Co-op Fortnight, Launch of Go Beyond & Women in Retail

Co-op Fortnight Begins & Co-op Congress

As we near the end of the first week of Co-op Fortnight it has been great to see Co-ops from across the UK come together showcasing just how important Co-ops are and the great work they do.  I am incredibly proud of the work we do and especially how we have demonstrated our values in a time affected by the pandemic supporting our members, customers, colleagues, and communities.  We will continue to shout about Co-op’s in the second week and remember if you're proud to work for a Co-op then give it a thumbs up.  You can share your thumbs up by sending it here thumbsup@midcounties.coop.

As part of the continued Co-op Fortnight celebrations, today is the Co-op Congress. This brings together many different Co-ops from across the country, those who are working to build a fairer economy to share ideas, get inspiration and take action.  Some big topics of conversation will be how the co-op sector can play a key role in rebuilding the economy through community and local economic impact and engaging the next generation and creating a new era for cooperation.  Co-ops have a significant role to play in rebuilding the economy post-pandemic and that’s why I have signed a joint letter along with other CEO’s of Co-ops to the Chancellor asking the Government to invest further in supporting co-operative business.

 

Go Beyond Travel charity partner launch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am delighted that as part of our travel offer, we have announced a new charity partnership Go Beyond.  This is a brilliant fit for us, Go Beyond make a genuine difference in people lives, working with children and young people aged from 8-15 years old from challenging or vulnerable backgrounds giving them the chance for a break that lasts a lifetime.

The partnership will help to support more of our communities in need with each Co-op Holidays booking resulting in an automatic donation of £1 per person. The booking donations will ensure that children can take part in a variety of adventurous and creative activities that contribute to building skills, making new friends and new memories. A great initiative offered by our Travel group.

 

Women in Retail Campaign launches

With the Society aiming to increase the number of Women in Retail, this week we started a 5-week campaign to showcase all the incredible women who are progressing within Midcounties.

This is an important issue and we want to be able to help more women progress in their career with us. This is why we have established a Women in Retail working group, made up of colleagues from retail and central services who will work together to remove barriers, pilot initiatives and roll out best practice across other areas of the Society.

If you would like to learn more on this, including about the group please click here.

Finally, in the recent Queen’s birthday honours Julie Grainger was awarded an MBE. Julie set up Alz Café which is our Wolverhampton Regional Community charity partner.  Having visited Alz Café and Julie in the not too distant past, it is definitely a well-deserved recognition for the great work she does in the charitable and voluntary services sector to sufferers of dementia and their families and I wanted to offer my personal congratulations.

My previous visit to Alz Cafe

 

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