249th birthday

Robert Owen was born on 14th May in 1771, at No.2 Broad Street, Newtown, in Powys Mid Wales.

Regarded as Father of the Cooperative Movement and Trade Unions, he was one of the greatest social reformers of his time and of international significance. His work is of great importance and he was a philanthropist of the poor and vulnerable.

His 249th birthday came during the Coronavirus / Covid-19 pandemic. A large gathering was not possible, but a small number of local people laid flowers at his statue in Newtown, out of respect for him on his birthday.

Read more about his early life and birth in Newtown here

Watch a video describing his legacy here