Community Brum Co-op Fest brings people together to celebrate co-operation Recently Co-ops across Birmingham came together to celebrate Co-operation with Co-op BrumFest. Shaz Rahman member of the Western MCC and many Co-ops in the area tells his story of the event below. Over the weekend of the 17th to the 19th of September, Brummie co-operators gathered at the Warehouse Café
Western Co-op Gardening Club Visit Masefield Community Garden Recently the Co-op Gardening Club visited a local community garden. Club Member and Western MCC member Cath Palgrave shares the clubs visit. One of the biggest successes of Central England Co-op members groups is the South Birmingham Gardening Club. This longstanding group organises talks, plant swaps and garden visits for
Community Colleagues and Members support Birmingham Pride This last weekend saw Pride celebrations return to the streets of Birmingham. The event attended by colleagues and members of Central England Co-op to support the diversity and inclusion of our Society. The event saw us join the Community Garden Green area to promote Central England Co-op, talk about membership
Western Lichfield Community Games are back!! The weekend of Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 September sees the return of the Lichfield Community Games to Beacon Park in Lichfield. The event supported by Central England Co-op Member and Community Council (MCC) for the last 4 years returns to inspire the everyone in the community to try something
News Wythall Transport Museum set to host Co-op heritage weekend This weekend, a special Co-op Heritage Weekend will take place at Wythall Transport Museum to mark its 140th anniversary. The event comes after, 140 years ago, a group of Midland Railway workers formed the Birmingham Industrial Co-operative Society to supply themselves with good food at fair prices. Today that business
Community Artefact Launches Co-op Principles Art Exhibition Shaz Rahman, Member and Community Council member for Central England Co-op has written a blog about our involvement with local Co-op Cafe Artefact. Artefact [https://www.artefactstirchley.co.uk/] is a collective of artists and creative people who have formed a workers co-op in South Birmingham. With support from Central
Community Co-op Heritage Weekend at Wythall Transport Museum Central England Co-op has a rich heritage reaching back into dozens communities across the country where people came together to supply themselves with honest goods at fair prices by forming their own local co-operative societies. Join us at Wythall transport Museum to celebrate the 140th anniversary of one of those
News Dozens of youngsters in Birmingham enjoy inspiring celebration of sport backed by Central England Co-op Central England Co-op sponsor special sporting event in Birmingham.
Community Holiday Hunger Program helps Support Families in Staffordshire During the first four weeks of the summer holidays the Western Membership and Community Council (MCC) teamed up with Progressive Sports and FareShare Midlands to help support younger people in the area. Progressive sports run Holiday Camps in the area during the summer holidays. The days are filled with fun
Community FREE Bike Maintenance Event in Cotteridge, Birmingham on Thursday 26 August Central England Co-op have teamed up with a local worker coop the Bike Foundry to put on FREE bike maintenance sessions at our store in Cotteridge. The event will take place between 10.00am and 4.00pm. Bring your bike, have it checked by the Bike
Community Central England Supports Geocaching event in South Birmingham On Saturday the 14th of August. I supported members of the Geocaching Association of Great Britain (GAGB), with an event Cotteridge Park. Geocaching is an activity where people find pre-set GPS co-ordinates in what can be described as a treasure hunt. Items will be set at the GPS locations and
News Co-op customers help fund nutritious food to keep children fed at summer holiday projects Money donated from Central England Co-op's Christmas campaign help FareShare Midlands provide food for pop-up food markets at summer camps
Community School children take part in healthy activity Six schools in Staffordshire took part in healthy activity events in the final term of the school year. The initiative came about through our ongoing relationship with James Austin, Lichfield School Sports coordinator. The events were offered to the schools and allowed individual classes to take part in safe '
Our Board of Directors Birmingham Film Co-op organise a Just Film Festival for Co-op Fortnight Below is a blog from Central England Co-op Western MCC Shaz about his experience during the awards ceremony of the Just Film Festival organised by the Birmingham Film Co-op. The Just Film festival concluded on Sunday the 4th of July with a hybrid awards ceremony conducted at the Warehouse Café
Western Elected members from the west midlands join regional Co-op AGM This week saw the Annual General Meeting of Co-operatives West Midlands. This Regional Co-operative Council exists to support and promote Co-op business and enterprise in the West Midlands. The meeting was held online with over 20 co-operators in attendance and used a new video conferencing platform 'Online Meeting Co-operative&
Community Elaine Dean Co-op voices women’s event Elaine Dean who is the current Vice President of Central England Co-op (amongst many other Co-op leadership roles) was interviewed by Rebecca Harvey from Co-op Press and Sarah Alldred from Co-op College about her life as a co-operator. It was great to hear from Elaine directly about her experiences in
Community Lights, Camera, Co-op for Co-operatives Fortnight! Starting on Friday 18th June, Birmingham Film Co-op are working with Central England Co-operative and Co-op News to bring you a special fortnight of films all available to watch from the comfort of your home. Films enrich our lives - they educate, entertain, delight and transport us. But the films
News Central England Co-op unveil special portrait and join celebrations to mark 250th birthday of pioneering co-operator How Central England Co-op is marking the 250th birthday of Robert Owen
Community Join us in celebrating the 250th anniversary of Robert Owen We are supporting a special virtual event on Friday 14 May - book your free place now.
Community We join with Black Country Living Museum to mark 150 years of Co-op history in Halesowen Call for memories of the Co-op in Halesowen as anniversary marked.
Western 150 years of Co-operation in Halesowen 2021 marks the 150th anniversary of the Halesowen and Hasbury Industrial Co-operative Society. to mark this occasion a special commemorative display by the Birmingham Co-operative History Group has gone on display at our Spies Lane Community Store in Halesowen (1 Spies Lane, Halesowen, Birmingham B62 9SS). Below is information relating
Western Western MCC donates 80 packs of Hot Cross Buns to local neighbourhood group Over Easter the Whittington and Fisherwick Good Neighbours group gave out packs full of Easter goodies to over 75 households in the area. this group provides support for many elderly and vulnerable people in Whittington, a small village close to Lichfield. The group were donated 80 packs of our Hot
Western Western MCC donate funds to Birmingham Bike Project The western Membership and Community Council recently donated £500 to local charity 'The Bike Project' in Birmingham below is a blog about the organisation from Cath Palgrave who works for the Bike Project and is also a member of the Western MCC. The Bike Project was really pleased
Western 'King of the North' Andy Burnham joins male Co-operators on Central England Co-op's Men's Event On Wednesday 24 March Central England Co-operative held an online Men's Voices event. The event which would usually be held in November to coincide with International Men's Day was postponed due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. During this online event we had Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater
Western Birmingham Co-op History Group Fairtrade Talk with Debbie Robinson On Tuesday, 2 March the Birmingham Co-op History Group hosted a special talk with the CEO of Central England Co-op Debbie Robinson. Debbie has an extensive history with Fairtrade and the nearly 30 people attending on the Zoom call were excited to learn about it. As the meeting was held
