Rockdove Rising is a co-op on the Redbricks Housing Estate in Hulme, Manchester. We believe that social change can manifest in our daily lives; through mutual co-operation and positive community impact we aim to combat gentrification and create a better community.

Currently all of the four flats that we manage are rented from landlords. Two of our houses are now being sold by their owners, which means that we could lose them and our tenants be made homeless. However, we have been offered the opportunity to buy them before they go on the market so our hope is that they can stay in the co-op. To buy them, we have put together a plan to raise £250,000 before February using ethical lending groups including Radical Routes and other local co-operatives. However, to make our business model work and reassure the lenders, we need a minimum of £3500 of our money towards the sale. Currently we have £2000! This means that we need to raise £1500 more in the next month to unlock the £250,000 and buy these flats. Our hope is that we can do this using donations through fundraising events and crowdfunding.

Getting these flats would greatly help secure both our current and future members in our fight against gentrification in Hulme. None of us in the co-op have ever bought a house before and we are already putting all the money we can afford toward the sale. It has taken us three years to get to the stage of actually buying these flats. Given that house prices on this estate are rising over 15% each year this is be the best chance that we will get in a long time. Yet, we are so close and yet so far! Put simply, if we don’t raise £1500 before February then we will not be able to make the purchase and they will go to a private owner.

Our aim is to grow as a housing co-operative, to increase our membership, to manage more flats, and to promote the creation of more housing co-ops on the Redbricks Housing Estate. Buying these flats will help us in our struggle.