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 Recycling | http://www.magpie.coop/ |
Bartleby’s brewery | http://bartlebysbrewery.com/ |
EarthSea wholefoods co-op | http://earthseacoop.com/ |
Sail Boat Project | http://www.sailboatproject.org |
Brighton Community Compost Centre (a workers’ co-op?) | http://www.brighton-compost.coop/ |
Pencil & Paws | http://pencilandpaws.co.uk/ |
Kindlings Outdoor Play And Education Co-operative | https://www.facebook.com/Kindlingsoutdoorplay |
Co-op/Social Enterprise consortiums | |
Mutual Aid in Sussex | https://maisnetwork.wordpress.com/ |
Stanmer Organics | http://stanmerorganics.com/ |
Co-operative Housing in Brighton & Hove (CHIBAH) | http://chibah.org/ |
South East regional for The Co-operative | https://www.co-operativememberevents.coop/coop_ems/co-operative-membership-regions-SouthEast.aspx |
Co-operatives South East | http://cooperatives-se.coop/ |
Brighton & Hove Social Enterprise Network | http://www.bhsen.co.uk/ |
Community Works | http://www.bhcommunityworks.org.uk/ |
Purple Dot | http://www.purpledot.org/ |
The Brightoneers | http://www.meetup.com/The-Brightoneers/ |
Social Enterprise East Sussex | http://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 Trust | BHCLT 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 |
Skylark | Skylark is a 7 bedroom housing co-op in Bevendean. They are a member of Radical Routes |
Out of Town | Out 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 | |
Dryad | Dryad is a self-build housing coop with 11 self-contained timber-framed houses around Hollingbury Golf Course and the Roedale allotments |
Lorgan | Lorgan 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 Piers | Two 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-housing | South 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 Cohousing | Sussex 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 Bridge | Rosa Bridge is a queer, feminist housing co-op with 5 members living together in a shared house (and large garden) in the Hanover area |
Hornbeam | Hornbeam is a 6-bedroom shared housing coop in Bevendean |
Bug | Bug 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 |
Bunker | Bunker is a self-build housing co-op for low-income families, building self-contained houses on council-owned sites across Brighton |
Starlings | Starlings is an unhoused cohousing group working towards 15 self-contained houses and shared community spaces |
SEASALT | SEASALT is a student housing cooperative with an 8-bedroom shared house in Moulsecoombe |
Cooperation Murmuration | Murmuration is an unhoused group working towards self-contained houses for QTIPOC and their self-defined families. |
Selby / Coldean Community | Selby and Coldean Community Organisation own and are developing 12-15 homes and community facilities including a gymnasium. |
Nub | Nub is a group of 10 Brighton people and their children who are working together to create a community self-build in the city. |
Alder | Alder is an unhoused group aiming to provide housing of choice for adults with learning disabilities |
Sea City | Sea 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-op | http://www.brightonenergy.org.uk/ |
Community Energy South | http://www.communityenergysouth.org.uk/ |
Ovesco | http://www.ovesco-ips.co.uk/index.html |
Financial Co-ops, mutuals and Credit Unions | |
East Sussex Credit Union | http://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 | |
Cranks | http://cranks.org.uk/ |
The Cowley Club | http://cowleyclub.org.uk/ |
The Bevy? | http://thebevy.co.uk/ |
Goodwill co-op | http://www.emmausbrighton.co.uk/shopOnline/default/TheGoodwillco-op.asp |
Brighton Jazz co-op | http://brightonjazzco-op.blogspot.co.uk/ |
University of Brighton Bicycle CO-OP | https://www.facebook.com/Bricycoop |
RE:CYCLE (bike hire) | http://www.sussexstudent.com/organisation/recyclebikehire/ |
Exeter St Hall | http://www.exeterstreethall.org |
New Roots Growing co-op | http://bhfood.org.uk/new-roots |
Food Co-ops | |
Allganics | http://bhfood.org.uk/food-buying-groups-coops |
University of brighton Food Coop | http://uobfoodcoop.wordpress.com/ |
SCOOP (Sussex Uni) | http://www.sussexstudent.com/organisation/scoop/ |
Sussex Shoots (Sussex Uni) | http://www.sussexstudent.com/organisation/shoots/ |
Sheep Share | http://brightoncommunityagriculture.org.uk/ |
Co-op Development/consultancy Bodies /Professionals | |
South East Co-operative Support | http://www.secs.coop/ |
Co-operative Business Consultants (CBC) | http://www.cbc.coop/ |
Co-operantics | http://www.cooperantics.coop/about/ |
Co-operative Assistance Network | http://www.can.coop/ |
Co-operatives South East | http://cooperatives-se.coop/ |
Dave Boyle | http://daveboyle.net/ |
Mike Aiken | http://cru.open.ac.uk/mike_aiken.php |
SE Assist | https://se-assist.co.uk/sussex/ |
Community Interest Company’s | |
Saltdean Lido | http://saltdeanlido.co.uk/ |
East Brighton trust | http://www.eastbrightontrust.org.uk/ |
Brighton Open Market Community Interest Company | http://www.brightonopenmarket.co.uk/about-us/site-history/ |
Actually Community Interest Company | http://www.actuallycic.org/ |
The Werks (includes Coachwerks) | http://www.werkshop.org.uk/ |
The Big Lemon | http://www.thebiglemon.com/ |
Hisbe | http://hisbe.co.uk/ |
Purple Playhouse Theatre | http://purpleplayhousetheatre.com/ |
Thriving Planet | http://www.thrivingplanet.org.uk/ |
Brightpip CIC | http://www.brightpip.co.uk/ |
Didi DIY | http://didi-diy.com/ |
Grow Mindfulness CIC | http://www.growmindfulness.org/ |
Goodmoney CIC | http://www.goodmoney.co.uk/ |
Parentskool CIC | http://www.parentskool.co.uk/ |
Storycraft Marketing | http://www.alexbrenan.com/ |
Drum United | http://www.drumunited.org/ |
Open Strings | http://openstrings.co.uk/ |
Aquaponic Life CIC | http://aquaponiclife.org/ |
Wellsbourne Healthcare CIC | http://wellsbournehealthcare.co.uk/ |
The Platform Social Enterprise Ltd (previously Care Co-ops) – a Company Limited by Guarantee | http://www.theplatform.org.uk/ |
The Wood Store Brighton | http://www.woodrecycling.org.uk |
Synergy Centre | http://www.thesynergycentre.org/ |
Free University Brighton | http://freeuniversitybrighton.org |
Stoneham Bakehouse | http://stonehambakehouse.org.uk/ |
FotoDocument | http://www.fotodocument.org/ |
Planet Feed | http://www.planetfeed.org/ |
ZLS Theatre | http://www.zlstheatre.org.uk/ |
Engage & Create | http://www.engageandcreate.com/ |
The Big Fig | http://www.thebigfig.co.uk/ |
New Note Orchestra | http://www.newnote.co.uk/ |
Healthwatch Brighton and Hove | http://www.healthwatchbrightonandhove.co.uk/ |
Social Enterprise Theatre | http://www.socialenterprisetheatre.com/ |