Guest speakers Kevin Rye (left) and Len Wardle (right)

A wide range of West Midlands business people, interested in finding out more about the co-operative enterprise model, are being invited to a networking lunch at the attractive banqueting suite of Birmingham Council House on Friday, March 23.

High profile guest speakers will include Len Wardle, Chair of the Co-operative Group, the UK’s largest consumer co-operative society, which is owned not by shareholders but by over six million members.

The Co-operative Group is the UK’s fifth biggest food retailer, alongside The Co-operative Bank, Insurance, Funeralcare, Pharmacy, Motors, E-Electrical, Legal Services and Clothing. It was the first supermarket to supply Fairtrade products in 1992.

Mr Wardle will be talking about the 2012 UN International Year of Co-operatives, and what the year means for the co-operative economy in the UK – which is now worth £33 billion per annum and has outperformed the British economy as a whole, growing by 21 percent, since the start of the credit crunch in 2008.

The second speaker is Kevin Rye, Network Development Manager at Supporters’ Direct, which promotes sustainable sports clubs based on supporters’ involvement and community ownership, and helps fans to form their own trusts.

Since 2000 Supporters’ Direct has aided in the creation of more than 160 Supporters’ Trusts, including AFC Telford United and Telford Tigers Ice Hockey Club in the West Midlands.

Among the guests will be the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Anita Ward. Exhibitors include Midlands Co-operative Society, The Future Melting Pot, Birmingham Co-operative Housing Services, The Co-operative Group Central and Eastern Region, Co-operative Energy, Co-operatives West Midlands, Midcounties Co-operative Society, The Co-operative Enterprise Hub, Co-operative Futures and Supporters’ Direct.

The networking event is organised by Co-operatives West Midlands, the representative body of co-operative enterprise in the region and supported by Midlands Co-operative Society, Midcounties Co-operative Society, The Heart of England Co-operative Society and The Co-operative Enterprise Hub. The Co-operative Enterprise Hub financially supports people to start up a co-operative with business advice – visit www.co-operative.coop/enterprisehub.

Anyone interested in attending this free event, which is by invitation only (limited places left), should contact Jenny de Villiers at jdevilliers@btinternet.com or on 0777 370 5552. For more information about the co-operative business model, and how to start a co-operative, log on to www.cooperatives-wm.coop

A bed said to have been designed by and for Ernest Gimson

A bed said to have been designed by and for Ernest Gimson – one of the leading practitioners of the Cotswolds-based Arts and Crafts revival – will be sold at auction in Cirencester next month as part of a larger collection of Arts and Crafts antiques.

The single bed, made in walnut , was acquired by the vendor from the family of Norman Jewson – an apprentice to Gimson – and is considered to be a fascinating piece of Cotswolds Arts and Crafts history.

Handmade in around 1914, the chip-carved bed frame bears all the hallmarks of Gimson’s designs, and members of the Jewson family insisted that the bed had been designed by Gimson and made at his Daneway workshop for his own use.

It later became the property of Norman Jewson – a member of the famous timber merchant family – who died in the bed in 1975.

Antiques auctioneer Philip Allwood, of Moore Allen & Innocent, which is selling the bed, said: “It has excellent provenance, and while a wooden bed frame of that period might be worth £30 to £50, and an Arts and Crafts bed might achieve £500 to £800 at auction, a bed designed by Gimson himself – and one owned by the craftsman and his apprentice – could fetch anything between £1,000 to £1,500.”

Gimson was introduced to the Arts and Crafts concept by the leader of the Victorian revival, William Morris, in 1884. At the recommendation of Morris, Gimson moved to the architectural practice of John Dando Sedding in London, where he met Ernest Barnsley – later to become another key figure in the Arts and Crafts movement.

In 1893 Gimson, with Ernest and Sidney Barnsley, moved to Sapperton, to be close to the nature that inspired their designs. In 1900 Gimson set up a small furniture workshop in Cirencester, moving to larger premises at Daneway, where he lived and worked until his death in 1919.

Also offered for sale are are a circa 1930 washstand, double wardrobe and chest, all by Frank Gardiner – an apprentice to Gimson at Daneway – after his master’s designs.

All of the pieces have been made in local oak and feature chamfered decoration. The washstand is expected to achieve £700 to £1,000, the chest £800 to £1,200 and the wardrobe £1,000 to £1,500.

A pass type ladder back chair in ash, designed in the manner of Gimson and said to have been made by the craftsman himself

Also of interest to Gimson enthusiasts is a pass type ladder back chair in ash, with rush seat, designed in the manner of Gimson and said to have been made by the craftsman himself – a rare piece, as Gimson was said to have been a far better designer than he was a craftsman.

Certainly it was given to Norman Jewson after Gimson’s death. A bid of £400 to £600 should secure the lot.

While Arts and Crafts revival furniture makers were chiselling away in the Cotswolds, Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson of Kilburn was designing and making furniture in the Arts and Crafts style from his workshop on the North Yorkshire Moors.

The iconic mouse motif first appeared in the year of Gimson’s death – 1919 – and continues to be carved onto every piece of furniture and ornament crafted at the workshop ever since. And although the founder died in 1955, the tradition has been carried on by his descendants.

A number of Mouseman pieces will be sold at the auction, including two nests of three occasional tables (estimate £600 to £900 per nest), and an octagonal occasional table (estimate £500 to £800).

The sale also features a number of Mouseman ornaments, including a kidney shaped drinks tray (£150 to £200), a rectangular lidded box (£150 to £200), a set of six napkin rings (£100 to £150), a cheeseboard (£50 to £80), a circular bowl and lighter holder (£50 to £80), a fruit bowl (£100 to £150), and an ashtray (£50 to £80) – all featuring that trademark scurrying mouse.

Also included is a 28cm-high carved wooden figure of a seated cat with a mouse between its paws in the Mouseman manner, from the same collection.

There is no record of the company ever having made cat figurines – or wanting to depict the demise of their trademark mouse – so the beautifully carved piece carries an estimate of £100 to £150, although it will fetch far more if bidders are convinced it is a rare Mouseman original.

A Chinese Kangxi blue and white vase from the 18th century

Beautiful ornaments from the other side of the world also feature in the sale, while collectors and traders take advantage of the prices paid for highly-prized Chinese antiques as the nation’s upper and middle classes continue to prosper.

Among the best are a pair of late 19th century moon flasks decorated with figures on horseback coloured in Imperial yellow (estimate £800 to £1,200), a Kangxi blue and white vase from the 18th century, standing at 35cms (£800 to £1,200), a circa 1900 rosewood framed table screen depicting an old man riding a deer (£300 to £500) and a pair of amber vases with lion mask head handles, standing at 21.5cm tall (£300 to £500).

The 273-lot auction will be held at Moore Allen & Innocent’s Cirencester saleroom from 10.30am on Friday, March 2. For a full auction catalogue log on to www.mooreallen.co.uk

Androulla Derbyshire of Culinary Capers and Andy Ayris of Andrew's Butchers

Meat-lovers will be facing the chop at a course on how to cook pork at a Marlborough butchers this month.

And to prove it’s no flash in the pan, carnivores are also being offered lessons in cooking lamb, beef, game and offal, and rabbit and chicken.

Cookery coach Androulla Derbyshire from Marlborough-based Culinary Capers and master butcher Andy Ayris of Andrew’s Butchers in High Street both have a steak in the new venture.

The two met when food-lover Androulla ordered a “large” turkey to feed an extended family of 20 at Christmas.

She ended up with a whopping 38-pounder, which she had to chop up to fit in her not-unsubstantial Aga. But despite the hassle she reckon it was one of the best turkeys she had ever tasted – and her dinner guests agreed.

Androulla set up Culinary Capers with a mission – to teach people that it is as easy to cook from scratch than to buy and warm up ready meals.

“People don’t cook because they lack the confidence or think it takes a long time. Neither is true: cooking is easy once you’ve mastered a few basic skills, whilst cooking a meal from scratch – using fresh ingredients – is often as quick, or quicker, than blasting a ready meal in a microwave; and it’s better for you too.”

And Andrew, who opened the butchers – his third in Wiltshire – 18 weeks ago has a mission of his own: to instil in his customers an appreciation of good quality cuts of meat, and a concern for animal welfare.

“All of our animals come to us in fur coats,” said Andy, “and we use every piece – nothing is wasted.

“There’s far more to an animal than the traditional cuts you find in a supermarket. We’re seeing a growing trend for cuts like ox cheek and lamb shanks, from which you can create unusual and delicious dishes.

“The courses will be looking at the different cuts of meat, and how to get the best results from them – from flash frying to slow cooking.”

Androulla and Andy’s pork and lamb courses will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, February 22 and 23. The beef course will be served on Wednesday, March 21, with game and offal the following day. Rabbit and chicken will be on the menu on Wednesday, April 25.

Participants will start at 10am with a lesson on butchery. Cookery lessons will follow, and all the dishes cooked during the session will be served up at 1pm.

Individual sessions will normally be priced at £60, but the first series of courses are being offered at £30 per session. To book, or for further information, call Androulla on 01672 511162 or email androulla@culinarycapers.co.uk

Three of the twelve action figures from the original Palitoy Star Wars series

Not long ago, in a galaxy not too far away, a movie pitched as a western in space spawned a multi-billion dollar franchise whose action figures and vehicles dominated birthday and Christmas wish lists for a generation.

Now, as the six episodes Star Wars return to the big screen in 3D, a collection of thousands of action figures and vehicles spanning four decades will go under the hammer at an auction in the Cotswolds.

The collection was amassed by a single collector over several decades. Conditions range from play-worn to boxed and in near-mint condition.

Among the most attractive lots are some of the original 1978 Star Wars figures by Palitoy of Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi and his arch-nemesis Darth Vader in the original ’12 back’ packs – so called because they featured pictures of the 12 original action figures on the reverse of the card mounting.

The Millennium Falcon

Other stand-out Star Wars lots include a boxed circa 1979 Millennium Falcon and a circa 1982 Return of the Jedi Scout Walker.

Toys from each of the three original films are featured, along with action figures from Episodes I, II and III, released between 1999 and 2005.

Although Darth Vader and friends will be taking centre stage, many more plastic heroes and villains will be sharing the limelight.

There are some good, bagged examples of posable figures from the Masters of the Universe (He-Man) franchise, which date from between 1982 to 1987, from ThunderCats, which were released from 1984 to 1987, and from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who took the world of toys by storm from 1987.

Military action figures from the GI Joe (1982–present) and Action Force (1982–1985) ranges also get an honourable mention.

The collection also features dozens of examples of electronic games consoles and cartridge games.

A Return of the Jedi Scout Walker

From Nintendo there are hand-held Game and Watch devices, which featured single games played on a portable LCD screen, and home consoles including 1987′s Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).

From arch rivals Sega there are examples of the Sega Master System (1987-1991) and the Mega Drive (1991-1995); from Sony the Playstation (1994-2000) and PlayStation 2 (2000-2006); and Atari’s long-forgotten 1993 Jaguar model.

And from the dawn of time – in computer game terms, at least – the collection includes a Commodore 64, an 8-bit home computer first shipped to the UK way back in 1982.

The massive collection, which will feature thousands of individual toys to be sold in over 100 lots, also includes collectors cards, stationery, stickers, models and souvenir mugs.

The toys will be sold by Moore Allen & Innocent in Cirencester on Friday, March 16. A full auction catalogue will be available a week before the sale at www.mooreallen.co.uk

Rioters smash a window in Birmingham

Young people in Birmingham are being given the opportunity to air their views about the riots which rocked the city six months ago.

The opinions of around 200 young people will be gathered via questionnaires as part of a Prince’s Trust-funded project called Outreach.

And on April 5, a dozen young people will question high-ranking officials and community leaders – including West Midlands chief constable Chris Sims, Dawn Roberts of the Justice Department and Paul Tilsley, deputy leader of Birmingham City Council – during a Citizens’ Inquiry.

The Inquiry, which will be held at Birmingham Council House, is funded by West Midlands Police, and will be hosted by the city council.

Both initiatives are being run by young people under the auspices of The Future Melting Pot, a social enterprise inspired and led by young people, for young people, which aims to to help them achieve their full potential through enterprise, combining social goals with financial success.

The Outreach project, which has seen Future Melting Pot volunteers and young people using their own social networks, as well as schools and youth centres, to survey hard-to-reach youngsters from a broad spectrum of society is being headed by a 15 year old.

Alex Brown, who attends King Edward VI Aston Grammar School, believes young people’s views need to be heard to prevent a repeat of the August riots.

“Young people feel frustrated and misunderstood. The survey and inquiry give them a unique opportunity to put their views across,” he said.

“The project is already having a positive impact on young people, who really appreciate being consulted about the issues that caused the riots and what can be done address the problems faced by some young people to prevent disorder in the future.”

A report outlining the findings of the Outreach survey and the inquiry will be published in early summer.

Eric Knowles

Cameras will be rolling at Cirencester auctioneers Moore Allen & Innocent next week as stars from popular TV show Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is go head-to-head to make the largest profit from antiques they’ve bought at car boot sales and antique fairs.

Eric Knowles and Katherine Higgins of the Antiques Roadshow, Cash in the Attic’s John Cameron, and Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is regular Charlie Ross have each entered four antiques into the sale, which will be held on Friday, February 17, and will be crossing their fingers that their lots make a larger profit than their competitors’.

Moore Allen & Innocent’s principle auctioneer Philip Allwood – himself no stranger to TV cameras – says his fellow antiques experts have found some real gems.

And without wishing to give away the identify of the star behind the lot, or what was originally paid for the item, Philip’s favourite pieces, in no particular order, are a Wadeheath for Walt Disney Three Little Pigs jug, circa 1930, a Steiff Jocko monkey from the 1950s, a silver Concord brooch produced in 1979 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Concord’s maiden flight, and an Edwardian mahogany Sheraton revival cabinet.

Philip said: “My colleagues have entered some excellent lots on which the public will be invited to bid. Of particular local interest will be the Concord brooch. The first UK flight of the Concord was made between Bristol and RAF Fairford – about eight miles from our saleroom – by Brian Trubshaw, who lived in the Cotswolds.”

Filming at the saleroom will contribute to two episodes of Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is, which is now in its fifth series. All profits from the sale of antiques on the BBC show are donated to the competitors’ chosen charities.

For an auction catalogue, log on to www.mooreallen.co.uk

Helen Payne-Kumar and Geoff Miles of See For Miles

Being made redundant, or even the fear of losing one’s job, can lead to stress, anxiety or depression. But what about the colleagues left behind after a company has made cuts to its workforce?

According to psychotherapist and counsellor Geoff Miles, employees who don’t lose their jobs might be as much in need of therapy as those who do.

Geoff and Helen Payne-Kumar, whose company See For Miles Ltd, have just moved into new premises in Marlborough, say workers who remain at their desks after redundancy are likely to feel anxious about their own job security, stressed because they are picking up the workload of their former co-workers, and even guilty that they held on to their jobs while colleagues were shown the door.

“It’s called surviver’s guilt,” says Geoff. “And along with stress, it’s a very real problem for employers.”

Over nearly 40 years, Geoff has developed counselling techniques which can be delivered to employees in the workplace, or at a neutral off-site venue, helping them to become more productive.

“Employee stress is the cause of more lost working days than any other work-related illness,” he points out. “Years ago you couldn’t get signed off for stress. Now GPs have a better understanding of stress, and are signing workers off; sometimes for long periods of time.”

Geoff has also seen an increase in the numbers of people coming to him for counselling – and says the economic conditions and accompanying financial concerns are a huge contributing factor.

“Most of our work involves individuals who need counselling – where they can identify the cause of their problems and need the tools to help them cope – or psychotherapy, where the root causes of the patient’s anxiety is unknown, and has to be identified before the patient can begin to tackle the issues.”

Even children are feeling more pressure. One of See For Miles’ most popular courses is delivered in classrooms to students about to sit exams.

“It’s a very stressful time,” said Helen. “There’s a lot of pressure on young people today.”

“We give them the tools to recognise and deal with pressure, and those skills will be carried with the youngsters throughout their school career and the rest of their lives.”

The new See for Miles offices at Old Hughenden Yard in Marlborough offer a quiet contemplative space for groups, couples and individuals. There’s even a video conferencing facility where Geoff can talk to patients via the internet – a service one of See For Miles’ clients – who lives in Australia – finds particularly useful.

And the next step for the company is to build a network of consultants who can deliver those courses all over the UK.

For more information log on to www.seeformilesltd.co.uk or call 01672 511043.

Jim Pettipher from Co-operative Futures with a draft of the From 2 to 20 report

Co-operatives doing business with other co-operatives is one of three key ways in which the sector’s contribution to the economy can be ambitiously and dramatically increased, a conference in Wiltshire heard this week.

At the annual Future Co-operatives conference on Friday and Saturday, January 28 and 29, delegates charged themselves with identifying ways in which the share of the UK’s GDP created by co-operative businesses – ethical companies owned by their workers or their customers, rather than external investors or shareholders – could be increased from two to 20 percent by the end of the century.

Now, the findings are to be published in a new action plan called From 2 to 20 by Gloucester-based Co-operative Futures, the business development consultancy responsible for helping people set up co-operatives in Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and the West Midlands.

Setting the scene, Co-operative Futures director Jim Pettipher reminded the 77 delegates – representing co-operatives from the length and breadth of the UK – that there are roughly 5,500 co-operative businesses in Britain, and 12.8 million people are a member of a co-operative.

Yet just over 250 years of investment and activity have delivered a co-operative economy that is estimated at only two percent of GDP. “We want to see the UK co-op sector grow ambitiously and dramatically as a portion of gross domestic product,” he said.

Keeping the wealth within the sector was determined by delegates to be one of the simplest ways in which co-operative businesses could help the co-operative economy to grow.

Individual co-operative businesses, the conference heard, could make small gestures like holding their account with the Co-operative Bank, switching to Co-operative Energy for electricity, and making the Phone Co-op their telecommunications supplier.

The conference also decided that co-operatives must do more to promote what co-operative businesses are, and what they stand for.

While The Co-operative Group, the consumer co-operative behind the eponymous supermarket, travel agent, pharmacy and funeral director has created a super-brand, there is a general assumption that all co-operative businesses are part of the group, the conference heard.

Independent co-operative businesses needed to be ambassadors and shout about the diversity of the sector – from village shops and pubs to wind farms, housing associations and credit unions – while all co-operatives should actively promote the values of democracy, equality, social responsibility and the highest ethical standards in conducting business, including the sector’s place at the vanguard of the organic and Fairtrade movements.

And brand ambassadors needed to look outside the sector, taking the message of co-operation to groups like the Federation of Small Businesses and Chambers of Commerce, and to business consultants, accountants and lawyers who helped people establish new companies.

Finally, the creation of a co-operative has to be as straightforward as possible. It is hoped that the recently announced Co-operative Consolidation Act, which brings together around 60 laws governing co-operatives into a single statute, will simply the formation of new co-ops.

Meanwhile, a wealth of help and advice is readily available from co-operative development agencies like Co-operative Futures, and in many cases assistance is provided free-of-charge to the business founder through the Co-operative Enterprise Hub.

For more information about starting or growing a co-operative, visit www.futures.coop or call 0845 456 2506.

A programme, ticket and report from the London Olympic Games 1948

With Britain in the starting blocks for the London Olympics 2012, a timely reminder of the last time the city hosted the games is served by a collection of antiques being sold by auction in the Cotswolds.

A programme and a set of three tickets for the events held on August 4, 1948 are to under the hammer at Moore Allen & Innocent’s Sporting Sale in Cirencester on Friday, February 3.

The vendor, who has had the mementos in his possession since the games 64 years ago, would have been able to watch events including the men’s javelin final, the finals of the women’s shot put and long jump, and the 110m metre hurdles, where American athlete William Porter set a new Olympic record of 13.9 seconds.

Tickets to the XIVth Olympiad at the Empire Stadium, Wembley cost 3s 6d, while the programme cost a shilling. The lot, which also includes a copy of the retrospective Games report is expected to achieve £30 to £40.

From Olympians to Titans, and one of the most highly-prized lots in the auction has connections to the man who built the ill-fated Titanic, the centenary of whose sinking will be marked in April.

The Purdey 12 bore side-by-side shotgun, originally manufactured in 1887 with new barrels having been fitted in 1899, is tempting enough to gun collectors. But what makes this one really special is the leather gun case with which it is being sold – which bears the owner’s stamp of G W Wolff, Belfast.

Gustav Wilhelm Wolff was the German Jew who co-founded the shipbuilder Harland and Wolff in 1861. Although he retired in 1906, his name – and that of his company – will forever be associated with the RMS Titantic, which sank on April 14, 1912, resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people.

The shotgun and case carry an estimate of £1,000 to £1,500.

A leopard head and skin by the renowned taxidermists Van Ingen of Mysore

Shotguns were put to good use in the colonies during the 19th and early 20th centuries, and some fine examples of big game appear among the 220 lots of taxidermy.

Among the best is a tiger’s head, mounted on a black shield, by the renowned taxidermists Van Ingen of Mysore, which carries an estimate of £800 to £1,000. Van Ingen were also responsible for the preparation of a leopard head and skin, which carries a £500 to £800 estimate.

The section also includes a large collection of the skulls of wild game, including buffalo, antelope and kudu, all bagged by the same huntsman.

Hunting on these shores is also celebrated, with horns, whips and crops aplenty. The picture section features a wide selection of prints by Snaffles, the leading and ever-dependable equestrian artist. Many are signed and some were produced in limited edition runs.

A cased set of 10 painted wooden figures depicting a hunting scene by Mabel Lucie Atwell

One of the most unusual lots is a cased set of 10 painted wooden figures depicting a hunting scene, designed by the celebrated children’s illustrator Mabel Lucie Atwell.

While individual figures pop up from time to time, it is unusual to find the three adult riders, two children and five hounds together in a case. The lot commands an estimate of £300 to £500.

And it wouldn’t be a sporting sale without a fishing section. The auction includes a good selection of rods and reels, featuring big names like Hardy and Allcock.

Among the most interesting to collectors is an early 20th century Spinneret thread line reel – the forerunner to the modern fixed spool reel – by Allan of Glasgow, which should fetch between £100 and £150, and a mint condition circa 1960 Match Aerial reel by Allcock in maker’s box, which is also valued at £100 to £150.

For a full auction catalogue, log on to www.mooreallen.co.uk

The Future Co-operatives conference will be looking at ways of growing the co-operative economy from two to 20 percent of UK gross domestic product by 2050.

The conference will be held at Alexandra House in Wroughton from Friday, 27 to Sunday, 29 January. It is organised by Co-operative Futures, the business development consultancy responsible for helping people set up co-operatives in Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and the West Midlands.

“Last year marked the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Fenwick Weavers co-operative, one of the earliest societies for which records exist,” said Jim Pettipher, Co-operative Futures director and author of the From 2 to 20 Action Plan.

“The subsequent 250 years of co-operative development, investment and activity have delivered a co-operative economy that is estimated at only two percent of GDP and around 5,000 co operatives in total.

“We want to see the UK co-op sector grow ambitiously and dramatically as a portion of gross domestic product. The conference will be working out how this can be achieved.”