GLE ONE LONDON

Jobcentre Plus Camberwell put me on to you and I also know Liam Hickey through previous work and voluntary activities I've been engaged in. I'm looking for backing / support to help development of the project/business plan I'm working on which has great potential but needs work to get it to a marketable proposition.

Currently I am unemployed, having been bankrupted following eviction from the tied lease pub, The Sun and Doves on Coldharbour Lane, Camberwell, which I ran from 1995 for sixteen years as a tied lessee, in September 2011.

I am working on the business case for establishing a national, pub freehold owning and operating, low environmental impact, worker owned and managed pub company that will develop and use local supply chains and regionally produced beers and ciders. The corporate structure will be part owned by its employees - along the John Lewis model - and part owned by customers - somewhat like the cooperative society and it must be designed to be crowd funded so that people, individuals, can buy into the company. Ideally it should be suitable for EIS investment but the legal side of these things needs work on it.

The proposal may be eligible for funding – it involves:

Equity in bricks and mortar
Retrofitting buildings to have a very low carbon footprint
Employing young people
Helping to develop sustainable communities in urban and rural areas
Establishing a mutual business model that addresses many urgent needs of contemporary society

I have attracted strong interest behind this from The Employee Ownership Association, CAMRA, IPPR, the Young Foundation, the Plunkett Foundation, the John Lewis Partnership, Co-operatives UK and several MPs across the parties.

I wonder whether you may be interested to have a discussion to see whether you may be able to help take this further?

With best wishes

J Mark Dodds