Ursula Lidbetter

What makes co-ops different is that we’re owned by our members; in Lincolnshire Co-op’s case more than 228,000 local people.

We share our profits with our members whether that’s through dividend, new stores and improved services or, by supporting community groups and good causes in their communities.

2013 is a year I’ll always remember because we finally cracked something we’d been working on for years – directly connecting our members to those good causes.

Our Community Champions scheme launched in March. Through the dividend card, it links every member to a community group or charity near to where they live.

Every time they shop with us, a donation goes to that group. Members can find out who they’re supporting through a message on their till receipt or through a display in store, which also shows how much has been raised for the current group.

What I love is that Community Champions empowers our members. They can make a difference to groups that are doing good work right on their doorstep.

If a member has one cause particularly close to their heart, there’s even an option to support one group all year round.

So far, we’ve shared £148,000 between around 400 different groups and we’ve had great feedback.

From youngsters in Crowland who’ve got new games for their youth club to the members of Navenby Friendship Club who are enjoying a spot of indoor curling with the equipment they’ve been able to purchase, it’s having an impact.

Next time you’re in one of our outlets, have a look at your receipt or the display and see who your Community Champion is. And if you’re from a good cause or charity, go to our website and find out how your group could benefit.

On the commercial side of our business, I’ve been pleased to see growth with the opening of lots of new services including food stores, pharmacies and travel agencies. We’ve also invested in some of the ‘behind the scenes’ infrastructure – such as our food distribution centre and our own bakery Gadsby’s,

Our biggest challenges included cuts to income received from Government in pharmacy and post offices and the continuing difficult economic climate.

Consumers are being ever more careful with their money and cutting back on spending – it means that as a business you have to offer value, competitive offers and great customer service to ensure they support you. The efforts of my 2,800 colleagues have allowed us to do that and we recorded another strong result.

Follow all the columns from the Reflections 2013 series

We’ll all remember 2012 for various reasons, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics to name just a few. But at Lincolnshire Co-operative one of the most memorable aspects of 2012 has been its designation as the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives.

Across the globe, people have been celebrating what makes co-ops different.

In Lincolnshire, we decided to raise money for two co-operative themed charities. So far we’ve collected more than £80,000 with more coming in every day.

One charity is Pascal, a co-op of local Age UKs. The money we raise will go towards providing services like befriending for older people in Lincolnshire.

The other is Plan UK, an international children’s charity. Our money will be going towards helping young people in Rwanda set up their own co-operative businesses.

I and a group of Lincolnshire Co-op colleagues have recently returned from Rwanda where we met the people who our money will help. It was an inspirational and unforgettable experience for us all.

We met a co-op of women who create and sell handicrafts, a group of young people who make clothes, members of a bee-keeping co-op and, maybe the most moving and thought provoking, a group of women who are turning their back on prostitution to try and build a new life for themselves, by raising goats and growing crops.

The money we in Lincolnshire raised on sponsored walks, cycles and dressing up days will fund the practical help for these co-operatives that every new business needs.

But more than this, I hope that our visit to these co-ops lets them know that our society, so far away, stands united with them in their collective endeavour for a better tomorrow.

That’s what we’re all about at Lincolnshire Co-op and I think this year has proved it more than ever. 2012 has been difficult for all retailers, but what makes me proud to work for Lincolnshire Co-op is that even in this climate, it’s not just about the bottom line.

We’re still supporting our local communities. We’re still giving out grants and donations, investing in new stores and giving local producers an outlet.

We’ll be continuing that work in 2013.

We plan to open new outlets, including foodstores in Haxey and Crowle. We’re always looking for new local producers and we’ll be adding more products to our ‘Love Local’ range during the year.

In March, we’ll be introducing a new way of giving money to deserving local causes – watch this space!

And we’ll also be hoping to raise thousands for our new charity of the year, When You Wish Upon a Star, which aims to make dreams come true for children in our area with life-threatening illnesses.

Just as my colleagues made the effort to raise funds for Pascal and Plan UK, I know they’ll get behind this very worthy cause.

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— Ursula Lidbetter is the Chief Executive of Lincolnshire Co-operative and the Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership