Can Community Investment Really Rebuild Local Britain?

What does it look like when investment stops chasing abstraction and starts saving pubs, shops, football clubs and community spaces? In this conversation, Alain Demontoux and Jeroen Huysinga explore how capital can be used more deliberately, not just to generate returns, but to strengthen local economies and keep vital assets in community hands. In this episode of The GoodStock Tapes, we explore a simple but important question: can investing become a more practical tool for community renewal? Joining the conversation are Alain Demontoux, Operations and FCA Compliance Manager at Co-operative and Community Finance / ICOF Community Capital, and Jeroen Huysinga, a senior investment leader at Ethex working in positive and impact-led investment. Together, they unpack the thinking behind the ICC Share Offer 2026 and what it tells us about the future of ethical investing, financial planning and purpose-driven capital. At the centre of the discussion is a model of finance that feels refreshingly tangible. Rather than treating impact as a marketing layer, ICC has spent decades providing loan finance to co-operatives and community businesses across the UK. The organisation says it has invested more than £4.4 million through 100 loans to 85 organisations, supporting community assets, social enterprise and neighbourhood regeneration. Its current raise aims to expand that revolving pool of capital and widen access through the Ethex platform. If you enjoyed this conversation, please follow The GoodStock Tapes, leave a review, and share the episode with someone who believes finance can be a force for good. The more people we bring into these conversations, the more likely it is that capital will be used with greater imagination, responsibility and purpose.