Central England Co-op offers fuel to support Blue Light workers at petrol filling stations

Retailer Central England Co-op has announced it will continue to ringfence supplies of fuel for emergency workers at their petrol stations to support vital community services.

The decision has been made in response to the exceptional demand for fuel currently being felt across the country.

Paul Dennis, Chief Operations Officer at Central England Co-op, said: “Although the situation continues to improve, we feel right now it is absolutely vital that valued Blue Light workers in our communities get the fuel they need.

“So, wherever possible, we are giving priority to emergency workers to make sure they can stay on the road and continue with their essential work.”

Outlets where fuel is being held for emergency workers will be signposted by posters on-site as supplies become available and it is hoped that all petrol stations run by Central England Co-op will be able to extend this offer of help as soon as possible.

Notes to editors

About Central England Co-operative

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK with interests in food, funeral, floral and property investment.

Owned by hundreds of thousands of members, its over 7,800 colleagues serve customers across 400 plus trading sites in 16 counties in the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

Its purpose is to inspire communities to create a sustainable Society for all.

It actively campaigns for the Government to increase sentencing for violent attacks on retail workers and works with FareShare Midlands and hundreds of food banks, generating enough food donations to create over 2.1 million meals for people in need.

The Society embraces inclusivity and equality and is a signed-up member to the Business in the Community (BITC) Race at Work Charter, while it is also fully committed to addressing the impact of climate change and is on track to be Carbon Neutral by 2030.

It invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities through its Community Dividend Fund scheme which has seen over £175,000 shared out between 116 good causes over the past 12 months.

Central England Co-op was named Leading Co-op of the Year by Co-operatives UK in 2021.

Press office contacts: Rob Smyth and James Brindle

Phone - 01543 421390

Email - publicrelations@centralengland.coop