Well where do I start, it has been a busy 2 months to say the least out and about in the Midcounties membership team, what with the member forums, Half yearly meeting and Planning for next year’s International year of co-operatives.So key highlights of the last 2 months: There are that many to choose from but here are a few: Kidlington Fair Trade fair in October - This was a really great event, lots fair trade stalls and local members that attended on the day. Visiting the Mayfair Centre in Church Stretton - what a lovely place that is and it offers so much to the local community and I really am looking forward to arranging future events with both the Centre and Mike and his store team in Church Stretton. Our first wine and Cheese evening in Bicton Heath was a massive success with over 50 members attending the night was a smashing success. Starting to... Read More »

Winter is coming!! After a seemingly very short Summer the cold weather is upon us. Halloween has been as popular as ever and I expect Bonfire Night will be a big hit this year on a Saturday evening. We will of course be stocking all the essentials for the perfect Bonfire Night, including Truly Irresistible Bangers. Don't forget to wrap up warm!

 

Of course it is then the turn of Christmas to take our full attention, under 8 weeks away now! But you do not have to wait until Christmas to start picking out the perfect gifts and essentials. We already have some fantastic offers on our chocolate and biscuit ranges, and some great gift ideas such as Baylis & Harding sets and hardback autobiographies from Jeremy Clarkson, Joanna Lumley, James Corden and many more!

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Hello, As you may be aware the United Nations has designated 2012 as the International Year of Co-operatives.  What you might not know is that there are 1.4 million co-operatives across the globe and 1 in 8 of the world’s population is a member of a Co-operative.  We want to make sure we spread the word of the diversity and size of the Co-operative movement.  This is a unique opportunity for Midcounties to work with other Co-operatives and showcase how we all build a better world. 

Look out for exciting news on how to get involved in the members magazine that is distributed with your Share of the Profits in late November.  Also come back to visit our website www.yourmidcounties.coop to find out what activities are taking place near your area. 

 

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Hi,

I'm Dal Kalirai and I'm the Membership Development Manager for The Midcounties. Recently I've been busy with organising the Half yearly meetings that took place across our trading area and I'm now organising the AGM 2012. Yes that’s right, I know it not until 19th May 2012 but a lot of hard work goes into it very early. Another thing me and the team are working on is a calendar of events for 2012, the International Year of Co-operative. It’s going to be a fun year where we will be out and about all over the trading area hosting events for our members and giving you all an insight into what makes a co-operative something special.

Hopefully I will meet you all soon at some of the exciting events we have planned.

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Hi,

We are now in the month of November and it’s getting darker and colder outside. We are truly approaching winter! September and October were busy months for my teams, with the Society Elections taking place as well as our Half Yearly Meetings. Even though both the Share ledger team and the Membership Hotline team are office based, this is the time of year when you will see them out at our meetings, helping out and getting to know you all.

 

 We have exciting times ahead of us with the Share of profits vouchers being posted out on the 23rd November. I can confirm that members at our Half Yearly Meetings approved the share of profits to be paid out at 1.3 pence/point this November. In the voucher pack you will find the latest edition of the Membership magazine, which includes some lovely recipes and great articles as well as some great competitions! We are also sending some exclusive membership offers with the vouchers, which will help you plan for your Christmas shopping or perhaps for next year’s holiday!

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Wow what a brilliant 2 weeks I have had in the membership team!  It has been non stop and even in 10 weeks no 2 days have been the same.

So what have I been up to?

I have been presenting at the retail duty manager’s course which was a pleasure to help increase the awareness of what the Membership Team actually do, as I couldn’t believe how much work the team does within the Society. It was a real eye opener, just seeing the process of what happens to completed membership forms and how that is completed.

We have volunteered at the Leamington Spa Guide dogs for the blind training centre, where we spent the day grooming the dogs, walking the dogs and then we had a challenge and for those that know me, I LOVE a challenge! We had to see how many charity tins we could get located into sites.  Our team got over 90 within the space of 3 hours.  It was lovely to spend the day with my new colleagues.

Here is a picture of the colleagues I spent the day with Di Bateman, Amy Barnett, Lynn Sylvester, Katie Barker and Mahwish Qamar.

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Thank you to all of our members and customers that have got involved in our energy awareness workshops across our trading sites and communities.

 

We gave away enough energy saving appliances to save 181 tonnes of co2 (based on the lifetime of the appliances in use). This is equivalent to flying 41 times around the world or driving to the moon and back in a medium sized car. 

 

In order to help you reduce your energy consumption further and save money on energy and water bills in your home, take a look at the below tips!

 

1)      Ensure that appliances are not left on standby

2)      Install low energy light bulbs

3)      Try not to wash... Read More »

Last month our Local Producer event was very well received – there were a number of suppliers sampling their products in store. We have long supported our local suppliers here in Swindon, my particular favourite being the Arkell’s Brewery, and it was good to see them and many others here on the day. These products are always on sale in the store. Some new products we have discovered as a result have been the range of Benson’s fruit juices which were very popular on the day.

More recently we had an environmental awareness day, where we were provided with sound advice on energy saving, and free devices such as cistern water savers, shower timers, low energy light bulbs were given away.

On 20th September from 10am – 1pm we will be having Fair Trade tastings – so come along and sample some free goodies. 

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We are nearly coming into the autumn, and the membership team has been busy organising fun and interesting events for you to attend.

 

During Sept we will be holding six member forums; this is an opportunity for our members to get together to discuss any ideas and issues they are having with the Society. Also you will get the chance to meet with some local store managers. The dates are:

Date Time Venue Monday 12th September 6.30pm – 8.00pm Springvale Sports and Social Club, Millfields Road, Bilston, WV14 0QR Tuesday 13th September 7.30pm – 9.00pm The Training Room, Co-operative... Read More »

Working in the Community Team, no two days are the same! For instance, this week we’re meeting with the six Community Foundations - as we work in partnership with them on our new Community Grant scheme - taking part in a joint Membership and Community volunteering challenge at Guide Dogs for the Blind and, finally, on Friday, meeting with Oxfordshire Refuge, one of our partners through our charity partnership with Women’s Aid.

 

Our partnership with Women’s Aid is shaping up to be one of many firsts! We are their first Charity... Read More »