Young Co-operators Network, Midcounties Makeovers & Site Visits with Clare Moore

Young Co-operators Network

As you may have seen this week, we have just launched the Young Co-operators Network.

 

I passionately believe young people have a lot of valuable skills to contribute to the Society from embracing new technologies to identifying new retail trends.

 

The aim of the network is to encourage people aged 16-25 to share their ideas and increase the number of young members we have in the Society.

 

In this way I hope Midcounties can become a leader in tackling issues that young people are pasionate about from plastics to animal welfare.

 

To set up the network we are looking to appoint 10 colleague ambassadors who can officially launch the Young Co-operators Network in early 2020.

 

The ambassadors will be appointed for a 5 month period from September 2019 until 31st January 2020.

 

To date we’ve had a lot of interest but we would like more applications!

 

So to find out more about and apply please click here

 

 

Midcounties ‘Makeovers’

 

As part of our Co-op Fortnight Celebrations we invited members to nominate any community projects for a ‘Midcounties Makeover’ as part of our colleague volunteering programme.

 

The makeovers will help transform the community project and will range from helping out to renovating premises.  

 

The following 11 projects were selected from across our 20 Regional Communities:

 

• Aylesbury - Town Bowls Club is a fully mixed club which brings people together and appeals to all generations. https://aylesburytownbowlsclub.co.uk
• Banbury - Community Support Service supports adults with a learning disability, ageing/mental health needs, a physical disability and dementia
• Gloucester - Stonehouse Community Association provides a sustainable, secure, diverse and accessible space for all the community http://www.stonehousecommunitycentre.co.uk
• Shropshire - Wem Youth Group offers training for leaders and young people
• Shropshire – Cleobury Community Hub brings together people who are socially isolated whether young families, older people or young people.
• Solihull - Dickens Heath Allotments Association are a community of people of all ages who enjoy growing their own produce https://dhaaallotment.wordpress.com
• Swindon - Therapy Centre offers therapies, advice and support to people with MS and other neurological conditions http://www.msswindon.org.uk
• Walsall - Leamore Storytelling & Discovery Garden is used by local groups to deliver outdoor educational activities
• Warwick - Safeline is a specialised charity working to prevent sexual abuse https://www.safeline.org.uk
• Wolverhampton - Good Shepherd assists men, women and children gain freedom from homelessness, poverty, rejection and isolation. http://www.gsmwolverhampton.org.uk
• Worcestershire - North Littleton Allotments Clean Up are a charitable housing association.

 

If you would like to get involved in any of these makeovers please talk to your manager

 

Half Year meetings

All the half year meetings have now been announced and are on our website so please put the dates in your diary by clicking here.

 

Site visits with Clare Moore

Clare Moore with Nursery Manager, Tracy Rundle and her team at Little Pioneers Nursery & Preschool, The Great Western Hospital in Swindon.

 

Last Friday myself and Clare Moore, Chief HR Officer, spent the afternoon visiting some of our sites in Swindon, Highworth and Chipping Norton. Clare has been with the Society for just over two weeks and it was a great opportunity for her to meet with some of Colleagues working across our Trading Groups in different regions of the Midcounties.

 

Our first port of call was at Little Pioneers Nursery & Preschool, where we met with Nursery Manager, Tracy Rundle who has been with the Nursery from the very beginning and her team, Hayley Page, Jo Smith and Rebecca Newport, who are all new starters – welcome!

 

We spoke with some of the pre-school children who were very enthusiastic to tell Clare and I about how excited they were to be starting primary school in September. We also talked with them about their love of growing vegetables in the Nursery veggie patch as part of our Healthy Living and Wellbeing programme. It was lovely to see how it’s really taken off and caught the interest of so many youngsters, who learn about where their food really comes from.

 

We then continued to Highworth Food, Funeralcare and Chipping Norton, visiting; Food, Travel, Funeral and Pharmacy.

 

I look forward to the next set of visits in a few weeks’ time. If you would like me to come by one of your sites, please let me know in the comments section below.

 

Ovo and SSE talks

 

It was widely reported in the news this week that one of the so-called Big Six energy suppliers, SSE, which supplies to 5.7 million UK households is negotiating the potential sale of its Energy Retail business to Ovo Group.

 

This hasn’t come as a surprise, as it further illustrates the major changes taking place in an industry that has been experiencing some very challenging market conditions, with rising costs and competition. If this deal is successful it would create Britain’s second largest energy supplier, creating a rival to British Gas.

 

SSE pulled out of a deal with N Power last December stating that it was no longer "in the best interests of customers, employees or shareholders".

 

Flexible Benefits

On Friday I bid a temporary farewell to Dally Purewal, Co-operative Flexible Benefits Operations Manager, as she embarked on her maternity leave, ready for the arrival of her baby with husband, Sandip. I wish her the very best and all the excitement that is to come! Dally has been working at the Society since joining the Flexible Benefits team in April 2011, where she identified and streamlined our offers to ensure our colleagues and the employers we support, are receiving competitive benefits schemes.

 

Our Co-operative Flexible Benefits business was established in 2005 as a Childcare Voucher Provider and over the years it has really expanded its portfolio to offer a full suite of products that suits our diverse workforce. Since 2005 and under Dally’s guidance we now support 1100 organisations, providing benefits proposition that offers an employer a high level of employee engagement.

 

Flexible Benefits also provides several Salary Sacrifice options to help enhance the benefits offered to our Society Colleagues. This can be anything from, enabling Colleagues to save on costs for Childcare, purchase a new bicycle, saving up to 42% off the price and safety accessories through the Cycle to Work scheme, and we also donate an amount from their salary to a charity of their choice.

 

Colleagues are able to sign up to any of the schemes by visiting Colleague Connect and following the steps for registration through the chosen scheme, via our website www.flexiblebenefits.coop

 

Gloucestershire Fun Day

 

The 5th Gloucestershire Family Fun Day takes place this Sunday August 18th 2019 from 11am until 5pm at Newlands Park, Southam Lane, Cheltenham GL52 3PE.

 

We again have a fantastic range of live shows for all the family.

 

Check out the exciting timetable here

 

So please come along and help us raise money for our wonderful charity partners -

• Gloucestershire Young Carers

• The Aston Project

• Caring for Communities & People

 

Ticket entry is on the day, adults are £3 but under 12s are free

 

If you enjoyed reading my blog this week, why not let me know your comments by signing in below?