Building a ‘Community Co-operative’
at Hill Holt Wood

By Kirk Frith, Gerard McElwee and Peter Somerville

This article documents the business history of Hill Holt Wood (HHW), a community-run social enterprise based in rural Lincolnshire. It argues that HHW is an example of a particular kind of co-operative, namely a ‘community co-operative’ (Somerville, 2007), and it aims to shed light on the issues and obstacles associated with developing a co-operative of this kind. To this end, face-to-face interviews were conducted with the venture’s founder over a period of approximately five years. It was found that the motivation and persistence of the founder, in addition to key support networks that can be drawn upon when required, were critical to the success of this particular enterprise. The article concludes with a discussion of the future prospects for HHW and similar ‘community co-operatives’.