Local co-ops & social enterprises

Below is a list of co-operative and social enterprises, currently mainly focused around Brighton & Hove, for people to find out what currently exists. It includes workers’ co-ops, co-operative and social enterprise consortiums, housing co-ops, energy co-ops, financial co-ops, mutuals, Credit Unions, community co-ops, food co-ops, co-op development bodies, co-op experts, Community Interest Companies and other types of social enterprise. This list is not comprehensive, so if co-ops or other social enterprises are missing or have been categorised incorrectly, please email us at mais@riseup.net. None of the organisations or people below are officially affiliated with MAIS. See also the directory run by Co-operatives UK, for a good, but less comprehensive list of co-ops in Brighton. The B&H Social Enterprise Network also a directory of some of the social enterprises in the city

Other types of social enterprise

Workers’ co-ops  
  
Infinity Foods (wholesale, retail)https://www.infinityfoodswholesale.coop/ https://www.infinityfoodsretail.coop/
Magpie Recyclinghttp://www.magpie.coop/
Bartleby’s breweryhttp://bartlebysbrewery.com/
EarthSea wholefoods co-ophttp://earthseacoop.com/
Sail Boat Projecthttp://www.sailboatproject.org
Brighton Community Compost Centre (a workers’ co-op?)http://www.brighton-compost.coop/
Pencil & Pawshttp://pencilandpaws.co.uk/
Kindlings Outdoor Play And Education Co-operativehttps://www.facebook.com/Kindlingsoutdoorplay
  
Co-op/Social Enterprise consortiums 
  
Mutual Aid in Sussexhttps://maisnetwork.wordpress.com/
Stanmer Organicshttp://stanmerorganics.com/
Co-operative Housing in Brighton & Hove (CHIBAH)http://chibah.org/
South East regional for The Co-operativehttps://www.co-operativememberevents.coop/coop_ems/co-operative-membership-regions-SouthEast.aspx
Co-operatives South Easthttp://cooperatives-se.coop/
Brighton & Hove Social Enterprise Networkhttp://www.bhsen.co.uk/
Community Workshttp://www.bhcommunityworks.org.uk/
Purple Dothttp://www.purpledot.org/
The Brightoneershttp://www.meetup.com/The-Brightoneers/
Social Enterprise East Sussexhttp://socialenterprisees.com/
  
Housing co-ops 
  
Co-operative Housing in Brighton & Hove (CHIBAH)CHIBAH is a network of housing co-operatives dedicated to supporting and developing co-operative housing.
Brighton & Hove Community Land TrustBHCLT is a community benefit society acting as an umbrella CLT for the city. It hosts the Brighton & Hove Community Led Housing Hub (CLH HUB) which supports local community led housing projects
Diggers Self Build (Architects’ link; Coops UK website)The Diggers are a self-build with 9 houses in Hollingbury. These timber eco-houses were built with the Segal method
Brighton Rock Brighton Rock is a shared house co-op in West Hove. There are 12 members in all living in 3 conjoined terraced houses
SkylarkSkylark is a 7 bedroom housing co-op in Bevendean. They are a member of Radical Routes
Out of TownOut of Town have 2 shared houses – in Hollingbury and in Moulsecoombe. Together they house 16 people and are a member of Radical Routes
Ringo (The Borg)Ringo have a shared house in the Preston Park area, housing 10 adults and a child
Woodwych
DryadDryad is a self-build housing coop with 11 self-contained timber-framed houses around Hollingbury Golf Course and the Roedale allotments
LorganLorgan housing co-op manage a variety of houses based on temporary negotiations with the owners of empty properties .
Edge Out Edge Out is a self-build housing co-op.
Two PiersTwo Piers houses 68 single people and parents in shared and self-contained flats and houses in several locations across the city. They are also Brighton’s largest housing co-op.
South Down Eco-housingSouth Downs Eco is a housing coop and a Community Land Trust who own a site on the edge of Brighton with 3 hectares of downland. They house 4 members in a shared house.
Sussex CohousingSussex Cohousing is an unhoused group working towards intergenerational community cluster of private dwellings and shared community spaces of about 20–50 adults plus children.
Rosa BridgeRosa Bridge is a queer, feminist housing co-op with 5 members living together in a shared house (and large garden) in the Hanover area
HornbeamHornbeam is a 6-bedroom shared housing coop in Bevendean
BugBug is a 6-bedroom shared housing coop in Higher Bevendean
Hedgehog (Architects’; Grand designs)Hedgehog is a timber-frame self-build coop in Bevendean with 10 houses built using the Segal self-build method
BunkerBunker is a self-build housing co-op for low-income families, building self-contained houses on council-owned sites across Brighton
StarlingsStarlings is an unhoused cohousing group working towards 15 self-contained houses and shared community spaces
SEASALTSEASALT is a student housing cooperative with an 8-bedroom shared house in Moulsecoombe
Cooperation MurmurationMurmuration is an unhoused group working towards self-contained houses for QTIPOC and their self-defined families.
Selby / Coldean CommunitySelby and Coldean Community Organisation own and are developing 12-15 homes and community facilities including a gymnasium.
NubNub is a group of 10 Brighton people and their children who are working together to create a community self-build in the city.
AlderAlder is an unhoused group aiming to provide housing of choice for adults with learning disabilities
Sea CitySea City is a housing coop for members of the LGBTQ+ community to live together as they get older, aiming to buy a shared house in 2021
Energy Co-ops 
  
Brighton & Hove Energy Services Co-operative Ltd (BHESCo)http://bhesco.co.uk/
Brighton Energy Co-ophttp://www.brightonenergy.org.uk/
Community Energy Southhttp://www.communityenergysouth.org.uk/
Ovescohttp://www.ovesco-ips.co.uk/index.html
  
Financial Co-ops, mutuals and Credit Unions 
  
East Sussex Credit Unionhttp://www.eastsussexcu.org.uk/
Co-op bank local branch (now mostly owned by hedge funds) http://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/global/branch-finder
Nationwide (mutual) http://www.nationwide.co.uk/support/contact-us/branch-finder
  
Community Co-ops 
  
Crankshttp://cranks.org.uk/
The Cowley Clubhttp://cowleyclub.org.uk/
The Bevy?http://thebevy.co.uk/
Goodwill co-ophttp://www.emmausbrighton.co.uk/shopOnline/default/TheGoodwillco-op.asp
Brighton Jazz co-ophttp://brightonjazzco-op.blogspot.co.uk/
University of Brighton Bicycle CO-OPhttps://www.facebook.com/Bricycoop
RE:CYCLE (bike hire)http://www.sussexstudent.com/organisation/recyclebikehire/
Exeter St Hallhttp://www.exeterstreethall.org
New Roots Growing co-ophttp://bhfood.org.uk/new-roots
  
Food Co-ops 
  
Allganicshttp://bhfood.org.uk/food-buying-groups-coops
University of brighton Food Coophttp://uobfoodcoop.wordpress.com/
SCOOP (Sussex Uni)http://www.sussexstudent.com/organisation/scoop/
Sussex Shoots (Sussex Uni)http://www.sussexstudent.com/organisation/shoots/
Sheep Sharehttp://brightoncommunityagriculture.org.uk/
  
Co-op Development/consultancy Bodies /Professionals 
  
South East Co-operative Supporthttp://www.secs.coop/
Co-operative Business Consultants (CBC)http://www.cbc.coop/
Co-operanticshttp://www.cooperantics.coop/about/
Co-operative Assistance Networkhttp://www.can.coop/
Co-operatives South Easthttp://cooperatives-se.coop/
Dave Boylehttp://daveboyle.net/
Mike Aikenhttp://cru.open.ac.uk/mike_aiken.php
SE Assisthttps://se-assist.co.uk/sussex/
  
Community Interest Company’s 
  
Saltdean Lidohttp://saltdeanlido.co.uk/
East Brighton trusthttp://www.eastbrightontrust.org.uk/
Brighton Open Market Community Interest Companyhttp://www.brightonopenmarket.co.uk/about-us/site-history/
Actually Community Interest Companyhttp://www.actuallycic.org/
The Werks (includes Coachwerks)http://www.werkshop.org.uk/
The Big Lemonhttp://www.thebiglemon.com/
Hisbehttp://hisbe.co.uk/
Purple Playhouse Theatrehttp://purpleplayhousetheatre.com/
Thriving Planethttp://www.thrivingplanet.org.uk/
Brightpip CIChttp://www.brightpip.co.uk/
Didi DIYhttp://didi-diy.com/
Grow Mindfulness CIChttp://www.growmindfulness.org/
Goodmoney CIChttp://www.goodmoney.co.uk/
Parentskool CIChttp://www.parentskool.co.uk/
Storycraft Marketinghttp://www.alexbrenan.com/
Drum Unitedhttp://www.drumunited.org/
Open Stringshttp://openstrings.co.uk/
Aquaponic Life CIChttp://aquaponiclife.org/
Wellsbourne Healthcare CIChttp://wellsbournehealthcare.co.uk/
  
  
The Platform Social Enterprise Ltd (previously Care Co-ops) – a Company Limited by Guaranteehttp://www.theplatform.org.uk/
The Wood Store Brightonhttp://www.woodrecycling.org.uk
Synergy Centrehttp://www.thesynergycentre.org/
Free University Brightonhttp://freeuniversitybrighton.org
Stoneham Bakehousehttp://stonehambakehouse.org.uk/
FotoDocumenthttp://www.fotodocument.org/
Planet Feedhttp://www.planetfeed.org/
ZLS Theatrehttp://www.zlstheatre.org.uk/
Engage & Createhttp://www.engageandcreate.com/
The Big Fighttp://www.thebigfig.co.uk/
New Note Orchestrahttp://www.newnote.co.uk/
Healthwatch Brighton and Hovehttp://www.healthwatchbrightonandhove.co.uk/
Social Enterprise Theatrehttp://www.socialenterprisetheatre.com/