Southern The Show Must Go On This week Karen Bevan, Member & Community Relations Officer caught up with Adam Jones, Secretary for the Ratae Co-operative Players and here is what he had to say:- “John Shaw has written a really good script for our next play “Dick Whittington and his Cat” and we all enjoyed
Western Let's build something better together Central England Co-op is marking Co-op Fortnight by shining a light on what it has been doing to support communities and some of the great acts of co-operation carried out by colleagues throughout the Coronavirus pandemic. Co-op Fortnight takes place between Monday, June 22 and Sunday, July 5 and the
Southern Dreaming of the Beach The latest project for our Lutterworth Watercolour Artists’ Co-operative was interpretations of “Beach Scenes” with over 30 contributions received from 20 members. This is a terrific effort by the members and we wanted to share with you some of the paintings which clearly show what a talented group they are.
Southern Peonie elegance step by step Our Floristry tutor, Sharon McKinder, is continuing to keep her students busy. Last week, Sharon set the task for creating arrangements using Peonies, supported with a step-by-step guide. Sharon and her students are really missing their classes and she said this has been a great way to stay in touch
Southern Calligraphy group honing skills at home Su Goodman, our Calligraphy tutor is continuing to keep her students busy with setting weekly homework for anyone who wants to take part and asking students to share their work with her. She is also on hand to offer advice and support to keep her students motivated and practicing their
Southern Watercolour group keep busy in lockdown This month – Lutterworth Watercolour Artists’ Co-operative were set the challenge around the theme of 'gates' and we have been blown away by the talent, humour and skill. It is has been a great way for members of the group to keep in touch, practice their skills, and immerse
Southern Floristry Lessons Continue Digitally Our Floristry Tutor, Sharon McKinder, has been keeping her students creative by sharing step to step guides on how to make beautiful creations using seasonal flowers found in gardens. The students are really grateful to Sharon for continuing to help them learn new skills and the support and encouragement she
Southern Southern MCC support Corona Kitchen in Kettering When we first heard about the Corona Kitchen in Kettering, the Southern MCC were very keen to donate some vouchers to this very worthy cause. We very much look forward to being able to visit when the Lock-down is lifted and look at other ways on how can we can
Southern Leicestershire & Ratby Co-op Bands Clap for Carers Both of our Bands have been supporting the Clap for Carers evenings each Thursday at 8pm by playing their instruments outside of their respective homes. Here is what Liz from our Leicestershire Co-op Band had to say:- "I just thought I’d share our support of the clapping
Southern Calligraphy Tutor keeps students motivated during Lockdown Su Goodman, our Calligraphy Tutor, has been keeping students on task by sending out regular emails - this is what she recently had to say:- New Term Calligraphy 20.04.20 Week 5 "Today should be the start of a new Term. Traditionally in the next 2 days,
Southern Whetstone Drama Group Keep Members Entertained during Lockdown The Whetstone Drama Group (who receive a grant from the Southern Membership & Community Council) have been keeping members entertained with a weekly quiz, which is organised and run by Steve Cutler and Ben Thomas. Yesterday evening I was invited to join them and really enjoyed taking part. Steve and
Southern Hear How our Member Groups are Staying in Touch during Covid19 - Co-operation in Action! Desne, our Keep Fit Tutor, and Jayne who attends her classes, have been busy keeping members who attend the classes occupied and this is what they had to say: Attached are some screenshots of our conversations in the Whatsapp group. There are 20 of us in it, some others haven&
Southern Member groups update in Southern region With the ongoing lockdown in place during the Coronavirus pandemic our Member activities and groups are currently postponed. We know how important these groups are to our Members and the social bonds and friendships that have been created. Here is an update from Southern MCC Chair Hilary Allen (pictured) on
Southern Leicester store volunteer says it has been a ‘privilege’ to support her local community A Leicester community hero has showcased the best in co-operative values by volunteering to support her local Central England Co-op store to provide food and essentials to her community. Hilary Allen is a part of the Society’s Southern Membership and Community Council (MCC) and has been lending a hand
Southern Highlights of Fairtrade Fortnight 2020 in Southern region Central England Co-operative has joined together with its communities in Leicestershire and Northamptonshire to mark a special Fairtrade Fortnight with two weeks of activities. The celebrations coincided with the 25th anniversary of Fairtrade products hitting the shelves in the UK, with the Co-op having been there every step of the
Southern Fairtrade supporters line up for special charity women’s football match for Fairtrade Fortnight A special charity football game has been held in Leicester to mark Fairtrade Fortnight where fun and fundraising rather than finesse was the name of the game. The ‘Can’t Play Players’ women’s football match was held at AFC Andrews Football Club in Knighton Lane East on Saturday as
Western Twinkle-toed members dance the afternoon away to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight Central England Co-op members put their dancing shoes on to take part in a special event to help mark Fairtrade Fortnight at Burton Town Hall. Over 100 people attended the Fairtrade Tea Dance on Wednesday (February 26) and were treated to a fun-packed afternoon of dancing, as well as enjoying
Southern Women's football match among events marking Fairtrade Fortnight in Southern region Central England Co-op will be holding a range of events across Leicestershire and Northamptonshire during Fairtrade Fortnight 2020 to get the community talking about Fairtrade. The Society will be holding everything from tea dances, quizzes and school workshops to a special Fairtrade women’s football match in Leicester, all aimed
Southern Supporting Loneliness & Isolation, Health & Wellbeing Our Southern MCC support a number of groups who meet in our local communities and this week I caught up with our Women of Wisdom Co-operative, who meet in Braunstone, our Thorncroft Friendship Co-operative who meet in the centre of Leicester, and our Pop In Cafe, who meet in Thurnby
Southern Ratae Co-operative Pantomime - There Was an Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe This year, our Ratae Co-operative Players put on a first class pantomime based on this very popular nursery rhyme. Our Players are so talented and it is wonderful to see them working with young people and children too, which really makes for a great family show. Young or old -
Southern Educational & Recreational Courses - something for everyone Our educational and recreational courses are back in full swing after the Christmas break and today I visited just one of our Calligraphy courses which take place at the Salvation Army Centre in South Wigston, Leicester. Other courses include Embroidery, Lace Making, Watercolour Painting, Soft Furnishing and Keep Fit -
Southern Central England Co-operative provides funding for ‘secret garden’ hospital project in Leicester An inspiring project which is giving a group of green-fingered adult mental health service users the opportunity to grow food in a hospital’s ‘secret garden’ has been boosted by over £1,700 in funding from Central England Co-op. For the past 18 months Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust’s
Southern Co-operative Masterclass This week students who attend Juniper Training in Leicester enjoyed taking part in our Co-operative Masterclass. The Masterclass looks at our values and principles and co-operatives as a different business model. The students were challenged with setting up an imaginary business, incorporating some of the values and principles, and what
Southern A Healthy Start to January This week we are busy supporting schools, after-school clubs and healthy hero's sessions in libraries with a healthy start to January. Activities include delivering our popular healthy choices workshops followed by delicious and refreshing fruit kebabs. Our healthy choices workshops cover a range of topics including the importance
Southern Thriving Leicestershire drama group is now open to Central England Co-op members A successful and award-winning Leicestershire theatre group has received backing from Central England Co-op as it continues to thrive 57 years after it was originally founded. Whetstone Drama Group has teamed up with the retailer to become one of its member groups. It has also been awarded a share of
