Hannah wins top award for using social media to raise awareness about Multiple Sclerosis
Posted by heather clapton | Published: 13/06/2018
Wednesday, 13 June
HANNAH WINS TOP AWARD FOR USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
Central England Co-op Optical employee Hannah Smith has been awarded the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society’s Digital Media of the Year Award for her work raising awareness of being a young person with MS.
Hannah was diagnosed at 24 years old and through her blog, ‘An Ordinary Girl and MS’, as well as her YouTube channel she has been documenting the condition and how it has affected her life.
Using digital platforms, Hannah, who lives in Meadenvale, has now created a community for younger people with MS, allowing them to share their experiences and support each other.
Hannah has been with Central England Co-op for just over three years as an Optical Advisor at the Peterborough branch.
She said: “I am lucky to have such an amazing team at work, who have supported me throughout my MS journey. My plans are to continue blogging through my social media to support as many young and newly diagnosed people who need support.
“My blog is my original platform, which I started in June 2016 alongside a Facebook page, and the visits just keep going up and up. I feel really pleased that people are finding it helpful to them.”
Hannah was shortlisted for the award on the back of the rising popularity of her blog. She was named winner of the Digital Media of the Year award at a glamorous ceremony in London earlier this year.
When asked how she felt about winning, Hannah said: “Overwhelmed and overjoyed as this means a lot to me. I am so completely honoured.”
People can find out more about Hannah by visiting her blog at https://hannahelizasite.wordpress.com/.
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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 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 2018.
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 / Heather Clapton at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140
Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop