Co-operative Trusts: Putting Co-operative Values at the Heart of 21st Century Schools
A well attended workshop was held in Hereford Town Hall on Thursday 4th February when Mervyn Wilson Principal of the Co-operative College led a stimulating session on Co-operative Trust Schools. The workshop was sponsored by Herefordshire Council, the Co-operative Group, the Co-operative College & the Robert Owen Group. Trevor Hayes of Queen Elizabeth Humanities College expertly provided the case study detail of the Bromyard Co-operative Trust which is progressing well towards a September 2010 launch.
This workshop followed on from the January 2009 workshop which Mervyn ran for our schools on Co-operative Trusts at the Qinetiq Conference Centre in Malvern and which provided the stimulus for the Bromyard Project.
The President of the Robert Owen Group, Chris Morgan, opened the workshop by welcoming delegates from Herefordshire, Shropshire & Gloucestershire as well as Co-operative Group officers from the West Midlands and South West England. He explained that the workshop was programmed for this date to allow schools an opportunity to make Statements of Intent before the close of business which will inevitably occur in the run up to the General Election.
The President then presented Mervyn with his Co-operative Champion 2009 Award & Citation. Mervyn had been unable to attend the November 2009 Graduation Event because of work commitments in the developing world. Chris paid tribute to Mervyn’s long standing and unstinting support for the Robert Owen Group and our work. Chris made it clear that “Mervyn Wilson is a Co-operative Champion of the highest order and it is only fitting that he should receive the Robert Owen Group’s highest accolade”.
The Chair of Directors, Roger Davies then opened the workshop and assumed the Chair. Roger followed up the President’s praise of Mervyn’s long standing contribution to the work of the Robert Owen Group and paid fulsome tribute to Mervyn’s standing in the international Co-operative Movement.
Chris Morgan, 05.02.10