More Than a Store: How Chelmsford Star Co-op is investing in the heart of Essex.

27th June 2025

As Chelmsford Star Co-op celebrates nearly 160 years in the community, we reflect on this most recognised of retailers and its unshakeable charitable spirit.

The Co-op logo is a familiar and welcome sight in many Essex towns and villages. More than just places to pick up essentials, the shops are the cornerstone of communities across the county. Nowhere is this more evident than in the work of the Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society.

With roots stretching back 158 years, Chelmsford Star is not just a local branch of a national institution, it is a community-owned business that still operates on the values it was founded upon, honesty, openness, solidarity and caring for others.

These values came to the fore when the COVID pandemic struck in 2020. The Co-op’s response was swift, with a donation of £20,000 to the independent charitable trust, Essex Community Foundation (ECF) to support their Essex Coronavirus Response and Recovery Fund.

But the crisis revealed a deeper need for ongoing, strategic support and in 2021 the Co-op formalised its giving by establishing a charitable fund with ECF.

The fund is an enduring commitment, an endowed source of support that will grow year by year, helping charities and voluntary groups working in areas where the Chelmsford Star has stores in mid and South Essex.

Alongside this, money raised by staff and shoppers, from in-store raffles to carrier bag donations, ensures immediate help reaches those who need it most.

The impact the Co-op makes in Essex is tangible. For every £1 spent in a Co-op store in the county, an estimated 30p is reinvested into the local economy.

However, their commitment doesn’t stop at the tills. Chelmsford Star Co-op has a long history of supporting local charities, including giving food and drinks to support community events, running its Community Card Scheme where points gained from spending in stores can be turned into cash and having a Charity of the Year.

Tony Price, President of Chelmsford Star Co-op, said: “We are owned by our members, the people using our shops and services, so we are the very definition of a community business. Our colleagues are all local people, we reinvest our profits back into local neighbourhoods and we are committed to supporting local charities and community groups.”

A Membership Commitee made up of independent members works with ECF to agree which charities and voluntary groups will benefit from support.

Pauline Dodd, Chair of the panel, said, “Working with ECF has helped us to have a greater understanding of issues that local charities are tackling in our communities. They share detailed assessments of applications they have received, and which might be eligible for support from the Co-op’s Fund. We review the requests, ensuring that a group’s work aligns with Co-op values and, together with ECF, we discuss which ones to support.

“We try to balance our giving in the areas where we have stores, supporting groups that are tackling a wide range of issues. We are also pleased to fund core costs of charities as we know that without this, many groups would cease to exist or would be unable to deliver their vital services.”

So far, the fund has given over £87,000 to around 40 organisations. The most recent recipient, Chelmsford Counselling Foundation, received nearly £4,000 to help expand its vital mental health services.

“We are incredibly grateful,” said Cathy Platt, one of the Foundation’s counsellors. “This grant will enable us to reach more people in need, offering them affordable, expert care to help them navigate life’s challenges.”

Chelmsford Star Co-op may be a place where you buy your bread and milk, but it’s also a place where community roots run deep and every purchase contributes to a greater purpose. In a world of faceless corporations, it’s refreshing to find a business that remembers what community truly means.

A Co-operative business is owned by and operated for the benefit of the people using it. It can sell any type of product or offer any type of service. These can include pubs, banks, schools and even football teams.

Charities and community groups that have received support from the Chelmsford Star Co-op Community Fund include:

Braintree Rethink was established in 2008 to support those living with mental illness.  Bringing people together, where they can focus on writing, drawing and painting, can help them refocus and manage their anxieties is a safe environment.  Funding of £700 is helping the group to keep operating and continue supporting those in need.

Hearing Help Essex received a grant of £2,000 helping them to deliver a pilot project that provides a safe environment for those living with hearing loss.  In this space they can meet, socialise and receive further support, helping to alleviate social isolation and loneliness that hearing loss can bring.

The Country Trust is a leading education charity connecting children from areas of economic disadvantage with the land. A grant of £1,000 has ensured they can deliver their Food Discovery Programme, where primary school aged children can learn about where food comes from and how it is made, along with practical outdoor education which includes a farm visit and hands-on experience.

Rayleigh Vineyard (Growbaby) received £1,500 enabling them to support families experiencing financial hardship, providing them with essential items including, nappies, and milk, for their children.

SNAP (Special Needs and Parents) received £1,000 towards the costs of running holiday clubs for children with additional needs and disabilities in Brentwood, Basildon and other parts of Essex.

Support for Sight received £896 to expand the social and wellbeing activities on offer to individuals with sight loss or visual impairment at a base in Chelmsford.

Families in Focus received £1,500 to support a weekly activity club in Chelmsford for children with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) and their families.

History of Chelmsford Star Co-operative
In 1866, Thomas Chapman met with friends at the London Road Iron Works in Chelmsford, where he was then employed, to discuss ways of improving the lives of their families.

Life was hard in this time, with severe economic issues affecting the whole country. Cost of goods and produce was at an all-time high, leaving families struggling to survive and feed their children.
Fed up with inflated prices and some businesses extorting prices even higher, a group of Chelmsford workers, including Thomas Chapman, decided to open their own ‘honest and reliable’ shop where prices would be lower and accessible for all.

A year later, ‘The Chelmsford Star Industrial Society’ was officially launched and started trading.

You can watch a short video about the history of the Co-op here.