Community and Charity Activities
Selly Oak Trust School Partnership
Midlands Co-op partners with Selly Oak Trust School, read more about the Selly Oak partnership
Making a Difference Community Dividend
Over the past months, scores of Making a Difference Community Dividend awards have been made. Under the terms of this scheme, 1% of our trading profit is distributed to the communities in which we trade. And as the examples below show, we are truly making a difference! If you know of a community group that would benefit from an award, pick up an application form from your nearest trading outlet or click here for a copy of the form.
Belper: The High Edge First Responder team, based in Nether Heage, Belper received£1900 to purchase an Automated External Defibrillator, enabling a team of trained First Responders to provide vital patient support until the arrival of an ambulance.
Birmingham: Norman Laud Association in Wylde Green, Birmingham, provides respite care for children and young adults with special needs. It was awarded £5,000 towards furnishing a new playground area, where specialist equipment is required.
Chesterfield: Ashgate Hospice, which provides specialist care for adults suffering from terminal illness, has been awarded £3,000 to expand the range of services it can offer. Thanks to our funding, the Hospice has been able to establish a counselling room for bereaved children.
Coalville: Youngsters attending the Crossroads Youth Group in Coalville will soon be able to experience a wider range of activities thanks to an award of £2,000 to help purchase new games and equipment. Crossroads Youth Group's Team Leader, Diane Bull, was ecstatic when she heard about the award: "The money is going to make such a difference to us. We are refurbishing the centre and it is great to be able to repair or purchase new games and equipment."
Derby: Green-fingered students at da Vinci Community College in Derby received a £3,000 donation from Midlands Co-op to launch the 'da Vinci Gardeners' - a project aimed at developing the students' business skills and links with the local community - as well as keeping those students who are at risk of fixed term or permanent exclusion engaged.
Kettering: St Luke's Deanery Youth Trust, which supports disabled and disadvantaged children in the Kettering and surrounding areas, was awarded £3,700 to pay for a double-axle box trailer. Trustee, Keith Wall, who made the application said: "Thanks to Midlands Co-op, we now have a reliable box trailer which we can use for transporting donated goods to our charity shop."
Kibworth: Scouts and guides in Kibworth, Leicester, were delighted to receive £2,000 towards the cost of refurbishing their scout hut kitchen and the replacement of an old wooden door.
Market Harborough: Children with special needs across the Harborough district can look forward to borrowing a wider selection of toys and books from their local mobile library thanks to an award of £2,000 to update its resources.
Melton Mowbray: The friends of Melton Country Park received £1,000 from Midlands Co-op to help fund a walking project. Chairman of the group, John Fairbrother, explained: "The money will go towards a project called Walks for Health aimed at encouraging people to come and walk in the park."
Charity - British Heart Foundation
Since Midlands Co-operative Society launched its corporate fundraising campaign nine years ago, employees, members and customers have raised over £1.5 million for charity. The 2007 campaign came to a close in December raising an amazing £250,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society, the UK’s leading care and research charity for people with dementia, their families and carers.
Midlands Co-op is now supporting the British Heart Foundation (BHF), the nation’s heart charity, as its staff-elected corporate charity for 2008 and 2009. As you may know, heart disease is complex, indiscriminate and unpredictable. Every two minutes someone in the UK has a heart attack and there are now almost 2.6 million men and women living with coronary heart disease in the UK, which for some can be frightening and debilitating. The BHF is totally committed to preventing people’s lives being devastated by heart disease but they cannot do it alone, which is why the support of Midlands Co-op employees, members and customers is so important.
Cyrrhian Macrae, Midlands Co-op's Head of Community & Co-operative Affairs, said: "As with all previous campaigns, our partnership with the BHF looks set to be very successful, with lots of fundraising planned. It is the first time Midlands Co-op has elected a corporate charity for two years and I'm confident that this will easily allow us to raise over our £100,000 annual target.
“The money raised will all go towards supporting the charity’s vital services in the Midlands, meaning that every donation will really make a difference in our local communities.”
Peter Hollins, Chief Executive of the BHF says:
“We are thrilled to have been chosen as Midlands Co-op’s corporate charity for two years. The progress made in the fight against heart disease is staggering, but the need for support remains urgent, so a big thank you to everyone at Midlands Co-op for choosing to support the nation’s heart charity. We are looking forward to working with you all on what I’m sure will be a very successful and fun-filled two years!”
The British Heart Foundation
Heart disease touches us all and the BHF exists for all our futures; from supporting those already suffering the effects of a heart related illness, to trying to ensure fewer people are at risk from developing a heart problem in the future.
To achieve this, the BHF is dedicated to saving lives through pioneering research, patient care, campaigning for change and providing vital information:
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Pioneering research:
The BHF funds lifesaving research investigating many aspects of heart disease - from causes and safer drugs to improving surgical techniques. This research has led to innovations in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the heart, which have saved and improved the lives of thousands of people. - Supporting and caring for heart patients:
The BHF funds heart nurses who provide specialised care for heart patients both in their own homes and in hospital. BHF heart nurses offer medical, emotional and practical support to sufferers and greatly reduce their chance of being re-admitted to hospital. The BHF also helps to fund defibrillators and echocardiograph machines for hospitals, emergency services and first-aiders. - Campaigning for change and providing vital information, to help people look after their own heart health:
The BHF produces publications, videos and other materials and raise awareness of how to improve heart health through public information campaigns, advertising and the media. The BHF Heart HelpLine is a unique service which offers emotional support and practical information to sufferers, carers, health professionals and anyone with concerns about heart health.
How your fundraising will make a difference
Fact: 70% of heart attacks occur out of hospital; 30% of sufferers will die before they reach hospital
How you could help save a life:
£1,500 could fund a defibrillator in a local community. This is a machine that can re-start the heart by giving an electric shock in some cases of cardiac arrest.
Fact: There are over 300 BHF Heart Nurses caring for patients across the UK; this equates to just one heart nurse per 8000 heart patients
How you could help nurse a broken heart:
£24 could provide an hour of specialist care from a BHF Heart Nurse to improve the physical and emotional health of heart patients and their families.
Fact: In 2007 the BHF Heart HelpLine answered 13,000 calls from heart patients and their families.
How you could help provide life-saving information:
£15 could help to provide 50 callers to the BHF Heart HelpLine with a heart information booklet, helping them to deal with and understand their illness better.
By supporting the fundraising campaign, in whatever way you can, you will be helping the BHF to continue this vital work, saving and improving the lives of more heart patients across the UK.
Gary’s story:
In November 2003, Gary Humphries, then 48, from Caerphilly suffered a massive heart attack and went into cardiac arrest at a local leisure centre. Now four years later he is back at work and living a normal life. He would have died if the centre had not had a defibrillator machine which had been funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF). Two members of staff had received BHF-funded training on how to use the equipment and were able to save Gary’s life.
Gary says: "I owe them my life. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for their quick response and skills and the fact there was a defibrillator in that leisure centre. I didn't even know what one was before that day - I certainly do now!"
How to support the BHF with Midlands Co-op
BHF charity merchandise can be bought in all Midlands Co-op outlets.
You can also donate online via a secure payment on www.justgiving.com/midlandsco-op The 'Justgiving' webpage is the easiest way to donate to charity online. It is secure, fast and easy. The page will keep you updated with our ongoing total (updated monthly) and you can even leave a message of support. Please do not forget to email this link to everyone you know, anywhere in the world!
Midlands Co-op previous fundraising efforts:
- £100,000 for ChildLine Midlands
- £100,000 for five hospices
- £120,000 for Macmillan Cancer Relief
- £100,000 for NCH
- £150,000 for Make-A-Wish Foundation UK
- £250,000 for Marie Curie Cancer Care
- £220,000 for CLIC Sargent
- £210,000 for Dogs for the Disabled
- £250,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society
Thank you very much for your continued support! To learn more about the work of the BHF please visit its website at www.bhf.org.uk
The British Heart Foundation is the nation’s heart charity, registered charity number 225971.
Registered as a Company limited by guarantee in England & Wales No. 699547.
Registered office at 14 Fitzhardinge Street London W1H 6DH