Central England Co-op becomes first food retailer to back the bid to bring the Commonwealth Games to Birmingham

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 31/08/2017

Central England Co-operative is getting behind Birmingham’s bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Twenty-five food stores, 33 funeral homes, four florists and two travel shops are uniting to throw their support behind the effort to bring the major event to the nation’s second city.

The Society decided to support the effort as it links in with its values and principles based around supporting the community, education, health and wellbeing.

Jim Cunningham, Manager at Stirchley food store, said: “We are proud to sit at the heart of the community in Birmingham and this is why we are backing the bid to bid to bring the Commonwealth Games to the area in 2022.

“The move would bring a multitude of opportunities to Birmingham and would echo our co-operative values and principles such as supporting community groups and charities and educating people about health and wellbeing.

“We want all our members, customers and colleagues from Central England Co-operative in Birmingham to back the bid for the city to host the Commonwealth Games.”

Central England Co-operative already supports a range of schemes across the city through its successful Community Dividend Fund.

In the last 12 months, thousands of pounds have been distributed to everyone from football clubs to swimming groups to support the communities in which the Society serves and make a difference.

Rubery Football Club were handed £2,000 to pay for a selection of new football kits and Fox Hollies Swimming Club, based in Solihull, were awarded £4,788 to pay for equipment that will be used to teach youngsters to swim.

Central England Co-operative also hope that a successful Commonwealth Games bid will allow for further opportunities to speak to youngsters about health and wellbeing.

Currently Member and Community Relations Officers deliver Healthy Choices Workshops to hundreds of schoolchildren across the city every year.

James Knight, Member and Community Relations Officer, said:  “As an ethical retailer, we are more than happy to support our local schools to help teach the importance of healthy eating and why including five portions of fruit and veg a day and eating breakfast is important to a healthy lifestyle.

“Our aim is to educate and have a positive impact on the attitudes and behaviour of local people at an earlier age and an event such as the Commonwealth Games will only help boost us on our efforts.”

Central England Co-operative offers a wide range of educational and recreational workshops and classes for its members and communities. If you are interested in finding out more, please pop in to your local Central England Co-operative food store or email member.community@centralengland.coop

Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative also offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.

Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop

Notes to editors

Picture caption: Central England Co-operative colleagues from across Birmingham are backing the bid to bring the 2022 Commonwealth Games to the city.

About Central England Co-operative

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK. It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with gross sales of £927 million in 2016/17. The Society’s principal areas of activity are food, funeral services, and property investment. Central England Co-operative has over 400 trading outlets across 16 counties including; West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.  The Society has an ambitious food store development programme for 2017.

Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.  It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence.  The Society supports a number of charities including Dementia UK and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.

Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.

Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop

For more information visit www.centralengland.coop, follow Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative

Rob Smyth / Heather Clapton at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140

Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop