Central England Co-op set to mark World Mental Health Day by showcasing its pledge to more people than before

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 09/10/2017

Central England Co-operative is continuing its efforts to break the silence around mental health by branding two of its lorries with the Time to Change logo.

It is hoped that this will help publicise the campaign to remove stigma surrounding mental health as people see the lorries as they travel on roads across the UK.

The move comes as the Society gets set to promote World Mental Health Day on October 10.

Earlier this year, Chief Executive Martyn Cheatle put pen to paper on the Time to Change Employer Pledge in a bid to illustrate the Society’s long-term commitment to raising awareness about mental health.

Tracey Orr, Support Services Executive, has spearheaded the Society’s efforts to tackle the issue of mental health as part of a specially formed mental health working party.

She said: “By branding two of our lorries with the Time to Change logo, we are showcasing to more people than ever how important this pledge is to our Society.

 “No one should feel ashamed of talking about mental health problems and we want to break the culture of silence around mental health in the workplace.

“As a Society we are proud to be part of World Mental Health Day and proud to be able to mark it with the launch of these specially branded lorries.”

World Mental Health Day will also be marked with a tea and talk event at Central England Co-op’s Business Support Centre, in Lichfield.

The Society has launched several other initiatives offering support to those who are battling mental health issues following the signing of the pledge.

These include:

• Mental health first aid training courses, dementia friendly awareness sessions and mindfulness workshops - 36 events that 384 colleagues have attended
• Creating 50 mental health and wellbeing champions who offer support by signposting colleagues towards resources and help regarding mental health.
• Launched the colleague assistance programme in May 2017, which is a 24-hour, 7 day a week, confidential helpline
• 77 colleagues took part in an anonymous mental health and wellbeing research – 73% said it was very important the Society addressed mental health in the workplace
• Conference for the 50 mental health and wellbeing champions, in conjunction with Time to Change, for them to find out more about their roles, share best practice and learn about supporting each other

Time to Change is a national mental health campaign, launched in 2009 by mental health charities MIND and Rethink with the objective of reducing health related stigma and discrimination.

The pledge is an aspirational statement which indicates to colleagues, members and customers that Central England Co-op wants to take action to tackle the stigma and discrimination around mental health, focussing on the workplace in particular.

Sue Baker, Director of Time to Change, said: “We know it can be hard to talk about mental health, which is why we’re supporting employers to open up, to talk and to listen.

“Everyone’s attitude makes a difference and it’s fantastic to see organisations like Central England Co-operative taking the lead.”

Notes to editors

Picture caption: Colleagues Shaun Bennett and Steve Johnson from Central England Co-operative Chilled Distribution Centre unveil the newly branded lorries to mark World Mental Health Day.

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