Fairness is the name of the game as Central England Co-op hosts fundraising Fairtrade Football Tournament in Birmingham
Posted by james brindle | Published: 03/07/2019
Football and Fairtrade were the winners at a special charity tournament held in Birmingham by Central England Co-operative and local community enterprise Sporting Spirit to mark Co-op Fortnight.
The first Central England Co-operative Fairtrade Football Tournament was held at PlayFootball Birmingham and saw seven teams take to the pitch with the aim of being crowned the tournament’s first winners, while raising money for the Society’s corporate charity Dementia UK and Sporting Spirit.
The event was funded by the Western Membership and Community Council (MCC) at Central England Co-op and held during Co-op Fortnight, which runs until July 7 and aims to raise awareness of the co-operative movement and how it supports communities.
The tournament also gave Central England Co-op the opportunity to raise awareness of Fairtrade and ethical practices, a key aspect of its point of difference as a retailer, by giving out Fairtrade fruit to the players taking part and providing the Fairtrade Bala footballs for the games.
James Knight, Member and Community Relations Officer at Central England Co-op, said: “During Co-op Fortnight, the whole co-operative movement has been encouraged to join in two weeks of mass co-operation to spread the co-op word and share the values that make our businesses different.
“The first Central England Co-operative Fairtrade Football Tournament has given us an ideal opportunity to get out in our community and put our values and principles into practice.
“It has been fantastic to shine a light on the importance of Fairtrade, but also raise funds for two great causes, our corporate charity Dementia UK and Sporting Spirit, who make such a great difference in their local community.”
Sporting Spirit work in the West Midlands to increase the number of people doing sport and activity – no matter what their background, ability or age, and they were central to the organisation of the tournament.
The Community Interest Company (CIC) is led by Michael Sinclair and Ashley Richards and Michael explained how Sporting Spirit supported the event and thanked those who donned their boots for the cause.
He said: “Sporting Spirit were delighted to support this event by finding a state of the art football venue to host the tournament, arranging the match fixtures, getting referees to officiate the games and most importantly, making sure all participants had an enjoyable experience.
“It was a really memorable tournament that I hope the players who took part really enjoyed and we thank them for being part of it and helping to raise vital funds for the community.”
To keep up-to-date with all the activities taking place during Co-op Fortnight 2019 visit www.membershipmatters.coop
More information on Central England Co-operative membership is available by calling 01543 414140 or emailing members@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.
It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with the Society’s principal areas of activity being food, funeral services, travel shops, 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 2019.
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 and James Brindle at Central England Co-operative on 01543 421390
Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop