Co-op News (August 2019)
What is co-operative culture - and why does it matter? This issue looks at how co-op values intersect with the values in organisations, across movements and between countries. Plus 100 years of the Channel Islands Co-operative – and how the new Coop Exchange app is tackling the capital conundrum.
What is co-operative culture - and why does it matter? This issue looks at how co-op values intersect with the values in organisations, across movements and between countries. Plus 100 years of the Channel Islands Co-operative – and how the new Coop Exchange app is tackling the capital conundrum.
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OBITUARY<br />
Radical Routes loses two of its leading lights<br />
Two wonderful West Yorkshire co-<strong>op</strong>erators<br />
from the Radical Routes network of co-<strong>op</strong>s<br />
died in the last few months – Sean Moran of<br />
Catfish Housing <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> and Dave Brooks of<br />
LED Fantastic Workers <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>, both in their<br />
early 50s, writes Cath Muller.<br />
Dave, who died on 14 June, was a founder<br />
member of Zion Housing <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> (now<br />
Nutclough Housing <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>), acquiring the<br />
Nutclough Tavern, Hebden Bridge, in 2001.<br />
Sean, who died on 21 March, lived at<br />
Townhead Housing <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> near Holmfirth<br />
with partner Cath, their four sons and a<br />
circle of friends; they fought for years to<br />
get a house for Catfish and in late 2018<br />
they succeeded. The co-<strong>op</strong> now houses the<br />
younger members in Marsh, Huddersfield.<br />
Dave’s partner in crime, Em, moved into<br />
Nutclough and they set up Weirdigans Cafe,<br />
before leaving Nutclough to run Mama<br />
Weirdigans (Hebden Hostel) and help<br />
produce the Green Gathering festival.<br />
Sean and Cath were a regular fixture<br />
in the Permaculture Area at Green<br />
Gathering, extolling the virtues of co-<strong>op</strong>s<br />
and communal living. Meanwhile, Em and<br />
Dave catalysed the festival’s <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Camp, a<br />
space to promote radical co-<strong>op</strong>s. Sean was<br />
the secret source of 12V phone and lapt<strong>op</strong><br />
charging, keeping the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Camp online,<br />
while Dave’s workers co-<strong>op</strong>, LED Fantastic,<br />
provided twinkly night-time illumination.<br />
Dave loved cricket, beer and music, so he<br />
joined the committee of the Hebden Cricket<br />
Club, the Fox & Goose co-<strong>op</strong> pub and the<br />
Trades Club <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Society – and put<br />
on ‘Crickstock Festival’ to celebrate his loves.<br />
He believed that if a thing is worth doing,<br />
it’s worth getting other pe<strong>op</strong>le to do it too.<br />
He was committed to devel<strong>op</strong>ing Hebden’s<br />
co-<strong>op</strong> identity and was an organiser of the<br />
Calderdale Bootstrap initiative. I remember<br />
one midnight walk into the cemetery to<br />
check out the grave of Joseph Greenwood, a<br />
founder of Nutclough Fustian Society.<br />
Sean was larger than life, curious and<br />
caring. His affinity with those excluded<br />
from society led him to drug and alcohol<br />
support work. And his enthusiasm for<br />
Radical Routes and for making the set-up<br />
p Dave Brooks (left) and Sean Moran<br />
of co-<strong>op</strong>s accessible to all was infectious.<br />
He had an unst<strong>op</strong>pable desire to learn and<br />
to communicate that learning to others. He<br />
joined the RR Legal Group and Rootstock<br />
<strong>Co</strong>mmittee, challenging himself with legal<br />
documents and spreadsheets. At one RR day,<br />
he insisted we explain things in intelligible<br />
language – then he and Cath produced the<br />
Jargon Busting Guide to RR Meetings to help<br />
folks new to co-<strong>op</strong> devel<strong>op</strong>ment.<br />
At Extinction Rebellion’s Spring Uprising<br />
in April, he took a mic for the first time, to<br />
talk about radical co-<strong>op</strong>s as solutions for<br />
housing, inequality and social change.<br />
Two big-hearted, inspiring men, who<br />
lived with integrity, commitment and fun.<br />
Philip Jones, stalwart of the retail co-<strong>op</strong> movement<br />
Philip Jones was best known in co-<strong>op</strong><br />
circles as secretary of United Norwest and<br />
then United <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives, having started<br />
his career as a management trainee,<br />
writes Cliff Mills. He served under Martin<br />
Beaumont from 1994, and subsequently<br />
under Peter Marks following the Yorkshire<br />
merger until his retirement in 2008.<br />
Less well known was his nine-year<br />
stint as a director of Progress Housing<br />
Group, latterly as chair; his 10-year spell<br />
as a trustee of St Catherine’s Hospice in<br />
Preston, ending as vice-chair; and setting<br />
up and chairing community foundation at<br />
his Wigan Warriors Rugby League, where<br />
he was a lifelong supporter.<br />
He also played tenor horn, starting up<br />
Wigan and District Brass before joining the<br />
Royal Doulton Band, which took him to<br />
Nashville, the Royal Albert Hall, the Silver<br />
Jubilee and Charles and Diana’s wedding,<br />
as well as recording 14 albums.<br />
Phil carried out a remarkable number<br />
of senior roles out with enormous energy,<br />
commitment and competence. Former<br />
president of United, Bill Hoult recalled:<br />
“He took us through three mergers, with<br />
Sheffield, Leeds and Yorkshire, introduced<br />
a pioneering employee share scheme,<br />
and oversaw the establishment of the<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Charitable Foundation.”<br />
Stephen Greenhalgh from St Catherine’s<br />
Hospice added: “Philip had a laser-like<br />
ability to get to the heart of what mattered.”<br />
Jacqui de Rose at New Progress Housing<br />
said: “There was never any doubt who was<br />
in charge. Phil did it in such a nice way,<br />
bringing just the right mix of support and<br />
challenge to make sure we were grounded<br />
and pr<strong>op</strong>erly focused on our practical<br />
purpose – he is one of the most generous<br />
pe<strong>op</strong>le I have ever met.”<br />
And Ian Lanegan, chair of Wigan<br />
Warriors, said: “He had a real selflessness<br />
and passion for helping pe<strong>op</strong>le, as his<br />
charitable work throughout his life proves.<br />
His work and efforts have enabled Wigan<br />
Warriors to enact a positive and lasting<br />
change by ... motivating, educating and<br />
inspiring our local community.”<br />
Phil was warm-hearted, generous, caring<br />
and fun, but outspoken when needed.<br />
He knew when to stand up to a CEO, and<br />
when diplomacy was the way forward. He<br />
was hard-working,<br />
courageous, and<br />
committed to doing<br />
the right thing.<br />
He died on 21<br />
April from the<br />
same cancer as his<br />
beloved wife Lois<br />
15 years earlier.<br />
With their two<br />
boys, Chris and<br />
Rob, he nursed Lois p Philip Jones<br />
at home until the<br />
end, and this played a part in his<br />
subsequent commitment to the hospice<br />
movement. He was a devoted family<br />
man to all generations, especially to his<br />
granddaughter Kaci. In his later years, he<br />
found great happiness with Barbara, with<br />
whom he travelled extensively.<br />
Two days before he died, Philip received<br />
a letter telling him he had been awarded<br />
the Order of Mercy. This prestigious<br />
national award from the League of Mercy<br />
has just a handful of recipients a year.<br />
Barbara read the citation to Philip and he<br />
understood it.<br />
AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> | 13