Colleagues at Melton Mowbray funeral directors support those in need with charity pledge

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 02/11/2017


Colleagues at a Melton Mowbray funeral directors have pledged to support a vital project which helps people in need.

Richard Barnes Funeral Directors, based in Wilton Road, has linked up with the Storehouse Project in the town to provide items such as food, clothing, bedding and baby equipment once a month.

These items will then be packaged up and given to people who are in need and have been referred by other agencies.

Senior Funeral Director Jenny Barnes said: “We all got together as a team and decided that Storehouse would be a great project to support.

“So, after every payday, we go out and buy a range of toiletries which we then give to the project – they are always appreciative of the items.

“Being part of Central England Co-operative means that being an active and important part of community is key to all of us who work here – we are proud to be able to support great causes like this one and urge others to do the same.”

Storehouse is run by Melton Vineyard Church and supported by Churches Together in Melton.

It provides bags of high quality, non-perishable food and toiletries to families and individuals on low incomes, on state benefits or those struggling to get by.

The project already receives support from other businesses and groups in the town including Churches Together, the Fairtrading Post and local Rotary clubs.

A spokesman from Storehouse said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to all the people who have been so generous in their support of Storehouse.

“We have been helped in such a variety of ways and do appreciate the care and kindness people have shown for those most in need in our community.”

Any businesses which would like to donate items to Storehouse can email storehouse@meltonvineyard.org.uk or call 01664 669146.

Notes to editors

Picture caption: Colleagues from Richard Barnes Funeral Directors handover a bag of donations to the Storehouse Project.

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 projected gross sales of £927million for 2016/17. The Society’s principal areas of activity are food, funeral services, and property. The company’s funeral business consists of over 120 funeral homes across 16 counties, 10 florists, masonry production and administration, Bretby Crematorium and Terry Smiths coffin factory.

Central England Co-operative has more than 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.  The Society has an ambitious food store and funeral home 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, @mycooplife and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative

Rob Smyth at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140

Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop