Christmas campaign to help youngsters in hospital boosted by Central England Co-op in Kettering

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 20/11/2017

Colleagues at a Central England Co-op store in Kettering are getting in the Christmas spirit by backing a cause that helps give poorly youngsters a lift during the festive season.

Hallwood Road Food Store has announced that it will acting as a drop-off point for the Kettering Biker Escorts Christmas Toy Run.

This campaign will see members of the public leave toys at the store in the run up to Christmas before they are transported by the Kettering Biker Escorts to Kettering General Hospital Skylark Ward on December 23 to give children who are in hospital over Christmas a boost.

Store manager Amy Marsh said: “All of us here know about the great work that the Kettering Biker Escorts do every year and wanted to be able to help out in some way.

“So we got in touch with them and asked them if we could act as a drop-off point for the annual Christmas Toy Run.

“They said yes so now when customers come in to pick up their groceries they can also leave their presents with us.
“We will then collate them all together and hand them over on December 23 when they will be then taken to bring a smile to the faces of children who find themselves in hospital over the Christmas period.”

Once the gifts are collected they are transported to the hospital as part of a motorcycle procession – with all riders dressing as Santa.

Alongside supporting the Kettering Biker Escorts Christmas Toy Run, the store will also be hosting its very own Christmas Foodbank Appeal.

Central England Co-op recently launched a renewed effort to encourage people to drop off one or more items into store foodbanks until 20 December.

The items will then be collected and distributed among the communities in which we serve.

Items that can be donated include shopping basket staples from tea, sugar and cereals to other essentials such as toiletries and hygiene products to ensure people can maintain their dignity during times of crisis.

More details about the campaign can be found by visiting www.centralengland.coop/beingcoopy

Notes to editors

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