Central England Co-op colleagues hope to bring some festive cheer to poorly children in Leicester with hospital fund-raiser
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 01/09/2017
Central England Co-op colleagues are holding a special fund-raising event to boost the coffers of the Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI) Children's Ward.
The team at the Society’s Groby Road food store have been working with the LRI for several years and are now continuing that long association by holding a charity evening.
Team Leader Michelle Smith has been a driving force in raising money throughout the year for the Children’s Ward as well as, at Christmas, collecting trolleys full of toys that are given to youngsters and their siblings who find themselves in hospital on Christmas Day.
Michelle said: “The work undertaken by the LRI Children’s Ward is very close to all of our hearts and this is why we are so passionate about raising funds for such a good cause.
“I personally have been supporting them for the past 10 years and this will be the second year that we will be organising a special charity fund-raising event.
“It will be great fun for the whole family and will see vital funds raised for the Children’s Ward.
“The funds raised at the event will be supplemented by another annual campaign we run – collecting toys and presents for youngsters who are in hospital over Christmas.
“Members of the public can donate toys to us on the night or at the store in the run up to the festive season, which are then handed over to the hospital in time for December 25.
“There is nothing more fulfilling then seeing the generosity these donations bring to poorly youngsters.
“All that is left to say is to ask people to support our event in September and to help the hospital by donating a toy or two if you can this Christmas.”
Further events planned to bolster the charity fundraising include a coffee and cake morning and sponsored silence.
As well as boosting the coffers of the LRI Children’s Ward, money will also be raised for Dementia UK, Central England Co-op’s corporate charity.
The charity event will take place from 7pm on Friday, 22 September at Newfound Pool Working Men’s Club, in Leicester.
Tickets cost £5 each and under 16s are free. The event will feature a disco, raffle, children’s entertainer, and stalls.
A similar event was held last year which raised £5,000 and also saw dozens of toys donated towards the Christmas present appeal.
Tickets are available from food stores in Groby Road and Hallam Crescent or on the door at the event.
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 gross sales of £927 million in 2016/17. 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 Dementia UK 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