Projects

About Us

We are MIDDLETON CO-OPERATING.

We're committed to Middleton and the people who live and work and study here.

We aim to bring people together across our town to improve the affordability and the quality of the things that have the biggest impact on our lives - for example, housing, energy, child care, social care, food, transport.

We believe that by working together - co-operating - we can achieve positive lasting change for Middleton. It will take hard work, time, and patience. But together we can build a stronger local community that has a sense of ownership and responsibility for what happens in our town, and how things are done - supporting each other to improve all our lives.

MIDDLETON COOPERATING has been developed so far by a number of people who live and work locally, but membership is open to everybody. If you support our principles and our vision, we'd love you to join in our work in whatever way suits you.

Housing Justice

middleton housing justice

We’ve set up Middleton Tenants Union & are working with local people who live in unsafe, unhealthy and insecure private & social tenancies so that everyone can live in healthier homes and can get justice and compensation.

We’ve been working closely with Greater Manchester Tenants Union to challenge the current system of social housing that cares more about profit than people.

Overall, the housing situation in Middleton is becoming more difficult. Prices and rents have been rising fast – beyond what a lot people can afford. There are many fewer homes available for social rent. This is mainly as a result of “right-to-buy”. And the number of homes owned by private landlords continues to increase. Sadly, there is no security in private tenancies, with people at risk of eviction at any time for no reason.

For some home-owners, their houses are valuable assets. But for many people, finding the money to pay their mortgage or their rent is becoming more and more difficult. If they do have to leave their home, finding somewhere else to live can be really hard.

Having a secure and affordable home is fundamental to our well-being and, at Middleton Co-operating, we want this to be the reality for as many people as possible.

Alongside supporting people right now we’re also working towards and dreaming about something beautiful that we could create together instead. 

 We’ve become members of Greater Manchester Community Led Homes network and have been exploring alternatives to the current status quo.

If you’d like to get involved in Middleton Co-operating’s work on community-owned housing, please contact us at housing@middleton.coop

Who We Are

Middleton Community Power is a local energy group rooted right here in Middleton. We’re community-owned and shaped by the people who live, work, and care about this place. Brought together by Middleton Co-operating, we believe energy should work for communities – not be taken from them.

We're not a big energy firm. We're your neighbours, your community centre volunteers, your school governors. We came together around a shared belief: that clean, renewable energy can – and should – belong to all of us.

Our Vision

We’re here to help create a local energy future that’s democratic, fair, and low carbon. One where local people and places benefit directly from the power we generate – socially, economically, and environmentally.

Our aim is simple: local energy for local people. Not in a top-down way, and not to make a quick buck – but to grow something long-term, rooted in trust, relationships, and care for our place.

We believe in a non-extractive approach – meaning we want to keep the value of local energy right here in our community, rather than it being pulled out for private gain. We work cooperatively, in the open, and with a commitment to community benefit.

What We’re Working On

We’ve been building strong local partnerships and listening. We’re proud of the trust we’ve built and the conversations we’ve started. We’re actively developing projects with the aim of local energy generation – and we’re doing it with care.

Right now, we’re working with local schools, community owned buildings, and grassroots organisations to explore what renewable energy might look like for them – whether through their own solar or wind installations, or by accessing local clean energy via the grid. It’s about raising awareness, building knowledge, and helping people see that this change is possible – and that it belongs to them.

Want to Get Involved?

If you’re part of a community-owned building or site in Middleton – whether a school, community centre, faith group, or local charity and want to explore how you could start your own renewable energy project, we’d love to hear from you.

We’re always up for a chat and happy to share what we’re learning.

Middleton Community Energy

Campaign for a Living Income in Greater Manchester

Everyone deserves to live a life that is about thriving, not just surviving.

In Greater Manchester, people in our communities are worse off than they’ve ever been in our lifetime.

The inadequate social security system sets people up to fail.

For us living in Greater Manchester, we know what we need so that we can have fulfilled lives. 

We have an opportunity to work with Mayor Andy Burnham to establish a Living Income pilot in Greater Manchester.

Join the campaign so that we can get a Living Income pilot up and running here and build a social security system that works for all of us. 

Whoever you are - whether you’re a single parent trying to look after your family, or a family new to the country, struggling to find work or just trying to make ends meet - we need a system that looks after us all. 

A Living Income would give people the financial and employment support they need, when they need it. We are campaigning for this transformative change within our communities. 

Join the campaign:
https://actionnetwork.org/forms/gm-livingincome 

Read about the launch that we had at the Friends Meeting House in Manchester: 

https://www.thenews.coop/campaign-for-living-income-pilot-launches-in-greater-manchester/

And here:

https://themeteor.org/2025/06/09/a-living-income-campaign-has-been-launched-in-greater-manchester-with-mayor-andy-burnhams-support/

Greater Manchester Living Income Logo

Come to the party - AGM 2024

middleton cooperating logo with a disco ball and bunting

We would like to invite you to the party that our AGM (Annual General Meeting) will be on Tuesday 10th September from 5pm at the Edgar Wood School Rooms on Long street in Middleton.

The doors will open at 5pm.

We’ll have vegan finger food and drinks and you will be able to have a look at the exhibition that’s part of the Heritage Open Week in the church.

We’ll start with our programme at 6pm with Garside Kidd Community Centre’s play that will share their journey on coming together and making change happen.

The formal AGM business will start at 6.45pm and will include an update on our thinking about how we do things together well & an invitation to join us on the journey.

Plus we’ll hear what’s been going on in our most active circles and hear from some of our closest partners about how they’re creating beautiful things.

There’ll be plenty of time to connect, chat, ask questions.
We’ll be done by 8pm.

We’d love for you to leave inspired & thinking about what you’d like to be involved in (if anything) and how to do that (across all our circles/themes).

Please tell us if you’re coming by registering on this link: https://tinyurl.com/MIDDCOOPAGM

And if you can share the invitation with others who you think would like to be part of the journey with us that’d be great too.

Any questions - get in touch & we’re really looking forward to seeing you.

the annual general meeting picture with the invitation details


 

Middleton Co-operating Launch Party - 12th April 2024

We’d love to invite you to the Middleton Co-operating Launch Party!

It's time for us to officially launch the movement & celebrate our achievements so far.

We’ve booked Middleton Arena for Friday 12th April from 6pm for an evening of music, connecting & sharing our passion for doing great things with people in Middleton.

We’re got an exciting line up of speakers & performers

Steve Coogan - Andy Burnham - Rose Marley

The Kaiden Nolan Band - Gerry O’Gorman

The Specialist Regiment - The Surellas

We would love for you to join us on Friday 12th, it will be a great space to meet and chat with local folks who are making change happen as well as organisations from around Greater Manchesters who have been our allies.

Book the ticket/s for you & your family/friends/colleagues click on this Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/middleton-co-operating-launch-party-tickets-798266475517?aff=oddtdtcreator

For any questions or queries, get in touch via good.things@middleton.coop.

Can't wait to see you there!

Middleton Cooperating Limited

c/o The Lighthouse Project
S6b/c Second Floor
Middleton Shopping Centre
Middleton
M24 4EL

A co-operative society registered with the FCA; number 8582

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