Colleague News: Debbie's Update, Awards and OurCoop: Your Idea
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Published 13 Oct 2026 in Colleagues
This week’s Colleague News includes Debbie’s latest update, recognition for our September Colleague of the Month winners, and the fantastic start to OurCoop: Your Idea. Plus, find out how to get involved in Wear It Red Day, enjoy exclusive discounts for Fireworks Weekend and pick up this week’s sustainability top tip.
Debbie's Update
Hello everyone,
I hope you are all well.
We have a busy couple of weeks ahead, starting with today’s Leaders Briefing and the presentation of the King’s Award to our Board by the Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire at OurCoop Support Centre in Leamington.
Our Board meets on Thursday at OurCoop Support Centre in Lichfield. Following that, I will be travelling to Brussels for the Cooperatives Europe 20th Anniversary Awards, where we are finalists in the Co-operative Stewardship category. This recognises our democratic governance, commitment to co-operative principles, contribution to the wider movement and the way we are adapting to the world around us.
On Friday, I will also be speaking on a Cooperatives Europe panel about building resilient and democratic communities, exploring the role of the social economy and how public spending can support them.
Congratulations to everyone involved in OurCoop winning Major Project of the Year at last week’s National Sustainability Awards. The award recognised our support for community energy, alongside our work to reduce carbon emissions and support renewable energy across our businesses. It is a wonderful recognition of colleagues turning our co-operative values into practical action.
Our Interim Members’ Meeting takes place next week on Wednesday 21 October, bringing Members together at seven locations, with the meeting streamed online from the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley. It is great to see that nearly 1,100 Members are already planning to join us, either in person or online.
This is an important opportunity for Members to hear about our progress, ask questions and share their views. Our Society is owned by our Members, and their involvement helps shape our future. It is co-operative democracy in action, and I look forward to the conversations we will have.
Our colleagues make OurCoop what it is, and we want everyone to feel safe, valued and supported. In April, we increased pay for all colleagues and aligned hourly rates across our Food stores, with a further increase this month for hourly-paid colleagues across our operations. We have also extended benefits and health and wellbeing support across the Society, helping more colleagues at work and in their everyday lives.
Making OurCoop stronger also means listening to the people who know our businesses best. OurCoop: Your Idealaunched last Thursday and we have already received more than 30 ideas from across our family of businesses. What a brilliant start. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to share a suggestion and please keep your ideas coming.
Thank you for everything you do for our Members, customers and one another.
Best wishes,
Debbie
Colleague of the Month winners: September
We're delighted to announce the September winners for Colleague of the Month! A huge congratulations and well done for all your hard work. As a thank you, our winners will receive a £75 OurCoop voucher (or £150 to share for a team win)
Our Overall September Winner - Matt Kirby and David Shaw-Matthews from OurCoop Support Centre, Lichfield
The overall winners are Matt Kirby and David Shaw-Matthews from OurCoop Support Centre, Lichfield
Following the flooding at the Support Centre, which affected three floors and required significant work to become operational again, these two colleagues together provided exceptional support to get the office reopened in a short space of time.
They worked tirelessly to coordinate contractors, resolve issues and keep the necessary work moving forward, while also getting hands-on with cleaning, moving furniture and repairs to ensure the office was fit for colleagues to return.
Their knowledge, skills, commitment, resilience, teamwork and willingness to go above and beyond were instrumental in getting the Support Centre operational again and demonstrated the dedication and professionalism that deserves recognition.
What is Colleague of the Month?
Every day, our colleagues do brilliant work across our family of businesses. Colleague of the Month provides an opportunity to shine a spotlight on those making a positive impact.
Each month, we’ll celebrate colleagues through three award categories:
• Category 1: Outstanding contribution to our integration programme
• Category 2: Increasing cross trade across our family of businesses
• Category 3: Delivering exceptional performance or service
How we’re rewarding colleagues
Colleagues and teams who are selected as winners of Colleague of the Month will receive £75 and £150 respectively in OurCoop vouchers, which can be spent across our family of businesses. We also select an Overall Winner who we feel really stands out from the bunch.
Don’t forget, nominations for September close at 5pm on Friday 30th October – so get your entries in now!
Wear It Red Day – Friday 16 October
We’re supporting Show Racism the Red Card’s Wear It Red Day and encouraging colleagues, where appropriate, to wear red on Friday 16 October.
It’s a simple way to send a visible message that racism of any kind will not be tolerated – and that at OurCoop, everyone is welcome here.
Fireworks Weekend returns to our sponsorship partner, Derbyshire Cricket Club
Looking for something fun to do with family and friends this November? Our sponsorship partner, Derbyshire Cricket Club, is giving its popular Fireworks Night a fresh new look for 2026, with Fireworks Weekend taking place across two evenings at The OurCoop County Cricket Ground in Derbyshire.
This year, you'll be able to choose between Friday 6 November or Saturday 7 November, with both evenings featuring family entertainment, fun fair rides and a spectacular fireworks display to round off the night.
Ticket prices start from just £5.
As an exclusive, members can get 10% off with the promo code (enter at checkout): OurCoop10
Tickets available now:
⭐Friday Tickets - Click here
⭐Saturday Tickets - Click here
This week's Sustainability Top Tip!
Consider downloading the too good to go app and help save good food from going to waste - Save Good Food From Going To Waste - Too Good To Go – Too Good To Go . You can order food from OurCoop Food Stores through this app, helping us fight food waste together.
If you have a sustainability tip that has worked well for you, that you think could inspire colleagues across OurCoop, please send it to Sustainability@midcounties.coop. We'll be looking to feature colleague suggestions as part of future Sustainability Top Tips communications.
Julie Barrett's top tip is "My Weekly fridge leftovers: I blend and make soup. for the following week's lunch."
