A Big Update On What's Been Happening
Since this all started with the first fateful meeting of 7 concerned residents on the the 7th of February 2024 (only 4 months ago!) we’ve received pledges from over a hundred other community-minded people. We’re currently up to a little over 80% of our goal!
We (especially Liz Monty!) have all been absolutely flat-out promoting our cause in the media, with TV and radio spots coming thick and fast in the last 4 weeks, including:
- 2 Interviews on ABC Regional Radio in early April,
- A feature piece in ‘The Age’ newspaper,
- 5th April – A story in ‘The Castlemaine Mail,’
- 25th April – An interview on WIN local News Bendigo,
- 20th May – A feature in the ‘The Local Newspaper’ based in the Goldfields Region,
- 26th May – An appearance on the ABC Sunday Night News and ABC Landline,
- 8th June – A special on ‘A Current Affair’.
Each appearance has resulted in a new push of pledges as more and more people have heard about, and got excited about what we’re trying to do.
Also, the Local Board Of Directors from the Bendigo Bank in Daylesford have reached out to see how we can work together to make the Guildford General Store a success.
So, what is going to happen next?
We need one last, big push to get the number of pledges we need over the line.
Once we reach our goal of pledges for 200 shares, there will be a formation meeting to elect a board of directors, followed by the registering of the co-operative.
After that:
Finally, there will be a call for all funds so that we can make our offer on the store.
Included in that call will be all the details about how we’ll move forward from there, including:
- A detailed business plan with all the facts and figures. We are determined that everyone’s decision to support the project will be as well informed as it can possibly be.
- A full disclosure statement detailing the terms and conditions around the occupancy and use of (our new) store,
- A detailed list of the model rules that we will use to govern the running of the Guildford Co-operative.
This model will make sure that all our wonderful shareholders’ voices are heard when decisions are being made around how the community will make full use of their new General Store.
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We’re so, so close to securing the store for the Guildford community. If you know of any other like-minded residents who would be up for supporting a great community in their efforts to stay connected, healthy, and safe, then now’s the time to talk to them about signing up.
Keep your eyes peeled for the next big update, and for the date of the meeting where we'll officially form the co-op!
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