Tag: branch

Tree blessing and fundraising in Fareham

Posted on by ashleymarsh

Celebrants, colleagues, clients and friends gathered in Fareham last week for an open day at The Co-operative Funeralcare branch in Trinity Street.

The branch was filled with festive scents with mulled wine and homemade festive treats including gingerbread biscuits, sausage and cranberry sausage rolls and an abundance of mince pies.

A raffle was held for The Rainbow Centre which supports children and adults affected by neurological conditions. The total amount raised from the raffle was £172.

Rev Sean Blackman also attended and blessed the branch’s tree, which is adorned with twinkling stars.

Community Chest given a surprise donation

Posted on by ashleymarsh

A charity shop set up to help keep its village bright and appealing has been given a £500 donation to mark a funeral home’s one year anniversary.

Volunteers at Sturminster’s Community Chest Charity shop were invited to enjoy some mulled wine and mince pies at The Co-operative Funeralcare as a way of saying thank you.

One of the funeral co-ordinators in Sturminster, Gay Wilson, has been volunteering at the Community Chest Charity shop over the last few months and felt they deserved some recognition for their hard work.

The donation was kept as a surprise and presented to the volunteers at The Co-operative Funeralcare’s one year anniversary on 10 December 2019.

Gay Wilson said: “Since the branch opened a year ago, we have been spreading the message that we are more than just a funeral home. We are part of Southern Co-op – the regional, independent co-operative – so we are a part of the community.

“Over the last few months, I have been volunteering at the Community Chest Charity shop so know how hard the volunteers work. It is lovely to be able to thank them at our anniversary event!”

The Community Chest, which comes under the umbrella of Sturminster Newton Economic Development Society, is a community venture set up to help maintain Sturminster’s reputation as a great place to live, work and play.

All profits from the shop are used to support initiatives to keep the town bright and interesting, encouraging residents to stay and tourists to visit.

Cheryl Basten, Community Chest Manager, said: “I would just like to say a huge thank you to The Co-operative Funeralcare colleagues for their very kind donation and the recognition of our very hard working and committed volunteers.

“We have had an amazing year, with great support from the community and are now seeing the fruits of our labour with projects that are enhancing our environment.

“We have a suggestion box in the shop so if there is something you are passionate about and would like to be considered for funding then please pop into our lovely little shop.”

The Co-operative Funeralcare in Sturminster is part of the regional, independent co-operative, Southern Co-op, which encourages volunteering and donations as part of its community engagement programme.

The Love Your Neighbourhood initiative addresses four key social themes – promoting greener, healthier, safer, and more inclusive neighbourhoods.

To find out more email SturminsterFuneral@southerncoops.co.uk, call 01258 472073 or visit the branch at 4 Market House, Station Road, Sturminster Newton, DT10 1FG.

Come and ‘bee’ entertained in Uckfield

Posted on by ashleymarsh

There will be a buzz about Uckfield in August as a local allotment bee club is coming to town.

Everyone is invited to the bee event being held at The Co-operative Funeralcare in Uckfield on Friday 30 August.

There will be local honey for sale, a raffle and a children’s lucky dip.

Plus there will be a working bee hive demonstration without the risk of being stung as it will be completely enclosed.

Jan Pink, Funeral Co-ordinator, said: “Our branch is part of the regional co-operative – Southern Co-op – which actually has its own bee hives in Havant. It is all part of our wider commitment to the environment.

“Bees are such an important part of everyday life and we wanted to hold an event to celebrate our busy little friends. Everyone is invited to come and see what bees do to make lovely honey.”

The event is taking place on Friday 30 August from 12pm to 2pm at the branch in High Street, Uckfield.

Any money raised will be donated to The Uckfield Allotment Bee Club which is raising money to buy a much needed new bee hive.

David Davies, Treasurer of Uckfield Allotment Bee Club, said: “With several members of the local allotment association showing an interest in bee keeping, we have now obtained a site near to our allotments and have generated enough interest to start our own bee club.

“We hope not only to produce our own honey for sale, but also to help with the pollination of plants and to promote the value of honey bees.

“By bringing the concept of bee keeping and its benefits to the public, local schools and businesses attention, we hope that this will make people interested to learn more about keeping bees.

“We are committed in encouraging insects and wildlife to move into the area and take up permanent residence to establish a healthy Eco System for the long term good of the environment.”

To find out more, contact The Co-operative Funeralcare in Uckfield on 01825 764125 or via email UckfieldFuneral@southerncoops.co.uk.

To find out more about Southern Co-op’s commitment to making a difference, click here.

£1,000 donated to special Alton cause

Posted on by ashleymarsh

New equipment is set to be bought by a special Alton lunch club after a donation of £1,000 from the town’s newest funeral home.

To celebrate its new place in Alton’s High Street, colleagues at The Co-operative Funeralcare held an open afternoon on Wednesday [10 July].

To mark the special occasion, the branch, which is part of Southern Co-op – the regional, independent co-operative, made a donation to The Vokes Lunch Club which has been running in Alton since the 1960s.

Funeral Co-ordinator Emma Dulieu said: “It was really heartening to hear about the lunch club and how much it means to local people who are going there nearly every day for a two-course lunch in a safe, friendly environment.

“So we are really pleased to be able to help them replace some of their slightly older equipment and help keep such a valuable community asset going.

“Since we opened, we’ve already helped a number of local families in their times of need and hope we are able to continue this support for the foreseeable future.

“Anyone with questions about funerals is welcome to pop in to see us as we are always happy to help dispel some of the myths around funeralcare.”

The Vokes Lunch Club is for people aged 60 and over and is held at the Vokes Centre, in Normandy Street, with around 15 to 20 people visiting every day for meals prepared on the premises.

Tony Midmore, Trustee, said: “We would like to share our grateful thanks for the generous donation which is brilliant. A lot of our equipment on the premises is getting a little bit long in the tooth so this is going towards upgrading the facilities.

“We offer a social environment, a social atmosphere and we make sure the food is substantial for the elderly who can’t manage to do it themselves all the time.

“It gets them outside of their own four walls. A lot of these people don’t have much mobility. It is something that we have been doing for an awfully long time.”

To find out more, visit www.vokeslunchclub.co.uk or call 01420 84235.

The donation from The Co-operative Funeralcare, in Alton, was made as part Southern Co-op’s ‘Love Your Neighbourhood’ scheme which addresses four key social themes – promoting ‘Greener’, ‘Healthier’, ‘Safer’, and ‘More Inclusive’ neighbourhoods.

For more information on the funeral home and the services available, visit the branch at 71 High Street or click here.

Call for Alton villagers to nominate a local cause

Posted on by ashleymarsh

As a new funeral home in Alton is preparing to open its doors to the public, residents are being asked to nominate a local cause in need.

The appeal is being made by Southern Co-op – an independent, regionally owned co-operative society – who is opening the new funeral home at 71 High Street, Alton.

Residents are being asked to identify a cause which means something to the community and links in with Southern Co-op’s ‘Love Your Neighbourhood’ themes – creating greener, safer, healthier or more inclusive neighbourhoods.

Jessica Hughes, Community Investment Manager at Southern Co-op, said: “Every year we are able to support a wide variety of charities and good causes though our ‘Love Your Neighbourhood’ programme. This could be anything from local schools and men’s sheds to hospitals and mental health charities.

“Our colleagues across our retail stores and funeral homes have a passion for helping their local communities so we like to start how we mean to go on. Being part of Southern Co-op, this funeral home will benefit from our community engagement programme which includes opportunities for donations, volunteering and fundraising.”

Alton’s Co-operative Funeralcare is set to open on 25 March.

People have until 25 April to nominate the charity closest to their hearts as they are asked to think of a project which will really benefit the local community. This could be for any local cause and is not limited to registered charities.

To make a suggestion of a local cause, email community@southerncoops.co.uk and mention Alton Co-operative Funeralcare.

For more information about Southern Co-op’s ‘Love Your Neighbourhood’ scheme, click here.