Celebrating our 2024 Colleague Award winners

Our colleagues are always striving to make life better in our communities. They work hard to support and deliver valued services, care for health and wellbeing, and much more.

During Colleague Awards Week, Gold, Silver, and Bronze Branches of the Year are announced for each of our business divisions – food, pharmacy, post office, travel and funerals.

Food

The Willows in Grimsby won Gold Food Store of the Year, as they received the highest overall satisfaction score in customer feedback. Woodville Road in Boston took silver, and Tattershall secured the bronze position!

Pharmacy

Our pharmacies are marked on a range of criteria, including delivery of services such as flu jabs and blood pressure checks. Scoring 100%, Gold Pharmacy of the Year was Liquorpond in Boston. Also in Boston, Parkside took the silver spot, while Washingborough and Birchwood in Lincoln shared bronze.

Travel

Gold Travel Branch of the Year was Spalding, who maintained high standards despite being exceptionally busy. An incredible 99% of customers would recommend Spalding Travel to friends and family. In the silver spot was Retford, who also ensured exceptionally high levels of customer satisfaction.

Funeral

Our funeral teams continued to provide invaluable support to the bereaved. Gold Funeral Home of the Year went to South Lincolnshire Crematorium in Surfleet, who managed changes to the team and building works throughout the year. Silver Funeral Branch of the Year was Newark, who received some excellent feedback from the families they had supported, and took ownership of their memorial gardens.

Post Office

Gold Post Office of the Year went to The Riddings in Scunthorpe, as they delivered great customer service and hit all targets, including on charity collections, with an increase of 40%. Old Leake was awarded silver, with their support for local community groups during the year making them stand out from the crowd.

Colleagues of the Year

Individuals and teams are also selected as Helpful, Inspiring or Trustworthy Colleagues of the Year. These three characteristics are central to being a Lincolnshire Co-op colleague, and those that are selected for these awards are considered to set a shining example.

Helpful Colleague of the Year went to Glen Wilson, Pharmacist at Market Street in Gainsborough.

When a disabled patient rang the pharmacy to say their mobility scooter had broken and they would be unable to collect their medication, Glen didn’t hesitate to deliver them personally after he finished work.

The patient was deeply moved by this act of kindness, describing Glen as a really nice person who runs the pharmacy with skill and manages the team, who are also well connected with the local community, very well.

Trustworthy Colleagues of the Year went to colleagues at Long Sutton Food Store.

Four weeks before Christmas, the store suddenly found themselves without a manager. The team pulled together and continued to deliver a fabulous service, day in and day out.

They were there for their customers and each other; a notable example of teamwork and perseverance!

Inspiring Colleagues of the Year went to Matt Brown, Resourcing Manager at Support Centre in Lincoln, and Alison Merrison, Customer Service Assistant at Long Sutton Food Store.

Both were celebrated for bravely sharing personal stories on colleague channels in an attempt to break down barriers for fellow colleagues and signpost to the support available through the society.