OurCoop receives The King's Awards for Enterprise

Only 185 businesses across the UK have received this recognition - and it’s one of the UK’s most prestigious business awards. We’ll be able to display the emblem for the next five years, signalling excellence to our customers, Members and the wider public.

We’ve been recognised for our ground-breaking work to promote social mobility, which we deliver through a number of initiatives:

Bright Future Co-op

In 2017 our Society was a founding partner of Bright Future Co-op, which supports survivors of modern slavery into employment through a network of 35 partner organisations. Since launching, 107 survivors have been supported, with 72 now in permanent roles.

Fairer Futures

Inspired by the impact of our Bright Future initiative, we then created Fairer Futures, which was launched at our Walsall food store in 2023 in partnership with social enterprise, Miss Macaroon. The programme is designed to create meaningful employment opportunities for young people aged 19–29 facing significant barriers such as disability and social anxiety.

Fairer Access to Work

In 2024 the Society also launched Fairer Access to Work in Oxfordshire in partnership with Aspire, offering work experience and mentoring for adults who have experienced homelessness or displacement. 

A huge number of our colleagues, partners and members have been involved in shaping and delivering these initiatives and this award is a testament your hard work.

Congratulations to everyone involved!

Looking ahead, we will keep building on the great work happening across our Society - from our Offender to Rehab programme to Our Malawi Partnership and the Pride of Essex Awards.

Watch this space for more updates!