Common Ground Colchester

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The Minories is our home!! đŸ„č
 happy tears.Thank you all for the support throughout this time which has strengthened our ...
20/06/2026

The Minories is our home!! đŸ„č
 happy tears.

Thank you all for the support throughout this time which has strengthened our community, deepened our roots & made us stronger together.

Here’s to the excitement & potential of the next 3 years đŸ„‚

Party information coming soon


You did it
 we did it! đŸ„čWhat a feeling! What a special, collective achievement this is. Congratulations & thank you to e...
17/06/2026

You did it
 we did it! đŸ„č

What a feeling! What a special, collective achievement this is. Congratulations & thank you to every one of our members, those that were in a position to pledge as well as those that couldn’t at this time but still spread the word, liked & shared the posts, encouraged a friend
 this is a truly shared achievement which has positioned The Commons & our community cooperative in the best possible way to keep doing special things in our city which we all love & care about so deeply ❀

A small team from our committee & board of directors attended an interview with The Minories yesterday, the outcome of our tender proposal & the announcement of who has been selected to take the café forward beyond autumn will be announced on Friday 19th
 this is a huge week for us! Stay tuned.

There are still a few (free) tickets for tonight’s documentary film screening for ‘And Who’s the Boss’ with panel discussion + food & drink from the bar
 join us if you’re free, let’s celebrate all things cooperative & keep visioning the ways that we can have a positive impact in our community 💭

Thank you everyone, not only those who pledged money but all our members who support us in so many ways! Thanks also to ...
16/06/2026

Thank you everyone, not only those who pledged money but all our members who support us in so many ways! Thanks also to you remarkable friends who joined up recently to support us now and in future, phenomenal! We had a productive, interesting meeting with our landlords, the We Are The Minories (WATM) charity tonight and between us generated more ideas for improving visitors' experiences. We now await WATM's decision on our bid for the contract to run the cafe for another three years, following which we have a lot of work to do, either way. We hope to hear by Friday - your support has been a massive asset in our credibility so we're very hopeful....

15/06/2026

Today’s the day! Final few hours to invest in your community


Turn the volume up for another Member Story đŸ—Łïž

Special thanks to Clare, who has been a member / involved with for more than 20 years! Clare is also an active member of our cooperative, attending meetings whenever she is able to & always sending messages of support, as well as being a regular customer & now an investor via community shares ✹

“Im now a member of both The Minories & The Commons CafĂ©, which I consider to be an incredibly important part of Colchester cultural life”

“I really value the cooperative nature of the organisation. The meetings are always run fairly & with clear, concise information, allowing for members to make informed decision- always
 I feel included”

Our Members Share Offer ends at 11:59 tonight - you can find the link to signup or renew your membership in our social media bios. If you’re already a member & cant find the link to pledge for community shares, send us a message here & we will point you in the right direction ☀

It’s massive few days for us:
16th June - Member Shares Total Counted
19th June: Final Decision from The Minories regarding the tender đŸ€ž

One final push! Thank you all đŸŒ±

đŸŽ”: The King Driscolls (instrumental only)

12/06/2026

Member Stories ✹

Special thanks to lovely Debra for sharing her voice, letting us know what she loves & feels is worth investing in about The Commons, inviting others to do the same if they’re in a position to do so 💚

Debra’s story of contribution is one of the truest examples of the unique nature of our community cooperative organisation & how special it is; from customer, to volunteer (pot washing & so much more including helping at evening events!), to eventually stepping up at our recent AGM as vice chair! Quite the journey.

There are just 3 days left to pledge to purchase community shares. Message us here or in the comments if you’re interested & need direction on how to become a member / renew your membership or if you’re already a member looking for the link to pledge shares.

Thanks for all of the support, new sign ups, membership renewals & community shares in recent weeks đŸŒ±

What's on for the rest of June 🗣Weve already hosted our monthly vegan market & had a stall at open day.. here's what's ...
10/06/2026

What's on for the rest of June 🗣

Weve already hosted our monthly vegan market & had a stall at open day.. here's what's on for the rest of the month!

For more information, or to book on to any of our events please visit our website

For any event organisers, get in touch to host your next event with us! We want to fill our diary for the summer 🌞

Meanwhile, back at the cafe garden, we were busy at lunchtime, but by 3 o'clock at least the lower area, near the Folly,...
07/06/2026

Meanwhile, back at the cafe garden, we were busy at lunchtime, but by 3 o'clock at least the lower area, near the Folly, was beautiful, warm and not too crowded. I even wondered whether I should pledge again to buy more community shares in our coop cafe... some experiences are almost priceless? (Open Weds-Sunday 10-4)

Our roving reporter Nathalie was at the Bennisons Farm Open Day today, eating, networking, immersing herself in nature a...
07/06/2026

Our roving reporter Nathalie was at the Bennisons Farm Open Day today, eating, networking, immersing herself in nature and signing up members and community share investors! Bennisons are the incredible local organic CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm behind our seasonal menus and daily specials, and a proud partner of Common Ground Colchester.
Our weekly produce comes straight from their farm to our kitchen — they're a huge part of what makes The Commons what it is and we're so proud to support them. Good to know exactly where your lunch comes from? (Is that Gaby on our stall?)

05/06/2026

We’re half way there! The latest update from our secretary is that our members have pledged to purchase £5370 of community shares to date, thats doubled since this time last week & now needs to double again in the next 10 days if we’re to hit our minimum target & continue doing what we do in service to our community!

Almost 3 years of growing this together as a grassroots project - we’re a democratically owned & managed, member led cooperative organisation who’s members have the same say, power & influence (1 member, 1 vote) regardless of whether you’re a customer, a volunteer, a director, staff or an event organiser
 each member of the community is valued equally & we named our venue ‘The Commons’ because The Commons belong to the people of that community.

If you’re not a member & you thought we were simply all about coffee & cake, if you were a member but your £15 annual renewal has lapsed & you’re waiting to renew - now is the time to join this collective movement & stand with us on this mission of shared ownership.

Both links to the membership signup & community shares on our socials weren’t working so we’ll look to fix that ASAP. In the meantime dont hesitate to message here on instagram or Facebook, send us an email or pop into the cafĂ© to chat face to face - we’ll answer any questions & point you in the right direction to join, renew & then purchase community shares if you wish / are able to. Remember that your ÂŁ15 membership fee automatically includes x 1 share in the organisation 😊

Tell a friend who loves The Commons & let’s give it a good push for these next 10 days!!

P.s. pledging to purchase shares does not result in you being charged right away & is not a legally binding commitment.

Address

74 High Street
Colchester

Opening Hours

Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

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