Claire Pritchard, CEO

Greenwich Cooperative Development Agency (GCDA) aims to reduce inequalities and support communities to thrive by providing training, enterprise support, health projects and physical hubs. 

How is GCDA making a difference to people, communities and the wider economy?    

GCDA has been in Greenwich for over 40 years and we are proud of the partnerships we have been part of and the legacy they’ve built, including working with SELCE who have become an essential part of South London’s infrastructure providing sustainable community energy and addressing energy poverty. 

In 2002 we initiated a project focussed on the creation of food co-ops, in partnership with Royal Borough of Greenwich’s Public Health and this work has grown to be one of the most extensive and well known food partnerships in the UK and beyond. 

Central to our work is co-operation, collaboration and partnership. All the work we deliver is in partnership, often with the Royal Borough of Greenwich in our adult training programmes and some of our hubs, or with landowners like Berkeley Homes, with our markets on the Royal Arsenal Riverside and in Kidbrooke Village. 

GCDA wants to support communities to thrive and we do it through 4 approaches: 

Helping to develop and grow enterprises, which meet economic and social needs, through our markets, our shops, our community buildings and our business networks and as part of partnerships. Through our training programmes we aim to help new business start-up and through the trading opportunities we offer we’re supporting those businesses to grow and thrive.  

By delivering training programmes & courses, which build the knowledge and skills of the community and individuals, our training aims to complement our other objectives; support people to have the skills to start and successful run their own businesses and social enterprises, to live healthy lives, and develop their skills and knowledge and encourage continual learning. 

By promoting healthy lifestyles through healthy eating programmes, good food campaigns, physical activity and programmes that support positive mental health and considering the social determinants of health and the environment people live and work in. 

By creating and running accessible community hubs – where we can offer all these services to the communities we serve. 

We work with thousands of people each year; using our community centres, taking part in our training, with over 200 businesses trading in our shops and at our markets, and attending our health programmes. We are happy to say that we know the work we do is making a difference to the people we work with, in communities, in households, in businesses and to many community organisations we partner with and support. 

How can co-ops help tackle some of the biggest challenges facing society? 

Co-ops exist to empower those involved, either as owners, customers or employees. Their democratic nature ensures they reflect and respond to the needs of their members. Coops take many different forms, but each form directly benefits the members of the co-op either through profit share for example the Co-op Shop, or through employment or directly addressing a social issue such as affordable lending, affordable leisure facilities, or tackling energy poverty and the environmental impact of heating our homes. 

Typically, co-ops do not exist to maximise profit and instead seek to maximise benefit to their membership community therefore they are a good legal form for any service that needs to maximise its positive impact on the community it represents; service users, customers, local community or employees. 

When considering the challenges today, protecting community assets from pubs and shops to the NHS, economic inequality and poverty, the Co-op legal structure seeks to find a solution to address this inequality. 

What do you love about co-ops and being part of a co-op in Royal Greenwich? 

Greenwich has a fantastically long and rich history of starting and growing co-ops from the first mutuals to Greenwich Leisure Limited, Greenwich Community Food Co-op and SELCE.  The council, partners, residents and many businesses recognise the role of co-ops and understand the positive impact they are making in their communities. 

GCDA is shaped by its membership, the majority are residents of Royal Greenwich, which means we respond to the needs of those people and the communities they live in. As CEO of GCDA this is a very rewarding role, its lovely to have worked with people myself for over 20 years and I currently have someone attending a course who has worked with GCDA for over 30 years, that longevity has ensured the sustainability of our work and our role and we love it and we are very proud. 

Find out more about GCDA.