Our commitment to tackling Modern Slavery

At Midcounties, one way we’re driving real change is through our longstanding support for Bright Future Co-operative, a pioneering not-for-profit bringing together charities and businesses to provide meaningful job opportunities for survivors of modern slavery.

We were proud to be one of the founding members of Bright Future Co-operative and continue to champion its work across our trading groups. Our support goes beyond words, from offering work placements in our Childcare and Food businesses, to helping lead the co-operative itself, with our Chief Values Officer, Pete Westall, serving as Chair since its launch, and our Head of Legal Services, Sean McGovern, acting as Secretary.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of Bright Future. To celebrate, we joined fellow members, MPs, and survivor support charities at a Parliamentary Reception recognising the impact the co-operative has had so far. Since its formation, Bright Future has supported more than 100 survivors into safe and secure employment, helping them rebuild their lives and avoid re-exploitation.

The day also saw the launch of the Bright Future Dignity Pledge, backed by Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips MP, urging more employers to step up and join this vital mission. The Minister said: “Bright Future was developed using a co-operative model, which inherently has people at its core, to come up with a genuinely usable and workable solution – and I cannot praise it enough. Bright Future represents what we can be doing and what more needs to be done, and I can only encourage every organisation in the country to sign the pledge, to take on placements and be a part of this movement for positive change.”

Stories like Mary’s – a survivor supported into a childcare role within our business – remind us that when we work together, we can unlock life-changing opportunities. At the event, guests heard from Mary who was helped by Bright Future to secure a placement within our Little Pioneers Childcare business:

“I’ve actually been looking for work for a long time to support my child and family. I always wanted to work in childcare, but I didn’t know how to access jobs like this or where to even begin. Bright Future Co-operative and the nursery gave me the chance I’d been hoping for. This opportunity opened a door that felt closed for so long, and I’m really grateful for that.”

As a Society rooted in co-operative values, we believe everyone deserves to live with freedom and dignity. Through our work with Bright Future, we’re helping to create a fairer future, one job opportunity at a time.

More information on Bright Future can be found here.

Read our latest Modern Slavery Statement here.