Cambridgeshire food store brings community together with day of health, fitness and family fun
Posted by james brindle | Published: 07/03/2022
A Central England Co-op food store in St Ives was a hive of activity during a free community health day which not only saw free health checks but also a range of fun for all the family.
The food store in Constable Road was transformed to become a community hub for the day with local organisations joining with the Co-op team to offer a range of activities.
Shoppers had the opportunity to receive health checks and advice about maintaining healthy lifestyles and were signposted to what support is available locally.
Among those taking part were Huntingdonshire District Council’s Active Lifestyles team, Wood Green Animal Shelter offering pet advice and the Bobby Copping Foundation were on hand to give support around mental health.
Brucies Bikes joined in the day giving local cyclists the opportunity to have their cycles checked and the crowds were kept entertained through the day with live music from singer Ian McCully.
Fitness Rush Mobile also provided a range of activities, including a giant inflatable footdart board which proved a big hit with youngsters and a few big kids as well!
St Ives Central England Co-op Store Manager Darren Hammond said: “It was wonderful to be able to offer such a packed day of activities for our customers and members, with lots of fun to be had but also some great advice and important information from some brilliant organisations.
“We’re delighted to be part of such a great community in St Ives and look forward to being part of it for many years to come continuing to be there for local people with vital food and essentials in these uncertain times.”
Central England Co-op’s Eastern membership and community team helped organise the event and, on the day, and along with Cambridgeshire County Council were on hand to offer some nutritional food giveaways to keep people refreshed, while also delivering important messages around healthy choices and Fairtrade.
Member and Community Relations Officer Tanya Noon said: “I would like to thank the many great local organisations who gave up their time to be part of the event and to the community in St Ives for their ongoing support for our Constable Road food store.”
More details about membership at Central England Co-op can be found at https://membership.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 with interests in food, funeral, floral and property investment.
Owned by hundreds of thousands of members, its over 8,000 colleagues serve customers across 400 plus trading sites in 20 counties in the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.
Its purpose is to inspire communities to create a sustainable Society for all.
It actively campaigns for the Government to increase sentencing for violent attacks on retail workers and works with FareShare Midlands and hundreds of food banks, generating enough food donations to create over 2.1 million meals for people in need.
The Society embraces inclusivity and equality and is a signed-up member to the Business in the Community (BITC) Race at Work Charter, while it is also fully committed to addressing the impact of climate change and is on track to be Carbon Neutral by 2030.
It invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities through its Community Dividend Fund scheme which has seen over £175,000 shared out between 116 good causes over the past 12 months.
Central England Co-op was named Leading Co-op of the Year by Co-operatives UK in 2021.
Press office contacts: Rob Smyth and James Brindle
Phone - 01543 421390
Email - publicrelations@centralengland.coop