Kate Whittle has reluctantly decided it is time to move on. She will be leaving SCS at the end of September. Kate has found it increasingly challenging to find the time to travel to work with SCS clients – widely located across the length and breadth of Somerset, from her home in Bristol.

Kate says: “I am sad to leave SCS, where I have enjoyed working as part of the team offering co-operative development services to new and existing co-operatives. I have learnt a lot about legal structures, especially the Somerset Rules, and community share issues. And I have really enjoyed working with all the new multistakeholder co-operatives I have registered over the last couple years. I wish you all the very best of luck!

However I now want to focus my energies on promoting and developing co-operative skills - such as good communication, effective meetings, efficient decision-making, coping with conflict and team building - which is an area I have been drawn to over the last few years, as I see these skills as the foundation for successful, sustainable co-operative businesses”.

You can keep up to date with Kate’s work at www.cooperantics.coop, or email kate@cooperantics.coop