Central England Co-op joins national Christmas Campaign to support the NHS

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 18/12/2020

• Central England Co-op has joined a national partnership of well-known brands that are raising money to support NHS staff and volunteers by selling gifts that give a little back this Christmas
• The retailer is encouraging customers to pop into their local store to buy one of their festive bouquets as a gift for themselves or a loved one, with £1 from each sale donated to NHS Charities Together
• Typically, in a normal year, it’s estimated that 400,000 NHS staff and volunteers will work over the Christmas period, this year that figure is likely to be much higher. Central England Co-op is aiming to raise £5,000 for NHS Charities Together, which provides support to NHS staff and volunteers

Central England Co-op has joined a national partnership of well-known brands raising money to support the NHS by selling gifts that give a little back this Christmas.

This nationwide initiative is also being supported by other independent co-ops including Scotmid, Lakes & Dales Co-operative, East of England Co-op, Heart of England Co-operative, Midcounties Co-operative and Southern Co-op.

From today until 31 December, customers will be able to buy a festive bouquet from Central England Co-op stores, with £1 from each sale to be donated to the national campaign. The retailer is aiming to raise £5,000 to help support NHS staff and volunteers.

The proceeds will go to NHS charities across the UK this Christmas so they can provide more much-needed support to NHS staff, volunteers and patients.

Hannah Gallimore, Central England Co-op Corporate Responsibility Manager, said: “Christmas is the time of goodwill to all and therefore we are delighted to be part of a campaign that supports our amazing NHS workers.

“They, like all frontline key workers, have worked around the clock all year during the pandemic to make sure there has been continued access to a range of vital and essential services.

“We know our kind-hearted customers will be more than willing to continue to support them by picking up products in their local shop, and by doing so giving a boost to the NHS at a time of year, especially in 2020, where they will face unprecedented pressure and demand.”

The national campaign, led by NHS Charities Together, is encouraging people across the UK to ‘give to those who’ve given us everything’ by buying presents for each other that support the NHS. In a normal year, it’s estimated that 400,000 NHS staff and volunteers will work over Christmas and this year it’s likely to be far more. The money raised from this campaign will go towards the organisation’s mission to provide vital funds which support NHS workers.

For more information visit https://www.centralengland.coop/food/christmas

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.

Co-operatives have always been there for their communities; they were formed to protect them and help them flourish. 

Our 7,550 colleagues who serve Members and customers work hard to ensure that co-operative values, principles and spirit flow through everything we do to help support and improve our local communities.

Owned by hundreds of thousands of Members, we have 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. 

We are proud of our reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.

We invest a percentage of our trading profit into local communities through our Community Dividend Fund scheme, have donated over £1.3 million to our corporate charity partner Dementia UK and also operate a pioneering food redistribution partnership with FareShare Midlands so unsold food goes to those in need.

Visit www.centralengland.coop for more information or follow us on Facebook or Twitter using @mycoopfood

Press office contacts: Rob Smyth and James Brindle

Phone - 01543 421390

Email - publicrelations@centralengland.coop