# Our Co-op

The Bristol Bike Project is a Community Interest Company with a co-operative structure. This means that we are an organisation whose focus is community benefit rather than private gain, and that we are a Member-led organisation. Co-operatives are defined as follows:

“*A co-operative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise. Co-operatives are enterprises that put people at the centre of their business and not capital.*” ([www.ica.coop](http://www.ica.coop/))

Co-operatives are nothing without Members. Anyone who volunteers regularly can become a Member in order to become more involved in the running and the direction of the Project.

We hold quarterly General Meetings to which all Members are invited. This is our principal decision-making forum where the fundamental direction of the Project is decided upon. An Ops Group made up of representatives from across the Project meets monthly to oversee the operational implementation of what we decide in General Meetings. A Directors Group is elected from our Members and holds overall responsibility for the legal and financial obligations of the Project, as well as acting as a protector of our purpose and values, and providing guidance and expertise to allow us to achieve our potential.


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