TreeStation is constituted as a Society for the Benefit of the Community (BenCom) — a form of Industrial and Provident Society and a type of co-operative enterprise. The Society is run by an elected Board of Directors and owned by our members, who act as our community shareholders.
Our members include supporters, customers, employees, and directors. They can attend our Annual General Meeting, stand for election to the board, and vote on important issues. Every shareholder gets one vote, regardless of how many shares they hold, which makes TreeStation more democratic than a traditional limited company.
Shares in a BenCom work as a form of ethical investment: members receive a fixed yearly interest, agreed each year at the AGM. Unlike shares in an ordinary company, they can’t be sold on — only repaid at par by the Society — making them both an ethical and affordable way for us to raise capital. Any financial surplus is reinvested in TreeStation or used to support other community projects.
Membership is open to anyone. A copy of our rules, covering how the Society is run and how directors are elected, is available to download. Our registered number is 31552R, held with the Financial Conduct Authority’s Mutuals Public Register rather than Companies House.
