Lawrence Zollner, CDS board member and secretary of Bonham and Strathleven Co-op, and Jane Cameron, marketing officer, attended the launch on behalf of the Society along with leading figures from the co-operative sector including Len Wardle, Chair of the Co-operative Group, Ed Mayo, Secretary General of Co-operatives UK and representatives, young and old, from the co-operative sector and from NGOs.

Ed Mayo, Secretary General of Co-operatives UK, the national trade body for co-operative enterprises, said: “Evidence shows a growing gap between rich and poor in the UK. The richest 10% of the UK now has 100 times the wealth of the poorest 10%. This petition – which I think of as the ‘spirit level’ petition following the groundbreaking work of The Equality Trust – aims to trigger action to promote measures that will narrow the gap between rich and poor.

“As businesses that share profits, ownership and wealth, co-operatives are the perfect way to create a fairer economy.”

The national campaign has an ambitious target of 100,000 petition supporters so please sign in and show your support!  www.uk.coop/yourstoshare/petition

We would like to encourage our co-ops to use Co-operatives Fortnight as an opportunity to showcase how their co-operatives share? Whether it is by spreading the word online or holding an event, there are plenty of ways to promote co-operation.  Dedicated materials are being developed to enable everyone to get easily involved. Many will be available to download, or you can order a free activity pack here.