Every year since 2008, Coventry Building Society has made a donation to The Royal British Legion based on how much members have saved in their Poppy accounts. Each year, a new Poppy saving product is released that benefits the charity.
When staff at Coventry Building Society saw how these donations made a difference, they wanted to contribute more. That’s why they made us their Corporate Charity in 2012.
When staff at Coventry Building Society saw how these donations made a difference, they wanted to contribute more. That’s why they made us their Corporate Charity in 2012.
In 2018, to mark the end of the First World War Centenary, the Society joined the Legion’s Thank You movement, marking the First World War Centenary by saying Thank You to all who served, sacrificed and changed our world.
1,223 soldiers from Coventry left home between 1914 and 1918 and never returned. The employees of the Society said thank you to those from Coventry who fell in the First World War in a number of ways; writing personal messages of thanks and planting poppy seeds to each of the 1,223 fallen soldiers from Coventry, cycling the 262 miles from the Menin Gate Memorial in Belgium to the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, and planting a magnificent red oak tree at the National Memorial Arboretum.
The building society also took over Coventry railway station by displaying the names of 1,223 Coventry soldiers who lost their lives in the First World War.
The building society also supports us through fundraising events and by volunteering around 2,400 of staff time at our care homes, Fields of Remembrance, supermarket collections, the National Memorial Arboretum and City Poppy Days.
The building society also supports us through fundraising events and by volunteering around 2,400 of staff time at our care homes, Fields of Remembrance, supermarket collections, the National Memorial Arboretum and City Poppy Days.
Andy Deeks, Product, Marketing and Strategy Director for Coventry Building Society, said: “Railway stations are places of departure and homecoming, but sadly many of our local soldiers never made it home. We’re very proud of our Coventry heritage and our partnership with the Legion, and we wanted to remember and say Thank You to those who left to fight in the First World War and never returned”.
“We’ve done this on a personal level with colleagues writing messages of thanks to each of Coventry’s fallen soldiers. All of our branches and many individual volunteers are selling poppies, and more will plant commemorative poppies at the National Memorial Arboretum. This is the tenth year of our partnership with The Royal British Legion and overall we’ve donated over £16 million to support the fantastic work they do across the UK”.
“Through the support of the Society, we can serve and represent the Armed Forces community”
“Through the support of the Society, we can serve and represent the Armed Forces community”
Ben France, Head of Corporate at The Royal British Legion, said: “2018 was a momentous year for our partnership with Coventry Building Society, as together we celebrated an incredible decade of support for the Legion and marked the end of the First World War centenary. Joining our national Thank You movement, the Society tapped into its heritage and identity by commemorating Coventry’s sacrifices during the war.
"Through a variety of highly emotive Remembrance activities and events, the Society reached out to its staff and the local community alike, resulting in a huge number of people joining with us to say Thank You to the First World War generation.
"Through the continued support of the Society, we are able to serve and represent the Armed Forces community, both past and present.”
