2020 has been a year of many challenges and difficulties but it has also been the year that we have seen communities come together like never before and at the heart of that renewed community spirit has been community-owned businesses. Across the UK, community-owned businesses have been adapting their services in order to support their communities, many of whom were already isolated from mainstream services and support. From turning their village shop into a food delivery service to transforming a pub’s restaurant into a takeout facility and coordinating a volunteer-led helpline to make sure local residents were okay and not lonely, community businesses have been stepping up to provide a lifeline to the most vulnerable in their communities.

On Tuesday 24th November, Plunkett Foundation will be recognising and celebrating the inspiring achievements of community businesses. The Virtual Fete will be a day-long online event that will showcase the lockdown stories of five community businesses, as well as announcing the winner of the Plunkett and Hastoe Housing ‘Community Contribution Award’ which seeks to find one outstanding individual who went that extra mile during the pandemic crisis. To round off the Virtual Fete, Plunkett will be launching a new flagship film that will bring to life the charity’s Rural Vision, a vision that looks at five core themes that Plunkett believes will help aid a rural renaissance following COVID-19. Throughout the day, audiences will be invited to join in with interactive discussions featuring community businesses and experts from the sector, and there will be exclusive sessions for members of Plunkett.

The Virtual Fete will take place on Plunkett’s Facebook page from 9.30am – just search for Plunkett Foundation to join in. A full agenda for the day will be available on www.plunkett.co.uk.