Lifelong Co-op employee retires in time for Christmas after over 40 years working in Derbyshire

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 22/12/2017


A Central England Co-operative Funeralcare colleague who has been helping families say goodbye to their loved ones for over 40 years has decided to retire.
Phil Newton has been a fixture at the Society in Derbyshire ever since he first walked through the door straight from school in July 1976.

Now, over 40 years later, his colleagues and friends gathered together at Heanor Funeral Home, in Holbrook Street, to wave him off as he gets set to put his feet up and enjoy his retirement.

The 58-year-old said: “Working for Central England Co-op has not been like work at all, it has always been more like spending time with my family.
“I have loved every minute, worked with some great colleagues and have always been grateful to have been able to help families in their time of need.”

Phil started out with the Society as an apprentice joiner at what was then the funeral/joinery workshop in Langley Mill.

However, when the joinery workshop closed he moved across to the funeral side of the business – where he remained for 41 and a half years.

He added: “I have only worked for one company my entire career and I get asked about how that feels all the time.

“I always answer the same. The reason I have been here for all this time is because I love what I do, who I work with and the co-op.

“I will miss it and miss the people, but I intend to keep in touch with as many as I possibly can.”

Phil’s wife Jean retires on the very same day, December 22, and the pair are looking forward to a future involving caravanning on the east coast and spending time with their children and grandchildren.

Rebecca Middleton is the Funeral Director at Heanor Funeral Home.

She said: “Phil is an amazing character that everyone loves to be around.

“He was always the person you turned to when you needed to ask a question as he had so much experience and was always on hand with advice.

“He will be missed by all of us but we all hope that he really enjoys his retirement.”

Notes to editors

Picture caption: Phil Newton was all smiles after he was joined by colleagues and friends at Central England Co-operative Funeralcare, in Heanor, to celebrate his retirement.

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