Interview with Anni Towend

Interview covers 1970s-2018.

Summary: [00:00:08] General discussion of worker co-operatives in Sheffield. [00:04:00] Anni Townend discusses how she first came to be involved in Down to Earth. [00:08:22] Discusses previous awareness of co-operatives. [00:12:47] Discussion of the interview process at Down to Earth. [00:17:12] Anni discusses her particular interest in the type of working at Down to Earth. [00:20:39] Discusses the setting up of DtE. [00:30:18] Talks about links with/awareness of other workers co-ops/networks, including Suma. [00:33:38] Discusses decision making within the co-op. [00:37:20] Discussion of feminism within the co-op. [00:38:52] Talks about involvement with Down to Earth and Lifespan (housing collective) involvement with ICOM. [00:47:53] Discusses leaving Down to Earth to join Lifespan (housing collective.) [00:50:40] Talks about career as leadership consultant and executive coach, after being involved in Down to Earth and Lifespan, and values within this.

Anni Townend was a member of Down to Earth, a wholefoods workers' co-operative in Sheffield. She later became involved with Lifespan a community collective in Yorkshire. Anni has since worked as a leadership consultant and executive coach.

Philippa Lewis worked as the Project Archivist for the Working Together project (2017-2018) based at the National Co-operative Archive.

In October 2017 the National Co-operative Archive sent out a request for interview participants from the wider workers' co-operative community to take part in Working Together, a Heritage Lottery Funded project seeking to record and preserve the heritage of the workers' co-operative movement. This interview was recorded in response to this request. The interview was conducted at Barbican House, Lewes.

Length of interview: 00:58:16

Recording Equipment: Zoom Handy H2 recorder

Recording Note: Original audio file WAV 48kHz/16 bit. Copy audio file Mp3

This interview is licensed under a Creative Commons license (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives)

Transcript and summary of interview.

Original recording and transcript held at the National Co-operative Archive.