Colleagues at Derby Central England Co-op funeral home team up to raise money in memory of brave Alex

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 14/09/2017


Two colleagues from Central England Co-op Funeralcare are getting set to take on a giant obstacle course in a bid to raise money for a charity cause close to their hearts.

 

Funeral Director Paul Howarth and Funeral Administrator Shirley Read, who work at Allenton Funeral Home, will be raising money for the Bone Cancer Research Trust in memory of Shirley’s son Alex, who passed away after a brave battle with the disease in 2014 aged 14.

They will be hoping to raise the cash by taking on the Gung-Ho charity challenge at Castle Donington on September 23.

Shirley said: “We lost our beautiful boy Alex to primary bone cancer aged 14 on March 13, 2014.

“I'm raising money for Bone Cancer Research Trust to try and prevent other families travelling the same journey.

“We miss Alex more than we thought was possible and would give anything to have him back. We all miss his mischievous sense of humour, his fascination with the weird and wonderful, but above all his warm, loving hugs and his passion for life.

“The Gung-ho event is a 5km giant inflatable obstacle course. For a self-confessed couch potato this is going to be hard work, but nowhere near as hard as my son's battle with cancer.”

Alex’s brave battle was a story that inspired many, so much so that before his passing he was honoured with the Most Inspirational Young Person award by the Wellchild Charity.

He was presented with the award by Pixie Lott and Oliver Phelps and even got to meet Prince Harry as a result.

Paul said: “Alex’s story is something that inspires us all and everyone here at Allenton Funeral Home could not be prouder of Shirley and her fund-raising efforts.
“I was so impressed that I decided to do something about it and join her as part of her charity efforts.

“All we both ask now is for anyone who can to spare a few pounds for this great cause to help families facing a battle with bone cancer.”

The Bone Cancer Research Trust uses all money raised to pay for vital research designed to put an end to the disease and to support families affected.

People can donate to support Shirley and Paul by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/shirley-read1

 

Notes to editors

 

Picture caption: Central England Co-operative colleagues Paul Howarth and Shirley Read are getting set to take on a charity challenge to raise money for the Bone Cancer Research Trust.

 

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 £927million for 2016/17. The Society’s principal areas of activity are food, funeral services, and property. The company’s funeral business consists of over 120 funeral homes across 16 counties, 10 florists, masonry production and administration, Bretby Crematorium and Terry Smiths coffin factory.

 

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 and funeral home 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, @mycooplife and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative

Rob Smyth at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140

Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop