Central England Co-op raises nearly 15k to support the NHS

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 14/01/2021

Central England Co-op has raised nearly £15,000 as part of a national effort to boost the coffers of NHS Charities Together.

The initiative, which saw the retailer link up with other independent co-ops, saw customers able to buy a festive bouquet from stores, with £1 from each sale donated to the campaign.

Just under £15,000 was raised - triple the original fund-raising target – with the proceeds going to NHS charities across the UK so they can provide more much-needed support to NHS staff, volunteers and patients.

This could include providing hot meals and a place to rest for staff working long hours or specialised psychological support for those struggling with stress, trauma and separation from their loved ones.

Hannah Gallimore, Central England Co-op Corporate Responsibility Manager, said: “Christmas is the time of goodwill to all and therefore we were delighted to be part of a campaign that supports our amazing NHS workers.

“They, like all frontline key workers, have worked around the clock all year during the pandemic to make sure there has been continued access to a range of vital and essential services.

“We knew our kind-hearted customers would be more than willing to continue to support them by picking up products in their local shop, a belief that was backed up by us being able to handover a donation of nearly £15,000.”

The national campaign, led by NHS Charities Together, encouraged people across the UK to ‘give to those who’ve given us everything’ by buying presents for each other that support the NHS.

The funds raised by the campaign will also be used to help vital partnerships outside hospitals, such as hospices, community healthcare and social care so they can provide care to patients, volunteers and staff outside of hospital.

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 with interests in food, funeral, floral and property investment.

Co-operatives have always been there for their communities; they were formed to protect them and help them flourish. 

Our 7,550 colleagues who serve Members and customers work hard to ensure that co-operative values, principles and spirit flow through everything we do to help support and improve our local communities.

Owned by hundreds of thousands of Members, we have 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. 

We are proud of our reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.

We invest a percentage of our trading profit into local communities through our Community Dividend Fund scheme, have donated over £1.3 million to our corporate charity partner Dementia UK and also operate a pioneering food redistribution partnership with FareShare Midlands so unsold food goes to those in need.

Visit www.centralengland.coop for more information or follow us on Facebook or Twitter using @mycoopfood

Press office contacts: Rob Smyth and James Brindle

Phone - 01543 421390

Email - publicrelations@centralengland.coop