Scotland

Over the last 25 years, I’ve worked in education and community roles in the formal sector, for charities and in the public sector. I moved to Aberdeenshire in 2007 and love being part of our rural communities. Through my work and life, I have learnt the value of working in partnerships and within co-operatives. I truly believe that, collectively, we can make change happen.

I live on the Isle of Islay off the west coast of Scotland and am delighted to serve on the Members' Council. I am a retired headteacher, have worked for 12 years for the NHS as a practice manager, and latterly have been serving my community, working for people with long term conditions and the elderly and vulnerable. I am leading the Islay Resilience Group during the pandemic, co-ordinating 160 volunteers, working closely with the local Co-op store to ensure that all our community has access to food and essentials.

Living on an island, our Co-op is a vitally important hub in our community. I hope to be able to represent our remote and rural Co-ops, relaying their unique needs and aspirations. The co-operative values of equality, inclusion, valuing our environment and the need for healthy, fair priced, Fairtrade food are important to our members, and I look forward to representing their views.

Greetings co-operators. My nineteen years employment at the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) demonstrates my enduring commitment to social inclusion, equality and making a difference: key elements of the Co-op's values. SLAB provides state funded legal representation to those who could not otherwise afford it. As the Craigalmond Scout Group's Chair, I am passionate about making a difference in my local community. I want to use my experience and sharing of the Co-op's ethos to enhance our Members' Council.

I have been involved in the Co-op for many years and helped to form what we now know as the Members' Council as part of sub-groups. I am currently the manager of a Co-op Food store in Rosyth, Fife. I hope that the Council can be a more modern democracy and challenge the Board on decisions that affect members and colleagues, promoting a better and fairer way of doing business.

I've been a Co-op Member for over twelve years and have worked at Co-op as both a store manager and community engagement advisor. I feel extremely honoured and proud to represent our Scottish members. Being on the Council allows me to help important voices be heard. It is up to us to uphold our values and principles whilst being the pioneers we were born to be. After all, #ItsWhatWeDo.

As the Council’s northern-most member, living 30 miles north of Aberdeen and with years of co-operative experience, my wish was for my local stores to be more sustainable. The Co-op’s ethical stance, stand on E-numbers, its clear labelling policy, salt and sugar-free canned foods, and Fairtrade goods attracted me.

Having shared responsibility for rebuilding governance after the Co-op Bank crisis, and grateful for learnings and opportunities being an elected member gave me, I wish to see member representation firmly embedded again. This is so future generations of members can ‘have their say’ and help make our Co-op a national treasure once more.

I am fortunate and privileged to be an elected member on the Council. I have extensive experience within the Co-op's membership bodies, past and present. I hold the Certificate in Co-operation, the Diploma in Co-operation and the Board Development Centre Certificate. I am well-equipped to represent the views of membership and act on their behalf. It is my belief active membership is the lifeblood of the Co-op and elected representatives have an expectation to make sure members are heard and acknowledged.

I am a qualified teacher and have taught both children and adults. I am also a Trustee for the Co-operative College.

I appreciate the Co-op's emphasis on equal opportunities and will endeavour to uphold the Co-op's values and principles in the other community groups I am involved with, such as the Fairtrade Steering Group for North Ayrshire and the Social Work Complaints Committee.

I have been involved in the Co-op for a number of years. I have been a member of Council since May, 2015 and serve on the Scrutiny and Governance Committees. My background is in IT, latterly in project management, and I also have extensive teaching experience. Council strives to hold the Board to account and represent the Co-op membership - a lot of progress has been made but it's important that Council changes and develops as lessons are learned.

By way of introduction, I have considerable experience in the co-operative movement, having been involved for over 20 years and starting through Woodcraft Folk. My primary job role is as a Manager for Marie Curie. As your representative on the Members' Council, I consider myself your ‘eyes and ears’ on all business matters and ‘your voice’ when you have concerns that need addressing. The strength of the Society comes from its active membership base and my aim for the Council is to be the anchor from grassroots to the Board.