Coca-Cola European Partners champions unity through sport
Employees from Coca-Cola European Partners participate in third Unified Sports® tournament in Morpeth.
Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP), in partnership with Special Olympics Great Britain (SOGB), has once again brought together staff from its local manufacturing sites around Great Britain to participate in the business’ annual Unified Sports® tournament near its factory in Morpeth. The initiative is the third of its kind, and has continued to grow year on year following a successful launch in 2014.
Last week, participants from CCEP joined athletes with intellectual disabilities from local Special Olympics clubs to compete alongside each other in a range of sports including six-a-side football, badminton, boccia, carpet bowls and swimming.
Unified Sports®, an initiative of the Special Olympics charity, is inspired by the simple principle that training and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding. Dedicated to promoting social inclusion through shared sports competition experiences, Unified Sports® events bring participants with and without intellectual disabilities together to compete on the same team.
This year’s Unified Sports tournament saw 30 CCEP employees take part – a team of 10 from each site – alongside over 30 Special Olympics athletes. Gearoid Mitchell, National Volunteer Manager for Special Olympics GB, also joined the festivities, with members from Morpeth Lions Club on hand to help with event logistics and support with refereeing.
CCEP’s involvement with Unified Sports® came from within the very heart of the business, with the idea developed by one of its Morpeth based employees, David Hunt, a Warehouse and Facilities Manager. David has been an employee at CCEP’s Morpeth site since 2008, and is a prevalent member within the Morpeth community, known for his work on various local initiatives. His longstanding commitment to such projects was recently honoured through his selection as one of CCEP’s ‘local heroes’ in its Made Locally campaign across Great Britain, which celebrates the company’s heritage as a local business by focusing on the people behind the brand.
David Hunt, Warehouse and Facilities Manager at Coca-Cola European Partners, Morpeth, said: “Having grown up in the Morpeth area, being involved in local projects has always been really important to me. It was an absolute honour to host such a fantastic event here in Morpeth, and to bring together local communities from across GB through an initiative built upon teamwork, diversity and a mutual love of sport.”
Steve Adams, Director of Supply Chain Group Operations said: “Initiatives such as the Unified Sports tournament highlight the importance of ensuring diversity within the workplace, and we look forward to championing this message further through our ongoing partnership with Unified Sports and Special Olympics. We are truly proud to support the incredible work that Special Olympics does throughout the country and beyond.”
Karen Wallin, CEO of Special Olympics Great Britain added: “The relationship Special Olympics GB has with Coca-Cola European Partners is a very special one and this is one of its annual highlights. To see CCEP staff come together from around the country from its local manufacturing sites to participate in the annual Unified Sports tournament near its factory in Morpeth is an exceptional effort. Having seen its launch in 2014, we are now in its third annual event and we hope to see it for many years to come.”
