Special events help shine a light on Central England Co-op supporting the community in Wooldale

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 21/09/2017


Two special events have taken place to showcase how Central England Co-operative supports the community in Wooldale.

The Society, which has three stores in New Mill, Thongsbridge, and Wooldale, in Holme Valley, organised a family fun day and Get to know your Co-op event to try and shine a light on how it can support community groups and organisations in the area.

The family fun day took place at Wooldale Junior School and saw visitors of all ages learn all about Central England Co-op as well as enjoying an owl experience, face painter, balloon modeller, outdoor games and a barbecue with all proceeds from sales going to charity – a total of £445 was raised.

The Get to know your Co-op event took place at The Spice Pear Hepworth and included presentations on the Society and what it can do for members and the local community. It concluded with networking opportunities and afternoon tea.

Tanya Noon, Member and Community Relations Officer, said: “The whole idea around these two events was showcasing to the community we serve across Wooldale what we are doing and can do for them.

“We offer support to customers, members, community groups and organisations in several different ways and these event were a perfect way to showcase that to anyone who is interested.

“All of us at Central England Co-operative are proud to be part of such a great community and really enjoyed being able to talk about what we can and plan to do over the coming weeks, months and years.”

Earlier this year, the board and management of Central England Co-operative and Wooldale Co-operative decided to join forces to strengthen the local offering for Wooldale Co-operative customers and members. 

Wooldale Co-operative Society has a long history in the local area, stretching back over 130 years, and 40 colleagues across its three Food Stores have been transferred to Central England Co-operative. 

This saw £500,000 invested in the former Wooldale Co-operative stores. All three now have the latest in pioneering new energy efficient refrigeration technologies to minimise environmental impact and LED lighting.

The official opening was marked by 100 lucky shoppers walking away with an array of prizes including flat screen televisions and Co-op vouchers as part of a special golden ticket away.

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

Notes to editors

Picture caption: Colleagues from Central England Co-operative talk to the community of Wooldale at a special Get to know your Co-op event.

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 gross sales of £927 million in 2016/17. The Society’s principal areas of activity are 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 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, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative

Rob Smyth / Heather Clapton at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140

Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop