Co-op News - February 2020

Five years ago, Midcounties Co-operative changed
some of the ways it supported its trading communities.
The biggest change? Moving from having one
large charity partner to supporting hundreds of
organisations, chosen by members, customers
and colleagues.
“In 2015 we set up a programme called Regional
Communities. Regional Communities helps us help
members on a local basis,” said Pete Westall, chief
values officer at Midcounties.
“It would be quite easy for an organisation of
our size to just support one national charity. We’ve
done that really successfully in the past with
charities such as Teenage Cancer Trust, Dogs for the
Disabled and Women’s Aid. We’ve raised fortunes
and have spent a lot of time and effort helping to
promote the message of those great organisations.
Nobody would knock us for doing that. But our
members and our colleagues said they wanted us
to do something different. They wanted us to make
a local difference in the communities where we
trade and where we live. So that’s why Regional
Communities was set up.”
Regional Communities is a focused, measured
approach to supporting communities in an
identified geographical location where the society
has a strong trading presence. Mr Westall was
speaking at Midcounties’ Regional Communities
celebration, held annually to acknowledge the
colleagues and charity partners involved in the
initiative. Following a day of practical workshops
on subjects such as media engagement and
fundraising, the evening gala dinner showcased
some of the work being done and saw awards
being presented to colleagues across the society’s
different trading areas.
“We’re a member-owned organisation. And
as a member-owned organisation, we live and
breathe what our members wanted us to do,” he
added. Over 11,000 of those members have told the
society which causes they want to support. Since
2015, Midcounties has raised over £430,000 for
charity partners in its six regional communities:
Oxford, Swindon, Shropshire, West Midlands, Wyre
Forest and Gloucestershire.
One of those charity partners is Aspire, which
helps over 2,000 people facing homelessness
and disadvantage across Oxfordshire and
Buckinghamshire to find employment and housing.
The support is focused around each individual’s
needs, and provides work experience, one-to-one
employment support, work placements, housing
and homelessness prevention support and links
to paid jobs – all of which is directly reducing
homelessness, reoffending and poverty.
Helen Mariner from Aspire explained how
Midcounties’ Oxford Regional Community
provided work experience placements and took
part in fundraising. “Colleagues have taken part
in sponsored challenges,” she said. “We have
benefited from the carrier bag funds and have
raised money in stores too, which helped raise
our brand. A Midcounties team also took part in
a sleep-out last July, which was a really powerful
way to give people even a very small insight to the
realities of sleeping rough.”
The partnership has raised over £10,000, which
for small to medium charity “makes huge impacts”.
“This has gone directly towards supporting more
people into employment supporting more people
into housing, really creating that sustainable
difference to people’s lives,” added Ms Mariner.
The event heard other powerful stories
too, from charity partners such as Riding for
the Disabled and Mase Groups (The Monthly
Alzheimer’s Support Evening Groups). The Mase
Groups offer carers friendship and helps them
BY REBECCA HARVEY
"I THINK THE WORLD AROUND US IS
CHANGING, AND IT'S CHANGING FAST.
IN SOME RESPECTS IT'S CHANGING FOR
THE BETTER. IN OTHER WAYS, IT'S NOT.”
44 | FEBRUARY 2020