Decorations and treats help bring festive cheer to Chesterfield Hospital this Christmas

Posted by nathan lloyd | Published: 06/12/2016


Colleagues from Central England Co-operative brought some festive cheer to Chesterfield Hospital as part of a special Christmas volunteering visit.

Staff and patients in the hospital children’s ward were left grinning from ear to ear after ‘Santa’s elves’ descended this week to offer a helping hand.

The ward was decked out in decorations and range of gifts and goodies were dropped off to put a smile on the faces of those who might find themselves in hospital over Christmas.

James Knight, Member and Community Relations Officer, was the man who came up with the idea.

He said: “I decided to support the children’s ward after staff cared for my son when he was poorly as a baby.

“They were wonderful and this was something I knew I could do to help and give something back.

“So I approached the hospital and discussed with them what Central England Co-operative could do to help.

“Me and another colleague were delighted to head to the children’s ward and help Jenny Reaney, Play Specialist Team Leader at the hospital, put up Christmas
decorations, dress trees and repaint Santa’s sleigh.

“We were also able to donate 50 Selection boxes to give to the patients around Christmas, a selection of current DVDs and CDs to keep the patients entertained during their stay on the ward, some Co-op treats for the staff to eat, and Co-op tea, coffee, hot chocolate and sugar for the parents of the patients.

“It was fantastic to be able to give something back to a place that does so much for so many.”

James is one of hundreds of Central England Co-operative colleagues who will be out and about in the community this Christmas helping the areas that the Society serves as part of the ‘Do Just One Thing’ festive campaign.

From volunteering at hospitals to raising money for charity, colleagues will be doing their bit to help out this Christmas.

Find out more about ‘Do Just One Thing’ and everything else Central England Co-operative does in the community by visiting https://communities.centralengland.coop/

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 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 / Jo Baldock at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140
Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop