Ten Central England Co-op colleagues set for marathon cycle ride to raise funds for Dementia UK
Posted by stephanie forrester | Published: 17/05/2019
Ten colleagues from Central England Co-operative’s Funeralcare team will be taking to the saddle this month to cycle 26 miles around Rutland Water to raise funds for Dementia UK.
Matt George, Area Manager for Funeral Operations in the East Region, will be pedalling on 23 May alongside Head of Funeral Operations Liz Hunt, Area Managers Simon Snell, Dave Lucas and Mike Taaffe, Funeral Directors Lee Dillow (Werrington Funeral Home) and Joanne Mills (JH Grice, Hatton) and Lichfield funeral support team members Abbey Jacques, Aiden Phillips and Marc Palmer.
Matt George said: “We are all looking forward to taking part and raising as much as we can for Dementia UK. We decided that as a team we needed to do something to support the charity because we have seen the impact dementia has on families through contact with people that come to our funeral business for our support.
“Dementia UK offers help to families as well as those who are suffering with the illness, so we are really happy to be able to challenge ourselves and raise money to maintain this vital service.”
The team members, who have organised the biking challenge themselves, have mixed levels of fitness and cycling experience with two classing themselves as complete novices. They aim to support and motivate each other throughout the marathon-length ride, which they acknowledge will be a big challenge for all of them.
Anyone who would like to support their fundraising challenge can do so by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/dementiaukcharitybikeride
Central England Co-operative has been supporting Dementia UK since 2017 and so far, the Society has donated over £1 million to the charity. The money has been used to help pay for specialist Admiral Nurses, additional vital training and the on-going staffing of the free Dementia Helpline (0800 888 6678).
For further information on the work Dementia UK do, and for fundraising opportunities, please visit https://www.dementiauk.org/
Notes to editors
Picture caption: (L-R) Team members Jo Mills, Aiden Phillips and Liz Hunt are looking forward to the charity bike ride for Dementia UK
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