Worker co-operative members from across the UK gathered at Kibblestone Scout Camp in Staffordshire on 6-8 May to share, learn and be inspired.

Hosted by Co-operatives UK, the annual worker co-operative weekend is designed and run by worker co-ops, for worker co-ops, with practical sessions combined with camping, campfires and food sourced from co-operatives.

This year’s event included sessions on the history of co-operatives (and worker co-operatives), and stories and lessons from co-ops around the world. Workshops covered worker co-operative practicalities, such as dealing with conflict and HR issues, as well as sessions on politics and the commons.

“The worker co-op weekend is a great mix of practical peer learning and provocative discussions,” said John Atherton, Co-operatives UK membership manager. “Over the weekend there were around 70 people from worker co-ops both large and small, young and old, all sharing the same belief that we will create a better, more fairer society if there are more worker-owned businesses in the world.”

Sessions were also run by Sean Farmelo, a founder-member of Students for Co-operation; Altgen, which supports 18-29 year olds to set up workers co-operatives; and Blake House Filmmakers Co-op, which is part of the Young Co-operators Network. Blake House was set up following the 2015 event.

“We came to the Worker Co-op Weekend last year without having a co-op, looking for alternative work practice in the very exploitative and precarious cultural industry, and it all snowballed for us from there,” said Ieva Padagaite, of the film co-operative.

“We are now running a filmmakers co-operative and are strongly embedded in the co-op community and movement. I haven’t experienced anything quite like these gatherings where solidarity, education and peer-to-peer support recharge and inspire you for the whole year.”

Blake House is currently editing a short film recorded over the weekend, which will be released in early June.

Such a diverse gathering made the weekend a “lively affair”, said writer and journalist Andrew Bibby on his blog. “Workers coops have historically tended to be at the cutting edge of cooperation, and certainly the weekend suggested that the radicalism is still there, in terms of both politics and ways of organising collectively.”