Central England Co-op community hubs help over 650 people in just four weeks

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 01/05/2020


Central England Co-op’s ground-breaking community hub projects designed to get vital food and essentials to the most vulnerable have now supported over 650 people in just four weeks.

Working with local councils and organisations, colleagues have been working around the clock to offer vital help to people self-isolating or unable to get the help they need in Burton, Stafford, Derby and Lichfield.

The project has, so far, resulted in:

  • Over 300 parcels being delivered in Lichfield with help from Lichfield District Council
  • Over 250 supported by us and Stafford Borough Council
  • Link-ups with Derby City Council and Burton Albion Community Trust helping over 30 people

The project works by the retailer linking up with its partner in that area and creating a community hub at a local store.

The partner then identifies vulnerable community members, gathers orders and passes them onto the store. Co-op colleagues then create a package and take payment from the customer over the phone before the local authority delivers the goods.

James Knight, Member and Community Relations Officer for Central England Co-op, is managing the project.

 

He said: “It is amazing to think we have helped over 650 people in four weeks – it is a testament to the true co-operation on show between us and our partners.

 

“The feedback has been fantastic and really showcases the impact the project is having and will continue to have in the coming weeks.”

 

Plans are currently in place to see the project rolled out to other areas in the coming weeks.

 

 

Notes to editors

 

Picture caption: An image from one of the Central England Co-op hubs.

 

About Central England Co-operative

 

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK with interests in food, funeral, floral, travel and property investment.

 

Co-operatives have always been there for their communities; they were formed to protect them and help them flourish. 

 

Our 7,900 colleagues who serve Members and customers work hard to ensure that co-operative values, principles and spirit flow through everything we do to help support and improve our local communities.

 

Owned by hundreds of thousands of Members, we have over 430 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. 

 

We are proud of our reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.

 

We invest a percentage of our trading profit into local communities through our Community Dividend Fund scheme, have donated over £1.3 million to our corporate charity partner Dementia UK and also operate a pioneering food redistribution partnership with FareShare Midlands so unsold food goes to those in need.

 

Visit www.centralengland.coop for more information or follow us on Facebook or Twitter using @mycoopfood

 

 

Press office contacts: Rob Smyth and James Brindle

 

Phone - 01543 421390

 

Email - publicrelations@centralengland.coop