Oil scheme heads for national coverage

ORCC Trading's community bulk oil-buying scheme has proved such a success that it is spreading rapidly across the whole of England. Other Rural Community Councils have been so impressed that they are replicating the Oxfordshire scheme in their own counties. Already, 19 counties are up and running and more are planning to start in the new year. This means not only that the members' collective buying power is getting bigger and better by the day, but also that together we will play a key role in the growing movement to redesign the delivery process and reduce its carbon footprint.

Linda Watson, Chief Executive of both ORCC and its trading arm, says 'This is a huge achievement, and we are immensely proud to have been at the front of such a massive movement.  Very few businesses make a profit in their first year of operation, but we've done so having gone from a standing start to almost national coverage in just one year'. Since the beginning, ORCC Trading has worked in partnership with local resident Chris Pomfret, who has also found himself at the helm of his own fast growing business, Community Buying unLimited. 'Chris has developed a huge expertise since we very first started out, and is now the buyer for all the RCCs who have joined us in running a scheme' Linda explained.  The partnership between ORCC Trading Ltd and Community Buying unLimited has played really well to both organisations' strengths.  Both Linda and Chris say that neither of them could have achieved anything like as much without the other. 'It's proving to be a brilliant partnership', says Chris.  'Whilst we could have continued to build our buying group alone, the link with the Rural Community Councils - who play such a vital role in so many communities and are such a trusted and credible organisation - opened the doors to literally thousands of oil buyers across rural England.' 

Other RCCs are equally thrilled to be involved.  In only a couple of months Shropshire RCC is already within sight of their first 100th member.  Its Chief Executive, Julia Baron, said 'We really appreciate all the work ORCC has put into the development of the oil buying and how valuable it has been to take it on as a fully fledged system.  It has really made life so much easier.  I am really excited about it as a service to communities and the level of interest is astonishing - we have clearly captured the moment'.