FREE Film Showing to celebrate our Centenary

To celebrate 100 years of the Co-operative Party, the East Sussex Branch will be presenting a FREE showing of the film "The Rochdale Pioneers" on Saturday 11th November, at the Curzon Cinema at 11.30am.

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR TICKET!

The Rochdale Pioneers is an inspiring true story that tells how ordinary Lancashire folk struggled to create the foundation of the modern co-operative movement…

William Cooper, his new wife Betty and best friend Samuel Ashworth are three young people fighting for their future. At a meeting in The Weavers' Arms, Cooper and Ashworth join the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers.

The Rochdale Pioneers propose opening a shop that is run by co-operation; an endeavour that has the interests of the community at its heart. They forge a set of principles by which the business must be run.

Butterworth, a private shop owner, vehemently deters local wholesalers from trading with The Pioneers, threatening to sever business if they strike a deal. One such wholesaler, Leach, forms an allegiance with Butterworth in a bid to bring down the co-operative movement…

'The Rochdale Pioneers' was commissioned by The Co-operative Group and produced by The Co-operative British Youth Film Academy (BYFA). It was released in 2012.

Next branch meeting- 7th October

The Next Meeting of the East Sussex Branch of the Co-operative Party will be held on Saturday 7th October, commencing at 11.00am at the RAF Association, Wish Road, Eastbourne, BN21 4NX

A G E N D A

1. Apologies for Absence

2. Any matters arising from last meetings (AGM and Claire McCarthy Meeting)

3. Reports:

• Membership
• Finance
• Constituency Labour Parties
• Party Council

4. Centenary Conference

5. Forthcoming Events- Rochdale Pioneers Film Showing, and Local Training Event

6. Any other Business

AGM 29th July

The AGM of the East Sussex Branch of the Co-operative Party will be held in Eastbourne on Saturday 29th July, at 11.00am The meeting will elect officers for 2017-18 (Chair, Vice-chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Secretary), delegates to the Sussex Co-op Party, and delegates to all of the Constituency Labour Parties in our Branch area (Lewes, Eastbourne, Wealden, Bexhill and Battle and Hastings.)

The meeting will also discuss and agree campaigning activity for the coming 12 months.

THE MEETING WILL BE at the RAF Association, Wish Road, Eastbourne, BN21 4NX (map) on Saturday 29th July starting at 11.00am (note slightly later start time than usual) The bar will be open after the meeting, and the club also serves excellent lunches (we all left the last meeting thoroughly well fed!) Please note there is a staircase to the meeting room.

Full agenda to follow.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Next Branch Meeting- AGM

The AGM of the East Sussex Branch of the Co-operative Party will be held in Eastbourne on Saturday 29th July, at 11.00am

The meeting will elect officers for 2017-18 (Chair, Vice-chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Secretary), delegates to the Sussex Co-op Party, and delegates to all of the Constituency Labour Parties in our Branch area (Lewes, Eastbourne, Wealden, Bexhill and Battle and Hastings.)

The meeting will also discuss and agree campaigning activity for the coming... 12 months.

THE MEETING WILL BE at the RAF Association, Wish Road, Eastbourne, BN21 4NX on Saturday 29th July starting at 11.00am (note slightly later start time than usual) The bar will be open after the meeting, and the club also serves excellent lunches (we all left the last meeting thoroughly well fed!)

Please note there is a staircase to the meeting room.

Full agenda to follow.

Good turnout for "Our Girl" Claire!

The East Sussex Branch proudly welcomed General Secretary Claire McCarthy back to her home town at our meeting on 11th February.

Claire spoke to a well-attended meeting about Co-op campaigns, and how we can support these going forward.  There were questions and discussions on a range of issues- including co-operative solutions as part of bringing rail back into public ownership; what the future is for co-operation in schools, and how our relationship should develop with the Co-operative Bank and other mutual businesses.

Claire spoke of the need not just to maintain our strength in Parliament and the devolved governments, but also to build the numbers of Co-operative local councillors in authorities up and down the country.

The Branch is proud to be supporting the prospective candidacies of several co-operators in the forthcoming East Sussex elections.  The branch also endorsed Andrew Pakes for the Co-operative Party NEC and Dave Brinson for the National Disciplinary Committee.

Most members were able to stay for an excellent lunch from Ellie at the RAFA.

Next Meeting: 11th February with Claire McCarthy

We are very pleased to welcome our General Secretary, Claire McCarthy, as guest speaker at the East Sussex branch meeting on 11th February in Eastbourne.

As well as being General Secretary of our Party, Claire is an Eastbourne girl, who once had a far more prestigious role as Secretary of Eastbourne Young Labour.... Claire will talk about the campaigns of our party, and how we can make sure our values are central to Labour's policy making.

Other business will be kept to a minimum, although we will have an opportunity to nominate to the NEC and National Disciplinary Committee elections.

THE MEETING WILL BE at the RAF Association, Wish Road, Eastbourne, BN21 4NX (map) on Saturday 11th February starting at 11.00am (note slightly later start time than usual) The bar will be open after the meeting, and the club also serves excellent lunches! Please note there is a staircase to the meeting room.

We look forward to seeing you there!