£2,000 donation will support unemployed women on the road back to work in Birmingham
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 09/06/2017
A charity that helps unemployed women in Birmingham ensure they are best dressed and ready for job interviews has been handed a funding boost from Central England Co-operative.
The grant from the Western Membership and Community Council will be used to continue the good work of Smart Works Birmingham, based in Bristol Road South.
The £2,000 will be used to help pay for clothes and accessories to help women as they prepare for interviews in a bid to get back on the employment ladder.
Joanne Penn-Crossland, Smart Works Birmingham manager, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this incredibly kind donation from the Central England Co-Operative, which will help go towards purchasing new items of clothing and shoes for the women we support.
“At Smart Works Birmingham we provide an interview preparation service for disadvantaged women from across the city.
“As well as styling and dressing them for their job interviews, we also provide one-to-one interview coaching to help boost confidence and empower the women we work with to ensure that they have the tools needed to approach their interviews.
“We are very proud that, since having launched in August 2016, we have supported almost 200 women before their job interviews.
“A total of 59% of those we have been able to contact have gone on to get their jobs, which is amazing. We are so proud to have been a small part in their journey back into work.”
James Knight, Member and Community Relations Officer, said: “The Co-operative has a long tradition of giving back to the community, and we welcome the opportunity to make a real difference to the lives and education of local people.
“It is really important to have strong links with the local community and I am proud the Western Membership and Community Council were able to support Smart Works Birmingham.”
Central England Co-operative offers a wide range of educational and recreational workshops and classes for its members and communities.
If you are interested in finding out more, pop in to a local Central England Co-operative food store or email member.community@centralengland.coop
Notes to editors
Photo caption: Central England Co-operative Member and Community Relations Officer James Knight with Membership Community Council representative Phil Beardmore handing over a cheque for £2,000 to Joanne Penn-Crossland from Smart Works Birmingham.
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