This panel explains how Robert Owen pioneered the co-operative movement in Newtown to support struggling workers. It describes the creation and growth of co-operative societies, their influence on local and national levels, and how Owen’s ideas promoted shared profits, fair trade, and self-sufficiency. His legacy as a social reformer and co-operative leader is celebrated globally.

This exhibition panel is from the ‘Robert Owen Utopian Legacy Exhibition’, originally held at Newtown Library in May of 2025, on the life and legacy of Robert Owen (1771-1858) the philanthropic Welsh Business & Social Entrepreneur and pioneer of infant education and the co-operative movement.