Developing towns in Coalville, building houses in Grimsby, generating solar power in Bristol - these CANs are vibrant and concrete
From East Marsh Community
This week, we have a cascade of what we call CANs, cosmo-local initiatives, coming into our radar. It’s great just to chart their vitality.
Coalville C.A.N.
From Coalville CANs “Who We Are” PDF
We’ve mentioned them in passing before, but it’s time we honoured this extraordinary initiative - they were a C.A.N (Capacity Asset Networks) entirely coincidentally to our own coining of the term, but we have had great exchanges with them. Below is a map of their activity and ambitions:
From their Mission Statement PDF
Grimsby’s East Marsh Community - building houses
From their Ethex share raising site:
Grimsby’s East Marsh is one of the most deprived wards in England with high poverty rates, and low levels of education and employment. Multiple properties in the area have become run-down and derelict.
A group of residents decided to act and created East Marsh United, an organisation dedicated to regenerating the area through multiple community initiatives. From this, East Marsh Community was created to convert derelict properties into decent, affordable homes for local people.
EMC is dedicated to setting a high standard for housing in the area by being a caring and ethical landlord, providing the best example for a community housing revolution. They have already purchased and renovated three properties in the area which have been let to local families.
To continue to meet demand, EMC have launched a share offer to buy and refurbish more properties for local families. This is just the start; EMC eventually want to provide 100 high quality, affordable community-owned properties in East Marsh.
They have reached their fundraising target of £500K on July 1st, with match funding of £25,000 from Co-ops UK and £25,000 from the Peoples’ Postcode Lottery. More reporting on this from the Big Issue.
Bristol Energy Coop
From their blog - the biggest community-owned solar array in the UK, opening this autumn
Another successful community share raising (£1.3m) is by Bristol Energy Cooperative, whose plans are below:
We are thankful for every one of you who invested in this share offer. This financial activism on such a collective scale can achieve incredible things. We’re already looking to put your money to good use.
The pipeline of projects includes what is believed to be the largest community-owned rooftop solar array in the country, a pioneering microgrid on a community housing development, and solar on a landmark music venue in Bristol.
Our projects don’t just save carbon. They are helping to generate revenues that can be funnelled back into community initiatives. This ensures we are sharing the wealth that renewable energy can bring.
For our tracking of the CAN phenomenon, visit here.