Skydiving Mel from Skegby Co-op food store raises funds for Newlife charity

Posted by nathan lloyd | Published: 27/09/2016


A Central England Co-operative colleague is now enjoying a well-earned rest after jumping out of a plane from 10,000ft for Newlife charity.

Mel Bassett, who works at the Mansfield Road Food Store, in Skegby, has come back down to earth after an exhilarating jump on Sunday 25 September for Central England Co-operative’s corporate charity Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children.

Mel said: “Newlife is a great charity and I wanted to do something special for all the kids that are helped by our staff-elected charity.

“Due to weight restrictions for the jump, I started a diet so I could go through with it and I lost nearly a stone to perform the jump.

“My motto is, if it scared you, it might be a good thing to try and I am so happy I did it. It was totally amazing, fun, exciting and scary all at the same time. I loved every minute.

“I’d like to thank my colleagues, family members and customers from Mansfield Road Food Store for their support and encouragement.”

Over the last month Mel has raised over £450 and three lucky customers have won fabulous prizes as part of her fundraising efforts.
• Bernie from Pendragon at Sherwood Business Park in Annesley won a half day Land Rover experience day
• Little Harry won a luxury hamper
• Steve from Car Chem Ltd in Newstead Village won a box of chocolates

Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children is dedicated to providing guidance and practical support for children with disabilities and their families, and although Newlife is a national charity, every penny raised by Central England Co-operative is helping children in the Society’s trading area. So far, the partnership has raised £1.2million and helped fund specialist disability equipment for more than 530 children. 

Newlife Head of Operations Stephen Morgan, said: “Well done Mel! She joins a growing band of Central England Co-operative colleagues who have taken that leap of faith to raise vital funds to help families in the Society’s retail area. Every penny counts – and Mel’s £450 will help make a significant difference to the everyday life of a disabled child. Thank you.”

 

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 www.centralengland.coop, follow 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