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World Habitat is celebrating the sale of its former offices at Memorial Square in Coalville to Coalville CAN (CCAN), a community enterprise. The sale completed on 7th February 2025, so is now fully owned by the community shareholders, on a not for profit basis, for the benefit of residents of the town.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, World Habitat began lending the building free of charge to the newly founded CCAN, to help it get started. Having grown from strength to strength, the community group made an offer to buy the building in 2024. World Habitat has worked with Coalville CAN to overcome some of the funding challenges that community-driven enterprises often face, by extending timescales and also investing £25,000 in the share offer, set-up to raise funds to buy the building. This investment is a mark of World Habitat’s confidence in CCAN’s ability to drive positive change for the people of Coalville.
CCAN’s initiative aligns with World Habitat’s charitable mission to support sustainable and thriving communities worldwide, whilst honouring its founder Peter Elderfield’s connection to Coalville.
Mr Elderfield, who passed away in 2001, lived in Coalville and entrusted a notable legacy of land and buildings to World Habitat, including the Peter Elderfield Memorial Wood in Whitick near Coalville, developed for community benefit by World Habitat, and the Memorial Square building.
Adam Challis, Chair of the Board of Trustees of World Habitat said: “World Habitat is pleased to handover custodianship of our former Memorial Square headquarters to Coalville CAN. Nearly 50-years’ of history enabling positive impact, through community-led development around the world, was started in Coalville. With this permanent home secured for the amazing Coalville CAN team, we look on with pride at this enduring legacy for the benefit of all Coalville residents.”
Deana Bamford, Connector at Coalville CAN said: “Working with World Habitat has been an incredible journey – they truly embody what it means to be an ethical landlord. Without their belief in us and their support, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Having the space to develop our ideas and plans over the last 4 years has been invaluable. In a time when so many buildings are sold to the highest bidder or left boarded up, World Habitat gave our community a chance – and that makes all the difference.”
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