Schoolchildren show ‘What makes Burton brilliant’ with event celebrating the town’s diverse culture

Posted by james brindle | Published: 05/04/2019

Hundreds of schoolchildren have gathered for a special cultural celebration at Burton Town Hall to showcase ‘What makes Burton brilliant’.

The event was supported by Central England Co-operative and was the culmination of a month-long project held across the five Central Co-operative Learning Trust schools in the town and partner schools.

Pupils showcased the work they have developed as part of the What makes Burton brilliant project in interactive exhibitions of arts and crafts, music, singing and dancing – all highlighting the diverse cultures which make up modern Burton.

This included a fantastic Gamelan demonstration, showcasing the skills developed by the youngsters on the Indonesian percussion instruments, as well as opportunities to try a range of delicious foods from South Asian cuisine and Mehndi artists were also on hand to offer unique body art designs.

Deb Bacon, Chief Operations Officer at the Central Learning Co-operative Learning Trust, said: “Over the past month around 2,250 children from across the seven Trust schools have been taking part in a range of activities to celebrate and improve their understanding of the diverse range of cultures that have settled within Burton.

“The What makes Burton brilliant project has enabled the children to explore a range of areas including religion, arts and crafts, music, storytelling, food and much more, sharing their own culture with their peers and also holding this great event to showcase their talents.

“Every child in every year group has engaged in an activity with a range of staff, professionals and artists to help them express their creativity, and it was great to be able to invite parents and carers to the event at the culmination of the project to celebrate the work of the children and learn more about the various cultures that make up this vibrant town.”

The celebration event at Burton Town Hall was supported with funding from the Western Membership and Community Council (MCC) at Central England Co-op and James Knight, Member and Community Relations Officer at the Society, said they were delighted to get involved.

He said: “We welcome the opportunity to make a real difference to the lives and education of local children and as a co-operative we are always keen to work alongside other co-operatives for the benefit of the communities we serve.

“Therefore we were delighted to support this fantastic project run by the Central Learning Co-operative Learning Trust which has afforded young people the chance to do something away from the curriculum which has been hugely rewarding and given them great insight into how diversity and culture has shaped the town in which they live.”

The Western Membership and Community Council is made up of Co-op members who are passionate about their community and want to make a difference within it. Each council is given funding and support by the Society to organise activities and events.

People can find out more about the work of the MCC by visiting https://www.members.coop/         

Any schools or community groups interested in having a Healthy Choices or Fairtrade Workshop delivered by Central England Co-op should email members@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 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