Central England Co-operative is making a difference worth millions in Birmingham
Posted by nathan lloyd | Published: 23/12/2016
Central England Co-operative has revealed that every £1 it spends on good causes in Birmingham is actually worth an astonishing £20.50 in positive community impact.
The figure has been released after the Society became the first Co-operative of its type to publish a Social Return on Investment (SROI) report, which takes an in-depth look at the impact of its community work.
The project, which was undertaken by SROI specialist ‘Make a Difference CIC, focused on the social value and return provided by the Society’s Community Dividend Fund, award-winning SENse to Aspire scheme and local activities organised for members.
The results showcased that for every £1 that the Society, which has dozens of stores across Birmingham, invests in community projects, the monetary value of the impact made by these good causes is on average worth a massive £20.50.
Chief Executive of Central England Co-operative Martyn Cheatle said: “We took the decision to undertake this new form of robust analysis of our community impact in order to inform future decision making and ensure that we continue to make a real difference to people’s lives.”
The Community Dividend Fund is a grant that members can apply for on behalf of community groups, schools and charities.
People can ask for anything from £100 to £5,000 and the fund comes from 1% of Central England Co-operative’s trading profit. Over £2million has been handed out across 16 counties since its inception in 2007.
In the past 12 months, several projects have shared thousands of pounds in Birmingham as part of the community Dividend Fund.
The Fox Hollies Community Association provides community activities, pre-school play schemes and clubs for older people and children with disabilities in Acocks Green.
The group was handed £2,000 towards an outdoor canopy to allow people to use space outside in bad weather.
Rubery Football Club was handed £2,000 to pay for a selection of new football kits.
Tina Bennett, from Rubery FC, spoke of why they applied for a grant from the Community Dividend Fund.
She said: “I would like to thank Central England Co-operative for the very generous sponsorship of our teams for the coming season. It has really sent a buzz through our teams and everyone connected with our club.
“The grant will be used to supply football equipment for our youth teams as well as our ever expanding soccer school.”
St Edburgha’s Church Yardley is a meeting place that provides refreshments and somewhere to chat for people of all ages.
The group was given £200 to help promote the group with posters and leaflets.
Mr Cheatle added: “The success of our community initiatives as demonstrated in our SROI report is only possible due to the continued success of our trading businesses.
“The ability to continue with this investment is fuelled by the Society’s strong financial performance and long term strategy to deliver future business growth in a sustainable way.”
Notes to editors
Video: Please see below links to a specially created film shining a spotlight on our Community Dividend.
Community Dividend:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZm1pR1kzw4
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 projected gross sales of £958million for 2016/17. The Society recently celebrated being named Leading Co-operative of the Year 2016 by Co-operatives UK. The Society’s principal areas of activity are food, funeral services, and property. Central England Co-operative has more than 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. The Society has an ambitious food store development programme for 2016/17.
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 Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.
For more information visit http://www.centralengland.coop follo,w Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative
Rob Smyth – PR officer - Central England Co-operative - 01543 414140
Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop