Colleague News 30.06
This article will take approximately 3 minutes to read
Published 30 Jun 2026 in Colleagues
In today’s edition, the OurCoop Podcast reports from our newly refurbished Bloxwich Funeral branch; we wrap up Pride month and take a look at how we’re sharing our sustainability expertise with other co-operatives as part of Co-op Fortnight.
OurCoop Podcast – Bloxwich Funeral relaunch
Last week, we celebrated the relaunch of our newly refurbished Bloxwich Funeral branch. This is more than just a fresh new look; it's a meaningful investment in our Society's future and our commitment to continuing to serve the Bloxwich community with the care and dignity they deserve.
Hit play on the video to see the improvements we've made - and learn more about our funeral business.
Pride Month 2026 – celebrating together
As Pride Month draws to a close, we'd like to thank everyone who got involved in this year's activities.
Throughout June, our Pride and Pride & Progress networks have helped us learn more about the experiences of LGBTQIA+ colleagues and communities. From exploring Pride around the world to hearing personal travel experiences through our Pride podcast, it's been a month of connection, learning and celebration.
We had a fantastic time representing OurCoop at Essex Pride on 20 June, celebrating visibility, inclusion and community.
But allyship doesn't stop when the Pride bunting comes down. You can continue to support LGBTQIA+ inclusion by:
🎙️ Listening to our Pride podcast here.
🌈 Sharing our social media carousel, which highlights how recent many important LGBTQIA+ rights and milestones are – click here.
🎉 Joining one of our upcoming Pride events at Lichfield (9 August) or Warwick (22 August) – click here.
🤝 Joining our Pride & Progress Network – contact Sam Thompson or James Bowley to find out more
Pride is about celebrating progress, while recognising there is still more to do. Thank you for helping create a workplace where everyone feels welcome, respected and able to be themselves – not just during Pride month but throughout the year.
When we champion inclusion, listen to different experiences and stand together as allies, we help make OurCoop a place where everyone is welcome.
Co-op Fortnight: Sharing our sustainability expertise
As part of Co-op Fortnight, we have been working with fellow co-operatives to share our expertise on cutting carbon emissions in retail.
Mike Pickering (Head of Sustainability) and Paul Lockwood (Head of Procurement) hosted a session with other co-op societies at the LoweConex offices in Gloucestershire to share best practice around energy efficiency and carbon reduction. Our Society has been working with LoweConex since 2024, using its automation and remote monitoring technology to optimise the efficiency of our heating, cooling and refrigeration systems in over 200 of our food stores.
Mike Pickering, Head of Sustainability, shared, “We know that the power of co-operation can help us all to achieve more. By working together and sharing best practice during Co-op Fortnight, we can have an even bigger impact on carbon emissions, reducing energy use and cutting energy costs at the same time. It was great to meet with our colleagues from other societies as we work together towards our shared sustainability goals.”
We are also proud to share some of our Society’s amazing carbon-cutting achievements, including preventing the creation of more than 6,000 tonnes of CO2 through supporting global carbon-reduction projects and planting almost 300,000 trees with climate action platform, Ecologi.
Helping our customers offset carbon emissions
Our Broadband, Mobile and Travel teams work to help our customers offset the carbon emissions associated with our products through Ecologi. This funds tree-planting and carbon-prevention and reduction projects, which support the development of new renewables, introduce new low-carbon practices and improve sustainability all over the world.
Funeral Planting Promise
Our Funeral Planting Promise is still going strong, with nearly 20,000 trees being planted in Malawi every year. For every funeral we arrange, we fund the planting of one tree via Our Malawi Partnership.
The initiative helps restore forests and wildlife habitats, reduce the impacts of climate change and flooding, and provide fruit, timber and sustainable incomes for local communities.
