1. Solent:
Mayfield Nursey
Mayfield Nursery works with
people with enduring mental
illness. Through horticulture,
they build confidence skills
which are often lost as a
result of poor health. Funding
will enable service users to
undertake professionally
recognised training and gain
a certificate in horticulture
to promote their recovery by
offering hope and opportunity.
Congratulations to all
the successful groups and
thank you for voting! Your
support has helped to make
a real difference to these
groups across the South
& West of England.
Do you know of a community
group that could benefit
from an award of £2000?
Please tick the ‘Want to
Know More?’ slip and we
will send you details when
the scheme opens in 2011.
T
he results of your
voting for the
Co-operative
Partnership awards are in. In
the last issue of Re:action we
asked you to vote for which
of three community groups in
your area should receive an
award of £2,000. Following a
record response from members
in the South & West, the
following groups in your
Areas have been successful:
Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly:
Hayle Town Band
The award will be used to help
purchase instruments, music
and stands to encourage the
young people of Hayle and
surrounding district to join
the youth band and keep it
going for many years to come.
South Devon:
Unity Park Bowling Club
The award will update
the currently inadequate
changing room facilities and
allow Unity Park Bowling
Club to continue their sport
in this area for novice and
experienced bowlers.
North, East, West
Devon & Somerset:
St Thomas Allotment Association
DIG IT! PLANT IT! EAT IT! -
Families Food & Allotment Days
On the largest allotment site in
Devon, St Thomas’ community
open days and workshops
help share skills; getting ‘crops
from pots’, sowing & planting
an allotment plot, hen-keeping
and harvesting potatoes.
Participants then make and
bake their own pizzas to have
with delicious allotment salad.
Wiltshire and Dorset:
Cherry Tree Nursery
Cherry Tree Nursery seeks
to restore mental well-being,
self-esteem, confidence,
dignity and a reason for living
to adults whose lives have
been devastated by mental
illness. It offers meaningful
work to 150 adults in a plant
nursery. Funding will help to
replace leaking portacabins
with sustainable buildings, to
safeguard the nursery’s future.
Kennet & Avon:
Portishead Youth Club Friday Fun
The club is for young
people aged 11-25 with
Special Needs and allows a
safe environment in which
to meet friends. Funding
will continue work with a
street dance tutor, employ
an artist to run workshops
and help with transport
for social outings, to gain
social skills. These activities
help to build self esteem.
West Midlands:
Powick Playing Field Association
The award will enable the
playing field association to
install a new and exciting
climbing frame replacing
the existing one, which is
becoming unsafe. The playing
field is heavily used all year
round by children of all ages.
The Co-operative Group
News From The South & West Region
April 2011
Your votes secure £14,000 to South & West groups.
Snapshots
Page 3
Mencap
Page 3Page 2
iPod winnerFairtrade in
the bag
Festival fun
Page 4Page 4
Share your
profits
To find out more xxxxxxxxxxx visit www.xxxxxxxxxxxxx
You made the difference
FACEBOOK AND
TWITTER
Stay up to date by following our
Twitter feed @membershipsw
or on Facebook www.facebook.
com/membershipsw.
EXETER CITY FC
We’ve helped young people in
rural locations by supporting the
Centre for Excellence .
EVENTS
Thousands of members took
up our exclusive benefit of
events in 2010, will you come
along in 2011?
BROMYARD BAGS
A co-operative of schools in
Bromyard have clubbed together
to sell bags to raise funds for
their Trust.
Cherry Tree Nursery.
Portishead Youth Club Friday Fun.
Hayle Town Band.

2. April 2011
From Your Region
02
Y
ou might think that
we are just the same
as Barclay’s. Well
we are, but we are not!
You might think that we are
just the same as Morrison’s.
Well we are, but we are not!
Over the last couple of years
we have achieved so much,
and we have transformed our
business and how we look. So,
you’ll have seen lots of new
Co-operative Food stores as
we converted Somerfield to
The Co-operative brand. In
2009 Britannia joined The
Co-operative and we are
spending £700m behind the
scenes on new systems so that
The Co-operative Bank and
Britannia can work as one
with the most cutting edge
computer systems in the UK.
And we’ve recently announced
plans to team up with Thomas
Cook to create (subject to OFT
approval) Europe’s largest
travel agency better placed
to offer you a great deal.
But deep down – we are
just the same as we always
have been. Member owned,
democratically influenced,
leading the UK on ethics
in business and we still
share the profits!
So why don’t you look out
for the new Co-operative
brand appearing on your high
street, village, neighbourhood
or wherever you are! The
changes have won some major
awards including the Gold in
the Transform Design Awards
Best Re-brand category.
The more you do business
the bigger your share
of our profits! And we
have great plans.
We’ve been around for over
165 years and, since 2007,
our pace of change has been
extrordinary. And we are
about to announce record
sales and record profits.
We have been named as the
world’s most sustainable bank
and we have just won the
Orange Award for Corporate
Social Responsibility.
We’re going back on the
acquisition trail with the aim
of a further 300 Food stores
in three years bringing The
Co-operative Food into new
communities. We’ll complete
the integration of Somerfield
which brought 650 new
food stores into the Group.
Every other year we have
a Co-operative Charity
of the Year and thanks to
the magnificent support of
our Members we raised a
staggering £6.9m for charity
which included the RNID.
This year our Charity of
the Year is Mencap which
supports people with learning
difficulties. There’ll be lots
going on in our businesses
across the Region so look
out for further information
and get involved.
There’s so much to our
Co-operative, and many
ways you can get involved
or help shape our future.
All of our members are
equal, they can all visit the
website, come along to an
event or stand for election.
It’s really easy, let us know
and we will tell you how.
A
pupil in Dorset
has combined her
creative talents with
environmental conscience
to be named winner of a
bag design competition run
by DEED (Development
Education in Dorset)
with The Co-operative.
Eight-year-old Orla
Mount was inspired by
the theme of Climate
Change when challenged
to create a new ‘bag for
life’ for The Co-operative
Food store in Wimborne.
Her design includes the
slogan “Recycle to keep
our planet happy”, and
the wording is surrounded
by her impression of
a ‘happy world’.
Five schools from Wimborne
took part in the competition
and there were almost
100 entries covering the
themes of climate change
and Fairtrade. Judges
were impressed by Orla’s
positivity and the clear
message portrayed in
the colourful design.
The winning design was
made into a new ‘bag for
life’ by Vandanamu, a
women’s sewing unit in
India, working to rebuild
lives after the Tsunami
and went on sale at the
new-look Co-operative
Food store in Wimborne.
All proceeds were donated
to Julia’s House, the local
children’s hospice.
The Co-operative has
fair trade in the bag
We’re a family
of businesses
Ethical, responsible – being the
Big Society.The Co-operative
works together to achieve more.
Fairtrade
Fortnight
Fairtrade Fortnight was
again a massive success
in the South & West.
Members took part in
a variety of events and
activities across the Region.
There were in-store tastings,
coffee mornings, stalls
and schools events, all
supported by The
Co-operative Membership.
The highlight of Fairtrade
Fortnight, was a visit to
the region by Fairtrade
blueberry producer, Chino
from Chile. The
Co-operative are proud
to be the first retailer to
stock the world’s first
Fairtrade blueberries and
Chino was able to tell
Members first hand about
the difference Fairtrade has
made in his community.
Orla’s design comes to life in India.
Orla Mount with her winning design.
To find out more visit www.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
“Recycle
to keep our
planet happy”
Hedge End store opens.
The more you
do business
the bigger
your share of
our profits!

3. 03
A
lucky member of
The Co-operative
in Bristol has been
presented with an iPod
touch, complete with The
Co-operative’s ‘Grown By
Us’ application, having won
the prize at our Half Yearly
Members’ Meeting last month.
The events, which saw record
numbers of Co-operative
members attend to have
their say in how the business
should be managed over the
next year, was themed around
‘Grown By Us’ in celebration
of The Co-operative’s position
as the UK’s largest farmer.
Judith Granville of Redlands
won the iPod touch in the
raffle that also saw nine
members walk away with a
Co-operative “Reared by us”
free-range Bronze turkey. Her
prize was presented to her
by the Store Manager of The
Co-operative Food in Henleaze
on Wednesday 15 December.
Judith says: “The meeting
was really productive and
we covered a whole range of
issues affecting shoppers in the
Bristol area. I entered the raffle
as a bit of an afterthought.
“I was delighted to find out
I’d won the iPod as I’ve not
currently got an mp3 player,
and now I’ll be able to listen
to music while out walking.
“I’ll certainly try out the
‘Grown By Us’ application
too, as buying seasonal British
produce is important to me
and it will be interesting
to get the back-story
behind my shopping.”
Sue Green, Co-operative
Membership Officer for
Kennet and Avon, said:
“We were thrilled at the
turnout at our ‘Grown
By Us’ themed half yearly
meeting with a 46% increase
compared to last year.
“I’m pleased the top prize
will allow Judith to further
engage with the business and
make informed choices about
fresh produce with the help
of this innovative app.”
This year’s AGM takes
housing as its theme. As
well as the detailed review
of what The Co-operative
has achieved in 2010 and
a chance to ask questions,
there will be a discussion on
how Housing Co-operatives
may provide a solution to the
challenging housing market.
The AGM will also launch a
major regional report on the
subject. Come along and take
part. Just complete the ‘Want
to Know More?’ slip and
we’ll send you more details.
That’s right, we will be
celebrating all things
co-operative during
International Co-operatives
Fortnight from 25 June
to 9 July this year – and
as a member, you’re
invited to take part!
Plan Bee campaign to life
this Co-operatives Fortnight
with a visit to some incredible
National Trust properties
across the region. We are also
hoping to confirm a visit to
Kew Gardens later in the year
to see the work they do to save
the bee. You can be first on the
list for these visits by calling
01884 266 892 or
visiting www.co-
operativememberevents.coop.
You can also tick the box on
the Want to Know More slip.
Members will have an
opportunity to travel across
to the Capital to see the
extraordinary work being
carried out by the dedicated
staff at Kew to support
the plight of the bee. The
Co-operative has pledged
hundreds of thousands of
pounds to research why
the bee is dying off.
As Britain’s largest farmer,
it is clearly very important
that we find out why these
pollinators are not surviving
– so that we can keep British
honey on our shelves!
This event will be a
celebration of co-operation
because it will show how
successful these efforts can
be when we all pitch in!
We will also be running a
great number of events and
activities for you to become
involved with to find out more
about how we do business;
from tasting sessions in the
West, to film screenings
in the North and meet the
co-operator in the East.
If you’d like to be more
involved with the way that
The Co-operative does
business, perhaps you would
like to stand for election to
one of our Area Committees.
Contact us to find out more.
You can stay in touch
via www.facebook.com/
membershipsw or www.
twitter.com/membershipsw.
April 2011
From Your Region
The Co-operative celebrates ‘Grown
By Us’ with iPod giveaway
The Co-operative is yours to share
T
he Co-operative is proud to be working with Mencap and
ENABLE Scotland as our Charity of the Year partners.
During 2011 our members can look forward to getting
involved in a whole host of fun fundraising activities and events
taking place nationally and locally.
Mencap and ENABLE Scotland do fantastic work across the
UK, supporting young people with a learning disability to take
control of their lives for a more positive future. These amazing
charities support our commitment to Inspiring Young People
and were voted for by our members and employees. We want to
make 2011 the year that our members are given the opportunity
to really get involved in fundraising.
Every week, 200 children are born with a learning disability
in the UK. Eight out of ten of them will be bullied and most
will face prejudice, discrimination and a lack of opportunities.
With your help, Mencap and ENABLE Scotland will launch a
project to change people’s attitudes and give young people with
a learning disability the opportunities and support they need for
a brighter future. The charities will work with 20,000 young
people with a learning disability, their parents and carers, and
their local communities.
The Co-operative Charity of the Year fundraising activities
kicked off on 28 November 2010, with The Co-operative Santa
Dash taking place in both London and Manchester. Hundreds
of our members and employees took part in the 5k fun runs,
dressed in festive Santa costumes of course, raising £40,000
for Mencap.
In 2011 we’re finalising plans for lots of inspiring local projects
across the UK, which will cover every region. Walk With Me
will be a chance for members to get involved in a family-friendly
sponsored walk in the summertime. Members will be invited
to make a splash at the Mencap Mile swim event, planned for
July. Tea With Me will see community tea parties taking place
across the country with special packs available for members to
download, including recipes and vouchers. And for those who
fancy more adventurous activities, be sure to look out for The
Co-operative Dodgeball Championships in September and the
Y Factor talent competition in October.
Wherever you live, there will be activities and events taking place
over the coming months to suit everyone. We really need our
members to get involved to make this the most successful Charity
of the Year yet.
To find out more about how you can get involved, and to
discover what’s taking place in your region, visit
www.co-operative.coop/membership and click on
‘Local Communities’.
Together we can inspire 20,000 young people with a learning
disability to change their world.
Together we can
make a world
of difference

4. April 2011
From Your Region
04
Regional Secretary
Andrew North
Regional Democratic Services
Manager
John Lucas
Democratic Services and
Membership Manager
Pete Vallance
Regional Co-operative
& Membership Manager
Sam Grayston
Co-operative &
Membership Officers
Faheem Bhatti, Fay Bowden,
Sue Green, Helen Murphy,
Nicola Kelly
When you have finished with
this newsletter please recycle it
Contact us
Co-operative Group – South & West Region
Limesfield, Broad Road
Dulford, Cullompton
Devon EX15 2DY
Phone: 01884 266 892 Fax: 01884 266 887
Email: membership.sw@co-operative.coop
Web: www.co-operative.coop/membership
For enquiries about your membership card or problems logging
on to the website, please call 0800 023 4708.
Printed on Cyclus Offset. Cyclus is 100% recycled. Each and every fibre of
Cyclus paper comes from waste paper collected from consumers. All waste
resulting from the production process is also recycled to create a wide range
of products including fertiliser, cement and energy. Produced by an ISO 14001
certified mill.
Regional team
Stock Code: RA SW/0411 Produced by Corporate Communications.
T
hanks to your
kind donations to
Community Fund,
we’ve been able to support
around £200,000 worth
of community projects in
the South West in 2010!
St Mawes Recreation
Ground in Cornwall was the
proud recipient of a £1000
award from the Community
Fund and Barry Crowle,
Committee Member from
Cornwall, was pleased to
go to present the cheque.
“It’s fantastic that so many
people are donating to
Community Fund now,” Barry
said. “There are so many
worthy causes that could
benefit from funding, I would
encourage all members to
make sure they are donating
something so that they can
help to make a real difference
to groups in their area.”
If you are able to donate
more of your Share of Profits
payout to Community Fund,
please call 0800 023 4708
or visit www.co-operative.
coop/membership.
Thank you.
W
henever we make
a share of the
profits payment,
you can pass on the benefits
to communities across the
country. In fact this year
marks the biggest ever
donation by members of a
huge £1.2 million to deserving
groups across the UK. So
if you’ve chosen to donate
some or all of your Share
of the Profits, thank you!
The following groups have
joined the scheme in the
South and West Region:
Devon Air Ambulance Trust
St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth
Western College Players
Exeter City Football Club
Donating some of your
Share of the Profits is easy
to do, just log into your
on-line membership account
at www.co-operative.coop/
membership, follow the links
to update your profit donation
options, and select the Group
you would like to support.
Alternatively call Membership
on 0800 023 4708.
Your annual statement
will tell you how much
you have donated to
your chosen Group.
T
his year sees the launch
of the Co-operative
Good for Everyone
Village showcasing all of
the Family of Businesses at
major Festivals and Shows
across the UK. All of our
businesses will be working
much more closely together
– so come to a Membership
event and meet the Family!
The Co-operative is proud
to support like minded
groups, the community and
spread the word about the
unique members benefits our
values and ethics bring.
2011 will again see The
Co-operative Membership
participate in festivals across
the South & West Region.
Last year we supported
Keynsham Music Festival, The
Pumpkin Festival, the Royal
Cornwall Show and the hugely
successful Exeter Respect
Festival which included
presence from our family of
businesses across a weekend.
This year keep an eye out for
us at Bath Fringe, Keynsham
Music Festival, Dorset Seafood
Festival and many more. For
more information about our
support for festivals, our
member events and activities,
visit our website
www.co-operative.coop/
membership or follow
us on www.twitter.com/
membershipsw or www.
facebook.com/membershipsw.
You’re great – we’re grateful
Share your profits
The Co-operative
on the road
Community Fund money is put to good use in St Mawes, Cornwall.
Match Day at Exeter City FC.Exeter City FC asks Members to Pitch In.
Barry Crowle meets a successful Community Fund group.
Woodcraft Folk help support our festivals.