Feeling the Squeeze? Discover How Co-ops Can Help

Visit our pop-up shop this half-term for a free, family-friendly day of fun and discovery into how co-operatives and other community-led initiatives are helping people respond to cost-of-living pressures. Enjoy face painting and a fun photo booth, while taking part in interactive and accessible co-operative games, puzzles, and art workshops to explore how working together helps individuals, families, and communities build financial resilience, strengthen local connections, and create practical solutions to everyday problems. 

At a time when so many are feeling the squeeze from rising living costs, this event engages people in and around Hertfordshire in a discovery journey to reveal the power of co-operation and doing things together to save money, access affordable services, and support one another through challenging times.

Working with local and national partners – including the Co-op Group, Co-operatives UK, Cooperation Town, South Herts Credit Union, and the Co-operative Councils Innovation Network – the programme of activities on offer throughout the day features:

Crack the Co-op Code! Discover the Building Blocks of Co-operation 

A hands-on puzzle challenge, in partnership with Co-operatives UK, exploring the building blocks of co-operatives, from shared ownership and democratic decision-making to trust, participation and community benefit.

What Counts as Essential?

A fun and thought-provoking activity with Co-op, featuring a free raffle, a prize wheel, and an interactive challenge about what’s essential on a tight budget.

Cooperation Town Challenge: How Much Could You Save on Your Food Shopping

An interactive simulation with Cooperation Town illustrating how being a community organiser by buying fresh fruit, vegetables, and other foods with neighbours can cut the cost of the weekly shop while strengthening local communities.

Creative Care: A Co-operative Art Workshop

A fun hands-on art session for all ages, run by Hertfordshire-based artist Jane Glynn, exploring how we can look after each other through co-operative care at a time when the care system is feeling the squeeze. Participants will create their own mini art books to take home and contribute to a giant collective community book.

The Small Savings Big Future Quiz

An engaging and fun quiz for all designed to show how saving just a small amount each week or month can grow over time, reaching bigger goals than expected. Meet South Herts Credit Union and find out how pooling savings together with other local people can make money go further for everyone.

Co-operative Councils: Communities Shaping Local Change

Imagine a local authority that works with people, not just for them. Visit an interactive showcase with the Co-operative Councils' Innovation Network and discover how co-operative councils are working alongside communities to shape services, address shared challenges, strengthen neighbourhoods, and create fairer, more resilient places to live. Explore inspiring examples from across the UK and find out how co-operation can help communities flourish.

Meet the Expert Behind the Event

Curious about the ideas behind the activities? Meet Dr Francesca Gagliardi from the University of Hertfordshire and discover how social science research is helping us understand the role that co-operatives, community organisations, and collective action can play in tackling cost-of-living challenges.

Dr Francesca Gagliardi, Reader in Institutional Economics, University of Hertfordshire

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