Life changing scheme that helps young people in Birmingham is having a major impact

Posted by nathan lloyd | Published: 01/02/2017

A ground-breaking report has revealed a scheme that changes the lives of students with special educational needs is having a major impact on the community.

Central England Co-operative recently became the first Co-operative of its type to publish a Social Return on Investment report, which takes an in-depth look at the impact of its community work.

The results showcased that for every £1 that the Society invests in community projects, the monetary value of the impact made by these good causes is on average worth a massive £20.50.

A more detailed breakdown has revealed that for every £1 spent on the pioneering SENse to Aspire scheme, £17.49 is generated in terms of social return within the community.

The award-winning scheme has helped 166 students gain work experience at the Society’s florists or food outlets, which includes classroom sessions.

The programme also has an enormous impact on the colleagues involved because it raises their awareness around learning difficulties and disabilities, and gives the colleagues a real sense of having made a difference.

The society runs the scheme with Selly Oak Trust School, in Birmingham, which has seen hundreds of youngsters flourish, according to head teacher Chris Field.

He said:  “Our young people find it really difficult to find work placements.

“It has been very difficult to get an employer to work alongside us so that they can understand the needs of our young people and be supportive at the same time as maximising the skills that they have.

“These opportunities with Central England Co-operative are ones that they just do not get anywhere else.

“For us it is fantastic, for the young people the sense of pride they have developed has been absolutely amazing.

“In my time in education I have never worked with an employer who has taken on so many young people and committed to supporting them.”

Luke Taylor-Banks was one of the hundreds of students who took part in work experience with Central England Co-operative as part of the SENse to Aspire scheme.

He said: “I was very nervous about taking part in work experience, but once I arrived at the store the team made me feel extremely welcome.

“I think the key to my successful placement was kindness, encouragement and most of all patience from the colleagues. I gained confidence, valuable insight into the skills required in retail and it has also given me motivation to do well in school.”

Luke’s father Ian Taylor-Banks said: “It was a great opportunity to share what the ‘real world’ is like and I would definitely recommend school and business partnerships that improve the outcome for young people in the UK.”

The scheme has been such a success that it is now being rolled out with other educational providers across the Society’s trading estate.

People can find out more about SENse to Aspire by watching a special film at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEOApB3pF9A

Notes to editors

Please see below for more details on the Social Return on Investment report.

The Social Return on Investment report, which was undertaken by SROI specialist ‘Make a Difference CIC, focused on the social value and return provided by the Society’s Community Dividend Fund, award-winning SENse to Aspire scheme and local activities organised for members.  
The community projects Central England Co-op invests in have helped give people more confidence, better fitness and new skills. The people who take part are also more likely to put more of their own time and effort into the community and take less out.
This means that every pound spent with Central England Co-operative will be stretched a little further thanks to the findings of the SROI report.
Chief Executive of Central England Co-operative Martyn Cheatle said: “We took the decision to undertake this new form of robust analysis of our community impact in order to inform future decision making and ensure that we continue to make a real difference to people’s lives.”

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 projected gross sales of £958million for 2016/17. The Society recently celebrated being named Leading Co-operative of the Year 2016 by Co-operatives UK. The Society’s principal areas of activity are food, funeral services, and property. 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 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 Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children 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 http://www.centralengland.coop follo,w Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative

Rob Smyth – PR officer - Central England Co-operative - 01543 414140
Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop