Central England Co-operative signs Time to Change pledge to raise awareness about mental health

Posted by nathan lloyd | Published: 24/03/2017


Central England Co-operative has today vowed to break the silence around mental health by signing the Time to Change Employer Pledge.

Chief Executive Martyn Cheatle put pen to paper on the pledge in a bid to illustrate the Society’s long-term commitment to raising awareness about mental health problems.

The signing of the agreement has been spearheaded by Tracey Orr, Support Services Executive, and a Mental Health Working Party set up at Central England Co-operative to focus on the issue.

Mr Cheatle said: “I am proud to have been able to sign the Time to Change Employer Pledge on behalf of everyone involved with Central England Co-operative.

“The health and wellbeing of all of our colleagues is of the utmost importance to us and this was why it was vital we signed up to this initiative.

“One in four people will experience a mental health issue and nine in 10 people with a mental health problem experience stigma and discrimination – we, as a Society, think this is unfair, and this is why we are implementing an action plan to tackle mental health and wellbeing.

“Our Society is now more focused than ever in providing support for those who need it and working hard to end the discrimination and stigma associated with mental health.”

Time to Change is a national mental health campaign, launched in 2009 by mental health charities MIND and Rethink with the objective of reducing health related stigma and discrimination.

The pledge is an aspirational statement with indicates to colleagues, members and customers that an organisation wants to take action to tackle the stigma and discrimination around mental health, focussing on the workplace in particular.

By signing the Time to Change Employer Pledge, it illustrates the Society’s long-term commitment to put in place the foundations to:
• raise awareness around the importance of mental health and wellbeing at work
• champion the issue by providing the resources and tools for all colleagues
• help break the culture of silence around mental health

As part of the pledge, the Society will create 50 mental health and wellbeing champions who will offer support by signposting colleagues towards resources and help regarding mental health.

The Society has now joined a growing movement of more than 480 employers in England who have signed the Time to Change Employer Pledge.

Sue Baker, Director of Time to Change, said: “We know it can be hard to talk about mental health, which is why we’re supporting employers to open up, to talk and to listen. Too many people with mental health problems are made to feel isolated, ashamed and worthless, but with the right support, those of us with mental health problems can recover and have equal opportunities in all areas of life. Everyone’s attitude makes a difference and it’s fantastic to see organisations like Central England Co-operative taking the lead.”

Notes to editors
Picture caption: Martyn Cheatle, Chief Executive of Central England Co-operative, signed the Time to Change Employer Pledge surrounded by colleagues at the Society’s Boley Park supermarket, in Lichfield.
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 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 http://www.centralengland.coop follo,w Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative

Rob Smyth – PR officer - Central England Co-operative - 01543 414140
Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop