Working together to make a difference is key theme of Co-operatives Fortnight
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 09/06/2017
Central England Co-operative is supporting Co-operatives Fortnight by sharing stories of working together and volunteering in the community.
The Society is backing the two-week annual event, which runs from 17 June to 1 July, which will see co-operatives across the globe join forces to celebrate incredible co-operation and share stories of how working together makes a difference.
Staff from Central England Co-operative will also be physically getting involved by taking part in a wide range of volunteering events across the country.
Co-operatives Fortnight is an annual awareness campaign to help people become more familiar with co-operatives in their local area.
Some of the stories the Society plans to share will focus on the success of the Community Dividend Fund scheme which awards anywhere between £100 to
£5,000 to local good causes to Forget Me Not, a bereavement group launched to help those who have lost a loved one.
Staff will be out on and about volunteering including helping to spruce up the National Memorial Arboretum, in Staffordshire, and helping to support the Kids
Country Food and Farming Day, in Peterborough, which will see over 6,000 children learn more about where their food comes from.
Hannah Gallimore, Corporate Responsibility Manager, said: “Co-operatives Fortnight allows our colleagues to work together with customers and local organisations to help improve the areas in which we serve.
“There is no better way than using volunteering to showcase the positive difference working together can have and what being a co-operative is all about.”
Ed Mayo is Secretary General for Co-operatives UK, the trade body behind Co-operatives Fortnight.
He said: “Co-operatives up and down the country are enabling people to have control over the things that matter to them - where they work, where they live, where they shop.
“Co-operatives Fortnight is a time to celebrate the difference that the UK's 7,000 co-ops make to people's lives and remind ourselves that now, after a year of conflict, it's time to co-operate.”
More details on Co-operatives Fortnight is available by visiting www.centralengland.coop/your-co-op/co-operatives-fortnight or www.uk.coop/fortnight or following #coopstories on Twitter.
Notes to editors
Individual case studies and special videos related to community co-operation are available upon request.
What is a Co-operative sidebar
Whether it’s a football club like Barcelona or a retailer like us, your local co-op pub or group of dairy farmers, co-operatives are successful businesses.
There are nearly 7,000 independent co-operatives across the UK, working in all parts of the economy. Together they contribute more than £34.1 billion to the British economy.
They range from multi-billion pound businesses to small community enterprises. They work in everything from healthcare to housing, renewables to retail, sports to social care.
People of all kinds benefit through membership of their co-operative. Farmers are strengthening their position in competitive and global markets. Employees are having a say in how their organisations are run. Customers are influencing the businesses they use. Local residents are saving vital services.
Co-operatives Fortnight will allow all of these co-operative to share stories of how working together has made a difference.
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 gross sales of £927 million in 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 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 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 Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children 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 / Heather Clapton at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140
Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop