OXFORDSHIRE REGIONAL COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

OVERALL SOCIETYCOMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

2,000

110,000 products donated to

Foodbanks, providing meals to 2,000 families in need

We have been accredited with the Fair Tax Mark, awarded to organisations that display a high degree of transparency in their tax affairs

234,000

£11 million

Over the last decade we have delivered 234,000 volunteer hours to support local communities

Over £11 Million given back to community in the last ten years.

Key Society Achievements in the Community.

The Society has achieved 5 stars in Business in the Community’s Corporate Responsibility (CR) Index with a score of 100%

DORSET

SOMERSET

WILTSHIRE

HAMPSHIRE

SURREY

BERKSHIRE

OXFORDSHIRE

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

HERTFORDSHIRE

CAMBRIDGESHIRE

WEST MIDLANDS

WORCESTERSHIRE

WARWICKSHIRENORTH

AMPTONSHIRE

POWYS

SHROPSHIRE

STAFFORDSHIRE

LEICESTERSHIRE

NOTT

INGH

AMSH

IRE

GREATER LONDON

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

GREATER MANCHESTER

WESTYORKSHIRE

SOUTHYORKSHIRE

DERBYSHIRE

11

312 6

14

2

4

5

78

10

9

13

1

15

16

18

17

19

20

OURREGIONAL COMMUNITIES

1 Kidlington/North West Oxford 2 Swindon3 Walsall4 Cannock Chase5 Wyre Forest6 Wolverhampton7 Stroud

8 Cheltenham9 Chipping Norton

10 Leamington & Warwick11 Shrewsbury12 Sedgley & Dudley13 Forest Of Dean14 Bicester

15 White Horse16 Banbury17 High Wycombe & Thame 18 Central Oxford19 Aylesbury20 South Staffs Villages

The Society established its Regional Community programme in 2015,

enabling members and colleagues to work together to support the local community and demonstrate our co-operative difference. This includes supporting local charities and volunteering together to help build strong local communities.

20 Regional Communities are now fully established across our trading area, each

with a local Steering Group in place made up of local colleagues, Board members,

Executive members and active local members overseen by Regional Ambassadors.

OXFORDSHIREREGIONAL COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

There are 1031 colleagues and 50,320 members located in the

Oxfordshire Regional Community areas, with the following trading

sites; Retail sites 33, Travel sites 3, Funeral sites 10, Healthcare sites 3, Post office sites 6 Childcare sites 5. Regional

Community areas in Oxfordshire include Central Oxford, Kidlington and North West Oxford, Bicester,

Banbury, and Chipping Norton.

Key highlights for Oxfordshire Regional Communities since 2015

• Our colleagues across the Oxfordshire Regional Community have completed over 6,000 volunteer hours in the local community

• Colleagues and members have donated over 21,000 items to local foodbanks, providing meals to over 420 families in need.

• Over 4,107 young people have been engaged in the local area working with a range of educational establishments to support the development of young people. Local schools and educational establishments supported include the following;

– Southwold Primary School – The Warriner School – Holy Trinity School – Hook Norton School – Chipping Norton Secondary School – St Thomas More School – West Kidlington School – North Kidlington School – Gosford Secondary School

• We have distributed £131,000 through community grants & carrier bag monies to 132 local good causes

• Raised £32,366 for local charity partners, including;

– OYAP (Oxfordshire Youth Arts Partnership) – Katharine House Hospice – Oxford Gatehouse – Lawrence Home Nursing Team – 6th Chipping Norton Scout Group – Kidlington Girl Guides – Kidlington Scout Group

Working with Aspire

As part of our Regional Communities programme our colleagues in Oxfordshire have been busy volunteering and providing support for Aspire, a not for profit company providing work opportunities for people facing barriers to employment from grounds maintenance and property services to textile recycling and furniture upcycling.

The Society has helped Aspire with a variety of activities including;

• a local colleague carries out volunteering as a Trustee of Aspire, helping with strategic advice and guidance

• Food Retail support by providing a 3 day bespoke Work Experience offer covering how our Stores operate and what is involved in being a Store Manager. Each participant receives a reference, certificate, feedback and evaluation to help them get back into the workplace

• local carrier bag monies have been donated to Aspire to pay for room hire and running courses from cookery to developing budgeting skills

• colleagues worked with Aspire to raise awareness of National Homelessness Day by participating in the Big Sleep Out, bedding down for the night in a cardboard shelter.

OXFORDSHIREREGIONAL COMMUNITY CASE STUDY

Midcounties DOES The values that shape our Society

Banbury colleagues supporting loneliness and mental health

Members in Banbury have voted on their favourite charities to receive carrier bag monies based on their two key priorities of loneliness and mental health.

Every suitable charity and local organisation in Banbury was written to and invited to apply for funds, with twelve groups submitting applications. This was then assessed by a committee of local colleagues and members and shortlisted to four groups. Local members then voted on their favourite by placing a token in a jar when they shopped with us.

As a result two local charity partners were selected, AGE UK Banbury, a charity who provides a wide range of support services for older people and Restore Banbury, a charity who support people recovering from mental illness.

Both charities received a 50% share of over £2,700 raised from carrier bag monies, with local members at the heart of the selection process throughout.

Midcounties DOES The values that shape our Society

OXFORDSHIREREGIONAL COMMUNITY CASE STUDY

Since establishing our Regional

Community programme in 2015 we have achieved

the following examples across our 20 Regional

Communities.

LOCALREGIONAL COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Delivered 41,500 volunteer hours across Regional Community areas

• 10,000 members involved in selecting local opportunities across all 20 Regional Community areas

• Raised £232,000 for our local charity partners• £453,000 distributed to 622 local community groups and good

causes through grants and carrier bag monies across our Regional Communities

• Engaged with over 13,000 young people through a range of initiatives, working with 50 schools across our trading area

• Over 1,000 press releases, reaching a total estimated audience of over 90 million people

Visit our webpage to learn more about our community programme (including our Keeping It Local programme for our trading sites that are located outside of our Regional Community areas) and how to get involved.

www.midcounties.coop/community/regional-communities/

If you are interested in becoming an ‘active

member’ for your local Regional Community Group, please contact

0800 435902 or via email:

member.communications @midcounties.coop

to find out more.