Former miner ‘Mo’ waves goodbye to Central England Co-op Funeralcare after 20 year in Leicestershire
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 30/10/2017
A former miner who spent over 20 years helping families say goodbye to their loved ones has finally decided to retire.
Maurice ‘Mo’ Cooper has been a fixture at Central England Co-operative Funeralcare, in London Road, Coalville, ever since he first walked through the door in January 1996.
Now, over 20 years later, his colleagues and friends gathered together to wave him off as gets set to put his feet up and enjoy his retirement.
The 76-year-old said: “I have loved every single minute of my time working for Central England Co-operative Funeralcare.
“The people are the ones who have made it for me. I have always worked with a great bunch and I will miss them all so very much.”
Maurice started his working life as a miner and for years could be found heading down mines across the area including Snibston and Rawdon.
After ending his time as a miner, he followed with a short stint as a pot washer at Coalville Technical College before getting the chance to join Central England Co-operative Funeralcare as a Funeral Services Assistant before, in later years, working as a cleaner.
He added: “I started out as a causal worker and then eventually worked my way up to earn a contract.
“I always enjoyed the work as you were making a real difference to people at a very sad point in their lives.
“I really will miss it, but I intend to keep in touch with all my colleagues and continue to nip into the funeral home when I can.”
Maurice will spend his retirement enjoying long walks and devoting more time to one of his main passions – dancing.
He said: “My 20 years with Central England Co-operative Funeralcare have flown by and it only seems like yesterday that I first walked in through the door.”
Bev Whatley is the Funeral Director at Coalville Funeral Home and has known Maurice for 10 years.
She said: “Maurice is an amazing character that everyone loves to be around.
“He was always the person you turned to when you needed to ask a question as he had so much experience and was always on hand with advice.
“He will be missed by all of us but we all hope that he really enjoys his retirement.”
Notes to editors
Picture caption: Maurice ‘Mo’ Cooper was all smiles after he was joined by colleagues and friends at Central England Co-operative Funeralcare, in Coalville, to celebrate his retirement.
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