Wales Co-operative Centre
A Welsh non-profit co-operative development agency supporting co-operatives, social enterprises, community organisations, financial inclusion and digital inclusion.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Wales Co-operative Centre is a non-profit co-operative development agency established in 1982 by the Wales Trades Union Congress to provide business support for co-operatives in Wales. Over time, it developed from a specialist co-operative support organisation into a broad social-economy and community-development body working across Wales. The Centre advises and supports co-operatives, social enterprises, community groups, voluntary organisations and other locally focused organisations. Its work has included business advice, training, employee-ownership development, social-enterprise support, credit-union development, community finance, debt and money advice, fair-trade promotion, and programmes designed to reduce social and digital exclusion. Rather than selling conventional consumer products, it delivers publicly funded, grant-supported and contract-based programmes, alongside earned income from its activities. Its historical work has covered several significant Welsh initiatives. In the 1980s it published information about Welsh co-operatives, established training provision and helped create the credit union in Rhydfelin, now known as Dragonsavers. During the 1990s, the Centre supported employee ownership at Tower Colliery, helped establish a credit union linked to an NHS trust in Bridgend, assisted people receiving benefits into self-employment, and expanded its work with social enterprises. It also became an early institutional supporter of the developing social-enterprise network in Wales. During the 2000s, the organisation became increasingly involved in programmes funded by the Welsh Government, local authorities and European structural funds. These included credit-union development, support for Communities First, debt redemption and money advice, co-operative development, social-enterprise support, fair-trade activity and digital-inclusion programmes. Its successful delivery of initiatives such as Communities@One and Communities 2.0 positioned it as an important intermediary in efforts to improve digital access and participation in disadvantaged communities. In 2014, the Centre changed its legal form from an industrial and provident society to a community benefit society. This reflected its community-serving purpose and member-governed structure. Its members elect a management board, which appoints the executive committee. The organisation has operated from offices in Caerphilly, Bangor, Carmarthen and Swansea, with staff working throughout Wales. In the 2010s, the Centre continued to combine enterprise development with community and inclusion work. Social Business Wales, launched in 2015, provided online and face-to-face assistance to social businesses seeking growth and additional employment. The Centre also delivered Digital Communities Wales, a Welsh Government digital-inclusion programme intended to help more people access and use the internet. In 2016, Care to Co-operate began supporting co-operative approaches in social care and wellbeing, while Community Shares Wales helped communities raise investment to establish or preserve local services and facilities. The Centre is funded through a mixture of Welsh Government support, European programmes, local-authority funding and income earned through its services and contracts. Its overall positioning is that of a practical development partner for organisations seeking collective ownership, community benefit, inclusive economic participation and locally controlled services. It is generally described as the largest co-operative development body in the United Kingdom, although its work extends beyond co-operatives into the wider social economy.
History
Wales Co-operative Centre was founded in 1982 by the Wales Trades Union Congress as a business-support body for co-operatives in Wales. Its early activities included producing information about Welsh co-operatives and creating training provision. In 1988, it helped establish the first credit union in Wales in Rhydfelin, an organisation now known as Dragonsavers. It also began advising trade unions and their members on employee ownership. By 1992, the Centre was described as the largest co-operative development agency in England and Wales. Its work during the 1990s included supporting the transformation of Tower Colliery into a major employee-owned business and helping establish a credit union associated with an NHS trust in Bridgend. In 1998, it assumed responsibility for the Enterprise Rehearsal Project, which supported benefit claimants moving towards self-employment. The following year, it broadened its work with social enterprises and became the first chair of the All Wales Social Enterprise Network. The 2000s brought a substantial expansion in public-policy and programme-delivery work. In 2000, Welsh Assembly Government support enabled a major credit-union development and grant initiative, later connected with European structural-fund programming. In 2001, the Centre brought together the Communities First Support Network to assist the Communities First programme. In 2002, funding from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust enabled it to administer a debt-redemption and money-advice scheme aimed at people vulnerable to doorstep lending. European Objective One funding in 2004 supported further co-operative development and contributed to organisational expansion. Wales's 2005 Social Enterprise Strategy formally recognised the contribution of social enterprises and co-operatives to economic development. In 2006, the Centre won the contract to deliver Communities@One, a digital-inclusion initiative established by the Welsh Assembly Government's Communities Directorate. It launched a fair-trade project in 2007 and in 2009 secured contracts for the Social Enterprise Support Project and the Welsh Government's Communities 2.0 digital-inclusion programme. A leadership transition took place in 2010. Simon Harris left the chief executive role after 18 years with the Centre to become Director of Wales at Business in the Community, and Derek Walker became chief executive after previously serving as Director of External Affairs at the Big Lottery Fund. In 2014, the Centre changed its constitutional form from an industrial and provident society to a community benefit society. Its members elect a management board, which appoints the executive committee. This governance model reflects the organisation's community-serving and participatory purpose. From 2015 onward, the Centre continued to develop programmes combining enterprise growth, inclusion and community ownership. Social Business Wales offered tailored support to social businesses aiming to expand and create jobs. The Centre also delivered Digital Communities Wales, a Welsh Government programme intended to increase internet access and digital participation. In 2016, Care to Co-operate began supporting co-operative models in social care and wellbeing, while Community Shares Wales assisted communities seeking investment to create or preserve local facilities and services. The Centre operates across Wales, with offices reported in Caerphilly, Bangor, Carmarthen and Swansea, and has maintained a workforce of more than 80 staff according to the cited reference material. Its funding model combines Welsh Government and local-authority support, European funding and earned income. Its institutional role is broader than conventional consultancy: it acts as a development partner, programme operator and advocate for co-operative and social-enterprise solutions to economic, financial and digital exclusion.
- 2016
Care to Co-operate and Community Shares Wales begin
[1]New programmes addressed co-operative social care and community-led investment.
- 2015
Social Business Wales begins
[1]The Centre began delivering a support programme for social businesses seeking growth and employment creation.
- 2014
Conversion to community benefit society
[1]The Centre changed its legal form from an industrial and provident society to a community benefit society.
- 2010
Chief executive transition
[1]Simon Harris left after 18 years and Derek Walker became chief executive.
- 2009
Social enterprise and digital-inclusion contracts
[1]The Centre secured delivery roles for the Social Enterprise Support Project and Communities 2.0.
- 2006
Communities@One delivery contract
[1]The Centre won the contract to deliver a Welsh digital-inclusion initiative.
- 2000
Credit-union development initiative expanded
[1]Welsh Assembly Government support enabled a significant credit-union development and grant programme.
- 1998
Enterprise Rehearsal Project transferred to the Centre
[1]The Centre took over a project designed to help people receiving benefits explore self-employment.
- 1995
Tower Colliery employee ownership support
[1]The Centre supported Tower Colliery's development as a major employee-owned company.
- 1988
Rhydfelin credit union supported
[1]The Centre helped establish a credit union in Rhydfelin, now known as Dragonsavers.
Products and positioning
A mission-led Welsh development agency that uses co-operative, community-ownership and social-enterprise models to strengthen local economies, improve inclusion and support sustainable community services.
Social-enterprise support · 2015
Social Business Wales
A support programme providing online and face-to-face advice to social businesses in Wales. Its purpose is to help organisations improve their operations, expand their activity and create employment while retaining a social or community mission.
Digital inclusion
Digital Communities Wales
A Welsh Government digital-inclusion programme delivered by the Centre to help people and communities overcome barriers to getting online and using digital services. It followed the Centre's earlier involvement in Communities@One and Communities 2.0.
Community finance · 2016
Community Shares Wales
An initiative supporting communities that want to raise investment through community shares in order to establish, preserve or improve local amenities and services.
Social-care co-operation · 2016
Care to Co-operate
A programme supporting the development of co-operative approaches in social care and wellbeing. It extends the Centre's co-operative-development expertise into care provision and locally rooted wellbeing services.
Financial inclusion · 1988
Credit-union development programmes
A long-running area of work involving credit-union formation, development advice, grant administration and financial-inclusion support. The Centre's historical projects included assistance for the Rhydfelin credit union and an NHS Trust-based credit union in Bridgend.
Marketing campaigns
- 2009Communities 2.0
Wales
The Centre won a contract to deliver a Welsh Government digital-inclusion project building on earlier Communities@One work.
Outcome. The cited material does not provide quantified outcomes.
- 2007Fair Trade project
Wales
A project funded by the Welsh Assembly Government that worked with businesses across Wales to explain the potential benefits of adopting fair-trade policies.
Outcome. The cited material does not quantify the programme's results.
- 2006Communities@One
Wales
The Centre delivered a Communities Directorate initiative focused on improving digital inclusion and community access to information technology.
Outcome. The programme established the Centre as a significant delivery organisation in Welsh digital inclusion.
- 2001Communities First Support Network
Wales
The Centre brought together a support network intended to assist delivery of the Communities First programme in disadvantaged Welsh communities.
Outcome. The cited material does not provide quantified outcomes.
Brand decisions
2014
Adopt community benefit society structureStrategyBackground
The Centre had operated as an industrial and provident society while delivering community-focused co-operative and social-enterprise work.
Action taken
It changed its legal form to a community benefit society, with members electing a management board.
Aftermath
The new structure maintained member governance and aligned the organisation's legal identity with its community-serving purpose.
Recent events
- 2016
Care to Co-operate and Community Shares Wales launched[1]
Product launch
Two initiatives expanded the Centre's portfolio into social-care co-operation and community-led investment for local amenities and services.
- 2015
Social Business Wales support programme begins[1]
Product launch
The Centre began delivering Social Business Wales, offering online and face-to-face support to social businesses seeking growth and employment creation.
- 2014
Wales Co-operative Centre changes legal form to a community benefit society[1]
Other
The Centre moved from industrial and provident society status to community benefit society status, retaining a member-governed structure.
- 1982
Wales Co-operative Centre established by Wales TUC[1]
Other
The organisation was created to provide business and development support to co-operatives in Wales.
Sources2 sources
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