The Rochdale Pioneers

The Rochdale Pioneers
Official film poster
Directed byAdam Lee Hamilton and John Montegrande
Written byJS Papenbrock
Produced byJohn Montegrande and Kevin Atkinson
StarringJohn Henshaw, Robert Maxfield and John McArdle
Release date
  • 11 November 2012 (2012-11-11) (UK)
Running time
57 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
BudgetLess than £90,000

The Rochdale Pioneers is a British biographical feature film, released in 2012, that tells the story of the foundation of the first successful cooperative retail store by working class members of the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers, in 1844. This came at a time of chronic unemployment, poverty, hunger and social inequality, and it was met with prejudice and opposition.

A documentary, The Making of 'The Rochdale Pioneers', was also created to accompany the film.