Diolch, Llywydd. This is Co-operatives Fortnight, organised by Co-operatives UK, bringing together, for two weeks of mass co-operation, the workers, the members, the rebels, the citizens, the residents, the owners, the sharers and the millions of co-operators across the UK to mark Co-operatives Fortnight and celebrate—this statement being part of it—what can be achieved when we co-operate.

In Leeds, the Digital Cooperative Development Consortium Ltd will host a weekend digital hack for tech co-operators. In Northampton, there's a film screening of the Pioneers, the inspirational story of the birth of co-operation more than 175 years ago, and a marketplace featuring local co-operatives. In Plymouth, as part of the fortnight and Community Energy Fortnight, Plymouth Energy Community are hosting a Bee—as in the buzzy bee—Solar party at their community-owned solar array. And, in Scotland, Scotmid Co-op colleagues will hold 13 litter picks right across Scotland, supplying litter picking equipment to local communities and helping 1,500 groups to get involved in keeping their surroundings beautiful. And, in Cardiff, Wales Co-operative Centre hosted a lunch for co-op leaders to celebrate the positive impact of co-op businesses and explore new working partnerships, where it was great to hear the announcement of £3 million of EU funds supporting a new project that will help create new social businesses across west Wales and the Valleys, with the Social Business Wales New Start initiative led by the Wales Co-operative Centre aiming to create 200 social businesses over the next three years. This is the power of co-operation and what we can achieve when we work together, and I'm proud to say that this National Assembly has helped us celebrate Co-operatives Fortnight 2019.