About Us
Stroud common wealth – SCW
DICTIONARY OF PROJECTS
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An enabling organisation
Established in 1999 by a group of Stroud activists, SCW is an enabling organisation.
It doesn’t seek to become a large organisation, to “scale” – to use the current parlance.
Rather, it identifies needs and opportunities in the community, develops business plans to address them, assembles and capacity-builds groups of key people to manage the initiatives, raises funds for their establishment and maintains a close and active interest in the projects until they are ready to support themselves. Then lets them go.
Some of our projects
Lansdown Hall
Originally the Stroud Performing Arts Centre (the SPACE). A venue for community groups were now able to meet and perform
Social Enterprise Centre
Catching the zeitgeist with training and mentoring for sustainable and not-for-private-profit start-ups
The Exchange
An incubator for nascent enterprises with conference facilities for community use
Gloucestershire Land for People
A community land trust
Supporting social enterprises
SCW’s first project was the purchase – at best community value – of what is now Lansdown Hall – originally the Stroud Performing Arts Centre (the SPACE).
Community groups were now able to rehearse, perform, meet, and do many other things at very affordable rates.
In the early “Norties”, with support from both the District and County Councils, SCW set up the Social Enterprise Centre, catching the zeitgeist with training and mentoring for sustainable and not-for-private-profit start-ups, working sometimes in partnership with the NHS and other public sector bodies. In 2008 SCW established the Exchange, an incubator for nascent enterprises with conference facilities for community use.
In its 20 year existence, SCW has supported and initiated numerous enterprises including Stroud Community Agriculture Limited and Gloucestershire Land for People, a community land trust. Along the way SCW’s Directors, all volunteers, have had successes – and some failures – with its projects, but in either case have built a reputation and a brand that is both respected and valued. SCW is always on the look-out for needs and opportunities in the community. Hence Stroud Communiversity.