how co-ops should be applying the 6^th principle (that of co-operation amongst co-operatives) in practice, especially in terms of co-operating internationally.

27^th September 2008 - Bob addressed today’s annual conference of the Co-operative Funeral Managers’ Association on the subject of climate change and the case for a distinctive co-operative response. (See News for more details)

25^th September 2008 - Bob presented today to more than 700 delegates at the 10^th national congress of Colombian co-operatives in Cartagena, Colombia. His subject was “ Cambio climatico: un momento oportuno para los valores cooperativos – climate change: a time of opportunity for co-operative values. (See  News for more details).

1^st September 2008 - Bob has been appointed a non-executive director of NUSSL ( National Union of Students Services Ltd), the purchasing and commercial services affiliate of the National Union of Students. (See News for more details).

10^th August 2008 - Bob gave a series of presentations over the weekend of 9^th-10^th of August to the new students enrolling on the Masters degree in Co-operative and Credit Union Management at the University of St Mary’s in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His main themes were the renaissance of the co-op in the UK,  and all of the re-branding work that is underway and planned for the future. (See News for more details.

Czech retail summit - Bob presented the story of the renaissance and turnaround of the co-op in the UK at a major conference of central and eastern European retailers and suppliers in Prague. Click on News for more details.

October 2007 - Climate change - Bob's proposal for co-ops throughout the world to commit to a 3 point action plan to combat climate change was approved unanimously at the recent ICA General Assembly in Singapore. Click on News for  more details.

.coop - the ICA General Assembly also backed the exclusive domain name for all co-ops, .coop, and called on co-ops to invest in and support the future development of .coop. Click on News for more details.

Co-operative Financial Services (CFS) - Bob is continuing as the chair if the CFS Board after his retirement on October 27^th as chair of the Co-operative Group. Click on News for more details.