Central England Co-op shows ‘goodwill to all’ with special donation of hundreds of toys to support families this Christmas

Posted by james brindle | Published: 10/11/2020


A charity which supports families experiencing poverty has taken delivery of hundreds of brand-new toys and games which will be distributed to children in need this Christmas thanks to a special donation by retailer Central England Co-op.

Charity Family Action has been handed a boost in its efforts to spread some festive joy to the families it supports with the major donation of children’s gifts worth thousands of pounds.

The donation comes as Central England Co-op continues its Christmas Toybox Appeal which is urging customers and members to donate a gift or stocking filler into donation points in all its 242 food stores across 16 counties.

Hannah Gallimore, Corporate Responsibility Manager at Central England Co-op, said: “We are really thrilled to have been able to make this donation of hundreds of toys and games to Family Action for them to distribute to families who are experiencing real hardship in these uncertain times.

“Family Action do great work on the ground in our communities with families who are experiencing poverty and disadvantages and sadly the Covid-19 pandemic has meant their work is more critical and in demand than ever.

“As a co-operative retailer at the heart of our communities we are determined to do all we can to support families and through this donation and our ongoing Christmas Toybox Appeal we hope we can make a positive contribution and ensure this Christmas is as special as possible in these uncertain times.”

Family Action took delivery of the mammoth donation at one of its bases in Staffordshire, before it distributes the toys to services across the county.

David Holmes CBE, Chief Executive, Family Action said: “This year, more than ever, Family Action wants to make sure that the children we support have a very special Christmas. For many of the children, receiving a gift through our Toy Appeal may be the only present they have to open on Christmas Day.

“So, we would like to say a huge thank you to Central England Co-op for their very generous donation. By donating so many toys and games they are helping to ensure that hundreds of children across Staffordshire will have more to smile about this 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 7,900 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 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. 

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 £1.4 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