Funeral home colleagues in Bourne saddle up for special charity bike ride alongside local care home
Posted by james brindle | Published: 24/07/2019
Four colleagues from a funeral home in Bourne are teaming up with a nearby care home to tackle a 36 mile charity bike ride as they look to raise vital funds for a local day care centre.
RJ Scholes Funeral Directors, in Wherrys Lane, are joining forces with The Cedars Care Home as they throw their support behind the Butterfield Centre in the town which provides vital day care facilities to older residents in the local area.
The now annual bike ride takes place on Thursday, 1 August and will see the team set off from Grantham, 36 miles away from Bourne, before stopping in at care homes along the way to say hello and talk to residents.
Senior Funeral Director Samantha Hampson, Senior Funeral Assistant Ben Smith and Funeral Service Assistants Dave Fawcett and Terry Dewey, are all taking on the challenge from RJ Scholes, part of Central England Co-operative Funeralcare.
Dave and Terry, in particular, are keen cyclists and put a great deal of hard work in to organising the ride with Cedars, including working out routes and testing them to see if they are suitable.
Samantha said all the team were delighted to join with staff from Cedars for the ride, as they have built up a close relationship and have teamed up with them on charity work in the past, such as quiz nights and darts competitions.
She said: “We have done the ride for the last couple of years as it is a great way to work with The Cedars and get out into the local community and support a great local cause.
“Last year we raised money for the Little Miracles charity and this year we decided to raise funds for the Butterfield Centre, which runs via donations from the community and gives vitally important support to elderly people within our community. Our aim is to raise £1,000 which will go towards giving the centre a bit of a makeover.
“David and Terry bike every day to and from work and enjoy long bike rides so this will be second nature for them – however I haven’t ridden a bike since I was 14 so I’m having to get out and do some practicing! We are all really looking forward to it and are delighted to be supporting a great cause which is a lifeline to elderly residents in our community.”
Anyone who would like to support the team can pop into RJ Scholes, in Wherry Lane, Bourne, and make a donation or they can call the team on 01778 394687.
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, and property.
The company’s funeral business consists of over 120 funeral homes across 16 counties, nine 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 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, @mycooplife and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative
Rob Smyth and James Brindle at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140
Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop