Hundreds raised for Dementia UK thanks to charity football match in Peterborough
Posted by james brindle | Published: 31/07/2019
A football mad team leader at a Central England Co-op Food Store in Peterborough has helped raise hundreds of pounds for a cause close to her heart.
Shannon Hilton from the High Street Convenience Store in Eye donned her football boots as player manager in a fundraising match she organised for the retailer’s corporate charity Dementia UK featuring colleagues from across the region.
Despite the good cause, there was a competitive edge to proceedings as Shannon led out her team against an eleven headed by her store manager Craig Stafford and ultimately her team were victorious, winning 5-4 in a thrilling encounter in torrential conditions.
Over £425 has been raised from the game which will go to Dementia UK, a charity close to Shannon’s heart, for a number of reasons.
She said: “Dementia UK is our corporate charity at Central England Co-op and we always enjoy and are happy to support the cause in store. I also lost my Nan to dementia in 2007 so have experienced how this condition affects a family first hand. Dementia doesn’t only affect the person that is diagnosed but also everyone around them.
“We all work hard to raise awareness and raise money as a Society in the form of bake sales and raffles in store but I was keen to do something different for this great cause.
“I have a passion for football so I wanted to incorporate that into the fundraising and despite the wet weather there was a great turnout and a really entertaining game for the crowds.”
Central England Co-operative has been supporting Dementia UK since 2017 and so far, the Society has donated over £1 million to the charity. The money has been used to help pay for specialist Admiral Nurses, additional vital training and the on-going staffing of the free Dementia Helpline (0800 888 6678).
For further information on the work Dementia UK do, and for fundraising opportunities, please visit https://www.dementiauk.org/
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 the Society’s principal areas of activity being food, funeral services, travel shops, 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 2019.
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 and James Brindle at Central England Co-operative on 01543 421390
Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop