MAY 2018
The May 2018 edition of Co-op News: connecting, challenging and championing the global co-operative movement. This issue shines a spotlight on governance – and how co-operatives do it differently. We also look at co-ops on the agenda in Westminster, sustainability supporting and preview some of the motions being put to the vote at the Co-op Group AGM.
The May 2018 edition of Co-op News: connecting, challenging and championing the global co-operative movement. This issue shines a spotlight on governance – and how co-operatives do it differently. We also look at co-ops on the agenda in Westminster, sustainability supporting and preview some of the motions being put to the vote at the Co-op Group AGM.
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Values in action<br />
How Central England Co-operative<br />
maps the social return of its<br />
community investments<br />
Opposite:<br />
Children from Tibshelf<br />
Infant and Nursery School<br />
take part in a Healthy<br />
Choices Workshop run<br />
by Central England<br />
Co-operative<br />
Central England Co-operative (CEC) has revealed<br />
that every £1 it spends on good causes is worth<br />
£23.15 in positive community impact.<br />
The Social Return on Investment (SROI) report<br />
takes an in-depth look at the impact of the<br />
Society’s community work in 2017 and focuses<br />
on the social value and return provided by the<br />
Society’s Co-operative Masterclasses, Membership<br />
and Community Council grants, Healthy Choices<br />
and Ethical Challenge Workshops, the installation<br />
of 300 defibrillators and a food and farming event.<br />
The results showed that that for every £1 CEC<br />
invests in community projects, the monetary value<br />
of the impact made is worth an average of £23.15.<br />
The findings from the report, by SROI specialist<br />
Make an Impact CIC, will play a major part in<br />
shaping the future of the Society.<br />
In 2016, CEC was the first co-operative of its type<br />
to publish an SROI report. Its overall figure for that<br />
year was an SROI of £20.50 for every £1 spent on<br />
selected community projects.<br />
“This amazing figure of £23.15 of impact for every<br />
£1 spent truly showcases how the Society continues<br />
to make a real difference to people’s lives,” said<br />
Martyn Cheatle, CEC Chief Executive.<br />
“This is the second time we have undertaken a<br />
robust analysis of our community impact, and the<br />
SROI report continues to be a great indicator of not<br />
just how we are doing, but also a tool to help us<br />
plan for the future.”<br />
Mr Cheatle added that the community projects<br />
undertaken were only possible due to the continued<br />
support and success of its trading businesses.<br />
“Our on-going commitment to support fantastic<br />
work in the community is underpinned by the<br />
strong financial performance of the Society and<br />
a long-term strategy to grow the business in<br />
a sustainable way,” he said.<br />
The <strong>2018</strong> report focuses on the difference these<br />
projects make to people, society, the environment<br />
and the wider community.<br />
CEC’s Co-operative Masterclasses are aimed at<br />
secondary school children and are based around<br />
educating them about co-operatives.<br />
Meanwhile, Membership and Community Council<br />
grants are handed out to local groups who want to<br />
make a difference, with a total of 48 grants worth<br />
over £32,000 delivered in 2017.<br />
The Healthy Choices and Ethical Challenge<br />
Workshops are delivered in schools to teach<br />
students about making healthier food choices and<br />
to educate them about Fairtrade. A total of 3,829<br />
young people took part in the workshops last year.<br />
CEC was also a main sponsor of the Kids Country<br />
Food and Farming Day, which aimed to educate<br />
students about food, farming and the countryside<br />
in Peterborough.<br />
The Society’s defibrillator project has resulted<br />
in the installation of over 300 lifesaving devices<br />
outside food stores and funeral homes. This<br />
was paid for via funds raised through the 5p<br />
carrier bag levy.<br />
The results of the SROI report will be used<br />
to help make effective, data driven decisions,<br />
to ensure relevant community impact using the<br />
best resources available, and to look at what<br />
possible social value could be achieved through<br />
new, innovative projects.<br />
The projects highlighted in the report have helped<br />
Central England Co-op support the communities it<br />
trades in to the tune of over £2.2m. The publication<br />
of the SROI comes after the Society was awarded<br />
five stars out of five in BITC’s <strong>2018</strong> Corporate<br />
Responsibility Index.<br />
WHAT IS SROI?<br />
Social Return on Investment is a method<br />
that identifies, assesses and values the<br />
impact a particular service or activity has.<br />
Typically it is used in order to provide a cost<br />
benefit analysis, which is presented as a<br />
ratio showing how, for every £1 invested,<br />
£x of benefit is produced.<br />
These pages are supported by Central England Co-operative (CEC), one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the<br />
UK. The organisation employs over 8,000 staff across its three principal areas of activity: food; funeral services; and property investment.<br />
CEC has over 400 trading outlets across 16 counties, which will be boosted via its <strong>2018</strong> food store development programme. The Society<br />
was given five stars out of five in Business in the Community’s Corporate Responsibility Index for its work around areas such as food waste,<br />
staff volunteering and health and wellbeing. In 2017, £212,000 was shared between 120 good causes thanks to CEC’s Community Dividend Fund.<br />
30 | <strong>MAY</strong> <strong>2018</strong>