Tag: co-op

Continuity assured as four co-operative funeral branches change hands

Posted on by ashleymarsh

Four Buckinghamshire funeral homes are being revamped after swapping over to new co-operative ownership.

The Co-operative Funeralcare branches in High Wycombe, Hazlemere, Wendover and Aylesbury are now being run by Southern Co-op after a successful move from Midcounties Co-operative.

Both are independently run regional co-operatives sharing a strong ethical ethos with community values and both operate a number of funeral branches under the national co-operative branding.

The acquisition takes the number of Southern Co-op funeral branches to 62 across the south of England.

Steve Pearce, Chief Operating Officer for End of Life Services at Southern Co-op, said: “This is an exciting time allowing us to expand our personalised support, care and experience to even more local communities at their time of need.

“We are also delighted to welcome on-board all of the existing branch colleagues who have chosen to transfer across to our team. We have already extended a warm welcome to them and have been working closely with Midcounties to ensure a smooth changeover.

“We look forward to serving these local communities and families in their times of need and also through our community support programme, Love Your Neighbourhood, which includes financial donations, goods donations and volunteering.”

The changeover will ensure the continuation of a strong, sustainable co-operative offering for Midcounties’ funeralcare customers as well as supporting Southern Co-op’s ongoing expansion of its funeralcare services.

All existing funerals and pre-paid plans will be honoured and carried out as arranged.

Southern Co-op is currently planning to refurbish the branches over the coming months to enhance the experience for new and existing customers.

Phil Ponsonby, Group Chief Executive of the Midcounties Co-operative, said: “Following the recent completion of the transfer of 50 of our funeral homes to Central England Co-op, we’re pleased to have completed the transfer of a further four homes to Southern Co-op. The agreement will also see all four staff from the homes transfer.

“We’re extremely proud and thankful for the commitment of all our funeralcare colleagues, particularly during the last year when they have shown remarkable strength and versatility to support the bereaved in such challenging times.

“The agreement with Southern Co-op means that more than 95% of our existing funeral business remains within the co-operative movement as we continue to strengthen our strategic focus and investment on our travel, food, childcare, utilities and healthcare services.”

UK’s first fully electric Tesla based hearse lands in the south of England

Posted on by ashleymarsh

Funerals are about to get greener in the south of England as the UK’s first fully electric Tesla based hearse is delivered to a regional, co-operative funeral services provider.

Southern Co-op, which operates just under 60 funeral branches across Berkshire, Dorset, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex and Wiltshire, has taken delivery of the new, ground-breaking Wisper based on the Tesla Model S.

The hearse will be available at all of The Co-operative Funeralcare branches run by Southern Co-op and will enable families to say goodbye to their loved ones in a more environmentally responsible way.

With state-of-the-art technology and equipment, the entirely silent hearse is zero-emission with full electric operation, measuring around 5.8m in length and has a 220-mile single-charge range capability powered at Southern Co-op sites using electricity from renewable sources.

Steve Pearce, Southern Co-op’s Chief Operating Officer for End of Life Services, said: “This day has been a long time coming with delays caused by the pandemic and waiting for it to be approved for use on the UK’s roads. So this is definitely a time to celebrate and we won’t waste any time in getting it on the road.

“There is only one other existing electric hearse in the UK which is much more compact so we hope this will offer people an elegant alternative which echoes a more traditional appearance. It will also compliment an existing range of other eco-friendly products we offer as we all work together to tackle climate change and make a difference to our environment.”

As well as the hearse, delivered through funeral vehicle provider Coleman Milne, Southern Co-op is also the first funeral business in the UK to take delivery of two new hybrid Mercedes E-Class Limousines and two new converted E class Mercedes hybrid hearses.

These six-door models offer style and comfort with high tech accessories and an electric vehicle powertrain with the ability to run the vehicles in full electric mode for an entirely silent funeral procession.

Mark Smith, Chief Executive at Southern Co-op, said: “It’s important that we all work together to tackle climate change, so we are delighted to now be able to offer our customers the choice of a more environmentally favourable funeral fleet and to take the next step on our sustainability journey together.

“The appetite for change is there within our communities so, by making it easier for loved ones to make more informed choices, people can play their part in making a positive difference to our environment and our communities.”

Southern Co-op is currently working towards its ambitious science based targets to cut direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions from its business by 2030, supported by a climate action pathway of planned activity and an initial investment of £5.8m.

To view Southern Co-op’s long term strategy including its commitment to climate change and responsible business, visit www.thesouthernco-operative.co.uk/our-plan/.

Purbrook mum is on a mission to help local families in need

Posted on by ashleymarsh

After collecting stacks of donated uniforms to help struggling families, a Widley funeral co-ordinator is now turning her hand to food donations.

Linda Docherty has been working at Southern Co-op for over two years and recently moved to its branch of The Co-operative Funeralcare in Widley.

She had barely got her feet under the table before she started encouraging local groups to apply for funding available which led to Purbrook Mother and Toddler Group receiving a £500 donation.

In a thank you letter to Linda, the group said it will help towards rent, insurance, equipment and snack costs and enable them to keep running the group for local families for many months to come.

But Linda wasn’t content and soon paired up with Care and Share Waterlooville – a drop off/pick up point in Waterlooville for essential items that people struggle to afford in difficult times.

Rachel and Jamie from Care and Share Waterlooville said: “Thanks to Linda at the Widley branch of The Co-operative Funeralcare, she helped us at a time when we were super busy with our normal workload of help bank requests by becoming a drop off point for used and new school uniforms.

“The uniform items kindly delivered to us by Linda have been made available for families with children struggling, not just to afford the items, but also to find them with shops and local outlets running out of many items during the post COVID-19/Brexit driver shortage.”

Linda has now turned her attention to food and has set up a donation point in the branch in London Road to make it easy for people to drop off in the local area.

Linda, 54, said: “What an absolute achievement the uniform donations have been. People actually went out and bought uniforms to donate them.

“Being Purbrook born and bred, I want nothing more than to help those less fortunate than myself. I have been less fortunate than others as a single mum of three – now with two grandchildren.

“When you’ve been there and been in that situation then you know what it’s like not to have enough money for uniform or not enough food in the cupboards.

“Working for Southern Co-op has given me more of an opportunity and it’s the icing on the cake that the co-operative like you to help your community. People are always behind me whatever I have come up with which is amazing and I hope it is bringing some life back into Widley.”

Care and Share Waterlooville is currently looking for donations of tinned beans and sausages, hot dog sausages, coffee, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, washing up liquid, bleach and scouring pads. All donations are gratefully received.

To get in touch with Care and Share Waterlooville regarding support, email careandsharewaterlooville@outlook.com or via its Facebook page www.facebook.com/Care-and-Share-Waterlooville-107127284558223.

Or for more information on funding from Southern Co-op’s Love Your Neighbourhood programme, visit www.thesouthernco-operative.co.uk/love-your-neighbourhood/.

Young people get a step up on the co-operative career ladder

Posted on by ashleymarsh

As the number of young people in employment remains below pre-pandemic levels*, a regional co-operative is working to kickstart youth employment in its stores, head office and funeral branches.

Southern Co-op is preparing to welcome its third cohort of Kickstarters at the beginning of September – a Government scheme for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long-term unemployment.

The latest joiners will take the number of people on Kickstart placements to nearly 40.

The placements are spread across Southern Co-op’s head office in Portsmouth and The Co-operative Food and Funeralcare locations in Addlestone, Banstead, Bristol, Camberley, Havant, Lake on the Isle of Wight, Newbury, Overton, Portsmouth, Romsey, Basingstoke, Southampton, Staines, Tadley and Wimbledon.

Sarah Kavanagh, Business Transformation & HR Director at Southern Co-op, said: “Unemployment has been higher in younger age groups for some time and unfortunately this has been exacerbated by the pandemic. It is clear to us that they need additional help now to get back into work or to take the first step toward full time employment.

“The Kickstart Scheme means we look for people aged 16 to 24, with the right attitude, and give them the opportunity to learn new skills whilst being paid.

“We expected it to take a bit of time for some to find their feet and get into the routine of work but, after about three weeks, we have been getting some great feedback. One manager described their new starter as ‘100% amazing’, ‘flexible, keen and willing to try anything’.”

The Kickstart Scheme placements are funded by the Government for 25 hours per week for six months and referrals are made on to the scheme via local Jobcentres.

The job placements provide opportunities to young people who may have been overlooked before due to lack of experience.

In order to help them gain as many skills as possible, Southern Co-op’s programme is also giving young adults a chance to gain a Level One Certificate in Employability Skills which is being run by Havant & South Downs College.

People interested in a Kickstart placement should speak to their local Jobcentre. For other vacancies at Southern Co-op, visit https://www.southernco-opjobs.co.uk/jobs/.

*Youth Unemployment Statistics, 15 July 2021: https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN05871/SN05871.pdf

Online tributes provide essential place to remember loved ones during 2020

Posted on by ashleymarsh

With fewer people able to attend funerals in person in 2020, more donations than ever were made online in memory of loved ones, according to figures from a regional co-operative.

A total of £450,766 was donated in 2020 via the free online tribute pages offered by Southern Co-op, which helps support grieving families in Berkshire, Dorset, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Surrey, Sussex, Somerset and Wiltshire.

Despite only a slight rise in the actual number of funerals arranged, this was an increase of over 35% in online funeral donations when compared to the previous year.

The independent co-operative, which operates branches of The Co-operative Funeralcare and Caring Lady Funeral Directors, believes the increase is down to more awareness of charities needing extra support as well as fewer people being able to attend funerals in person.

Steve Pearce, Chief Operating Officer for funeral services at Southern Co-op, said: “Just under 300 charities received donations through our online memorial tributes. The majority of these will have been hit hard by the pandemic so the support is likely to be invaluable.

“Sadly, a lot of the families we supported last year were also affected by the pandemic. It‘s difficult to describe the effect it has had on so many but our funeral co-ordinators have done everything they can to lighten people’s burdens and our bereavement care colleagues have been on hand to offer free counselling which has been vital.

“The fact that people are continuing to think of others, despite their own grief, is remarkable and shows the strength we have as communities working together in times of need.”

There were a total of 11,211 individual donations made in 2020 – an increase from 7,455 in 2019.

People made an average of £40 per donation via the online memorial feature which also allows friends and family to set up a personal tribute page, to light virtual candles, share memories, stories, photos and videos of loved ones.

The top three charities to which people donated the most were Cancer Research UK, Rowans Hospice in Hampshire, and Alzheimer’s Society.

Other local charities in the top ten were Phyllis Tuckwell hospice care in Surrey and Hampshire, which received £23,774 of donations; St Wilfrid’s Hospice in Chichester which received £12,909 of donations; and Mountbatten, end of life support on the Isle of Wight, which received donations of £7,812.

Jonathan Davies, Chief Executive of MuchLoved, the bereavement charity that provides the online tribute platform, said: “2020 was an incredibly difficult year for everyone, not least those bereaved and the funeral industry working tirelessly to care for them.

“We are delighted that Southern Co-op branches were able to use the MuchLoved platform to help those families, and that so much has been raised for such worthy causes.

“Since the start of our partnership together, over £1 million has been raised for charitable causes, which is an incredible milestone to have achieved. We look forward to working together to continue this success in the future.

“Our charity was founded to support bereaved people and help them cope with their grief, and working with Southern Co-op means we can offer this support and care to more people at the most difficult of times.”

For more information about online tributes, visit www.funeralcare.co.uk/tributes-and-donations.

 

Winter coats needed for Island’s homeless

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A local funeral co-ordinator is hoping to rally the community spirit to help families in need of support this winter.

After a difficult year, Petra Wickens and Tilly Holmberg, Funeral Co-ordinators in East Cowes, are asking Isle of Wight residents to support the work of the local Salvation Army helping those in need.

Petra and her colleagues at the six Isle of Wight branches of The Co-operative Funeralcare have set up collection points for people to drop off donations of sleeping bags, coats, jumpers, gloves/scarves/hats, as well as dry and tinned food and toiletries/hygiene products.

The branches, which are all part of Southern Co-op, will be accepting donations for the Salvation Army throughout the winter, up until the end of January 2021.

Petra said: “This year has been so very difficult for so many, and I am sure there are many individuals and families who have found themselves in a situation that they had not expected. We are hoping to at least offer a little support to all of those in need.

“The Salvation Army does such a wonderful job of ensuring that the homeless are safe and warm over the cold winter months, as well as people who have just fallen on hard times and just need a little help.

“All the goods people donate, will be taken to the Salvation Army outreach centre, where they can be distributed to those in need.”

Southern Co-op, which is the independent, regional co-operative, has six branches on the Isle of Wight branches at 8-10 Ferry Road in East Cowes, The Avenue in Freshwater, The Fairway in Lake, 61 Upper St James Street in Newport, 45 St John’s Road in Ryde, and 76 Regent Street in Shanklin.

The Salvation Army, which has a local branch on the Isle of Wight, offers help to a range of people including the elderly, the young, offenders, drug addicts, blind and disabled people. It also provides food and shelter for the homeless and operates food distribution centres across the country.

To find out more about the Salvation Army, visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk.

Voucher donation boosts Portsmouth partnership

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A donation of vouchers to a Portsmouth charity has helped people affected by the pandemic to stay independent.

With more than 7,860 requests for support in a 19 week period between March and July, HIVE Portsmouth has been helping vulnerable people to stay safe and fed during lockdown.

Funeral colleagues in Portsmouth heard how hard HIVE and its partners had been working and wanted to do something to help. The area’s Sector Operations Manager, Sue Mawson, rallied support from eight of Southern Co-op’s funeral branches and donated £700 worth of the co-operative’s retail vouchers.

Sue said: “The pandemic has had a horrendous impact on so many people’s lives. There have been people who’ve worked their whole lives and have been suddenly made redundant and are in need of help. The vouchers were our way of helping people to get essentials which they were no longer able to afford such as toothpaste or plasters.

“We also collected up school uniform from our colleagues and donated them to HIVE’s swap shop. It was all in a good condition just grown out of and hopefully helped a lot of families in the area as they prepared to go back to school. Thank you to our colleagues in Copnor, Rowner, North End, Eastney, Southsea, Fratton, Paulsgrove and Somerstown who have helped.”

HIVE Portsmouth’s initial emergency response was based around helping vulnerable people to stay safe at home, through the provision of food parcels, essential medicines, prescription collection and welfare check calls.

In conjunction with many partner organisations, HIVE oversaw the provision of over 6,000 hot meals, 3,000 food parcels, 4,500 prescriptions and 15,000 well being checks to those that were anxious, scared or lonely.

Julie Hawkins, Strategic Partnership Lead at HIVE, said: “The vouchers have been wonderful in keeping aside and making easily available when needed. In a couple of cases they’ve been used to obtain shopping for people who were unable to get out. We have concentrated on families to date requiring support and the vouchers have enabled people to remain in control of the food they choose to buy which is important for self esteem and independence.

“We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of others, and it has really felt that the whole city has been supporting the response. We are very grateful for everyone’s contributions and support and know that the recipients of the vouchers will have valued being able to choose their own shopping, which represents a return to ‘normality’ which is great.”

To support HIVE Portsmouth with its online development, Southern Co-op has also made a donation of £10,000.

With national headlines continuing to focus on the economic down turn, HIVE Portsmouth is welcoming further donations to help support those worried about job security, debt, bereavement or shielding.

People are invited to get in touch via www.hiveportsmouth.org.uk or to make a financial donation via Paypal through a button on its website.

For more information on Southern Co-op’s commitment to support local communities, visit www.thesouthernco-operative.co.uk/love-your-neighbourhood/.

Sleeping bags and toiletries needed for Havant’s homeless

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Residents are being asked to dig deep into the backs of their cupboards and donate any unwanted goods to help the homeless.

Help for Havant Homeless is a non-profit organisation currently collecting donations to help support the homeless in the Havant borough council area.

To help with the donations, Southern Co-op’s funeral branch in Leigh Park has set up a collection point which colleagues hope to keep open throughout the winter and into 2021.

Help for Havant Homeless is looking for donations which will help the homeless through the cold months such as sleeping bags, toiletries and torches.

Charlene Price, a community volunteer, said: “So far the public have been fantastic. We’ve had lots of donations and are needing help in keeping the donations coming in, especially items such as tinned food and petrol as it involves a lot of driving around. It’s been a real team effort with founders Lisa and Jason Martin and Rio on social media.

“We have local business people helping and the kindness and generosity of people have been amazing such as Heidis in Emsworth which donates food it is unable to keep for the next day.

“If anyone is aware of a homeless person in the Havant Borough Council area it would be great for us to be notified, then we can go out and have a chat with them to see if we can help in any way, even if it’s just to hand out food to them. We will soon be working alongside Two Saints which supports people who are homeless, vulnerable or at risk of becoming homeless.”

Help for Havant Homeless delivers a hot meal three times a week plus anything else they need, such as a tent.

Petrol can be donated via Tesco gift cards and goods donations can be made Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm at The Co-operative Funeralcare – Leigh Park, at 224 Dunsbury Way.

Rachel Cast, Funeral Co-ordinator at the branch which is part of Southern Co-op – the regional co-operative, said: “I wanted to get involved to help out in our local community and actually to make a difference to someone who needs it.

“The donations will be really positive and hopefully help the people who need it most.”

Specific requests for Help for Havant Homeless are currently put on its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Help-for-Havant-Homeless-115572733622637/ or questions can be emailed to helpforthehomeless@outlook.com.

My Sisters’ House Women’s Centre supported with essential donations

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A funeral co-ordinator in Rose Green is looking forward to making the first delivery of donated goods after she helped set up collection boxes in three locations earlier this year.

Shirley Heaton at The Co-operative Funeralcare in Nyetimber Lane initially approached the Bognor Regis charity My Sisters’ House and had a meeting with the CEO as it was a cause that touched her and her colleagues’ hearts.

The other Southern Co-op branches in Felpham and North Bersted also agreed to back the cause and were pleased to support the charity with a £400 donation via the Neighbourly Community Fund.

Southern Co-op – a regional, independent co-operative – donated £40,000 to the Neighbourly fund which was set up to support the causes and individuals most affected by the pandemic.

Shirley, who lives in the area, said: “I was given a tour of their offices and told about some of the services they offer to women. I was blown away with the support they offer to women in need of their help.

“When women finally take the step to move on from a relationship which has involved domestic abuse, they often have nothing. So one of the first things we wanted to help with was having collection boxes in our branches.

“Simple things like shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, socks and pants are all things we take for granted but, when you don’t have these, life is especially hard. My Sisters’ House gives out these items in the form of packs to help these women.”

My Sisters’ House is a women’s centre in Bognor Regis which provides advice, practical support and guidance to women who are suffering domestic abuse, poverty and mental health issues.

Julie Budge, CEO and Founder of My Sisters’ House Women’s Centre, said: “COVID-19 has resulted in many more families and individuals living in poverty where the choice is to buy food instead of basic toiletries. Coming up to Christmas this will be crucial as we will give out so many more packs.

“We are grateful for the donations being made as some of the things we are currently in need of are shampoo, deodorant, talcum powder, body wash, toothpaste, tooth brushes, flannels, towels, new underwear and hairbrushes.”

The charity celebrated International Women’s Day ahead of lockdown on Friday 6 March which the branches donated items for the tombola stall and volunteered at the event including baking cakes for refreshments.

Shirley said: “It’s been a taxing time for us all but we want to let people know that the donation boxes are still open for people to drop off goods to us for My Sisters’ House.

“Due to lockdown, we’ve only just been able to get enough together to make the donation which we’re looking forward to dropping off to the centre very soon. A big thank you to everyone who has helped with this.”

Colleagues at Southern Co-op’s free bereavement support service, Bereavement Care, have also offered their help in assisting with counselling and training in bereavement workshops.

To find out more about making a donation, contact The Co-operative Funeralcare – Rose Green on 01243 268681 or RoseGreenFuneral@southerncoops.co.uk.

Organisations based near Southern Co-op’s stores or funeral homes can apply for grants using their new or existing Neighbourly profiles via www.neighbourly.com/goodcause/ and using the referral code SouthernCoopPartner.

Funeral co-ordinator named as colleague of the year

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Tom Parfitt at Colliers Court

A funeralcare co-ordinator, who has brought colour to the lives of residents in Frome and Southwick, has been awarded for his ‘massive impact on his local community’.

Selected out of nearly 300 colleagues working in funeralcare at Southern Co-op – the regional, independent co-operative, Tom Parfitt has been named as Funeralcare Colleague of the Year.

Working at The Co-operative Funeralcare in Frome Tom Parfitt was selected for his hard work and dedication to the community after volunteering his time transforming lifeless items with colourful murals.

Last year, Tom adorned a bus at Hope Nature Centre in Southwick with animals of all shapes and sizes which is being used at the centre as part of its work to train people with learning disabilities in animal care and catering skills.

Hope Nature Centre

He also helped a Frome day care service with his creative flair at Colliers Court where services are run by Discovery for adults with learning disabilities and autism. The focus of the upcycle project was to make the garden area a brighter and more pleasant area for the facility users to engage in garden activities.

Tom, who has worked at Southern Co-op for four years after leaving the armed forces, said: “In a nutshell I was gobsmacked when I heard. My manager had just completed my COVID-19 secure audit and then she went super serious saying she had something to tell me. Honestly I was worried.

“When she explained why I had been put forward I was humbled. I love the job that we do and all the team that surround and support me. Plus it’s an added bonus to be able to donate my hobby in the way of art to as many people as I can. I just wanted to say thank you for the award it was a shock and it will be cherished.”

Jennifer Walter, Sector Operations Manager for the region, said: “Tom has been invaluable to the team and me with his unwavering positive attitude, complete flexibility and dedication to the families he is supporting in branch.

“On top of all that he has done with the branch and the funeral team, Tom has made a massive impact on his local community. It has also escalated to Tom supporting other branches with artwork community projects and requests coming in thick and fast locally for his help.

“I cannot speak highly enough about the efforts, enthusiasm and dedication Tom has shown over the last 12 months. He is an invaluable member of my team.”

The praise didn’t end there as Tom’s Sector Operation Support, Helen Jephcott, said: “I’m so pleased for him, he really does deserve it! He is loved by all the families he works with as he is so passionate and knowledgeable about his role and making his families feel 100% at ease.”

Tom’s work in the community is part of the organisation’s larger community engagement programme ‘Love Your Neighbourhood’ which addresses four key social themes – promoting greener, healthier, safer, and more inclusive neighbourhoods.

To find out more about Southern Co-op’s community programme or to view the latest vacancies, visit www.southernco-op.co.uk.