Crewe Nub News aims to support our community, promoting shops, businesses, charities, clubs and sports groups.

We will be profiling some of these businesses and organisations regularly in a feature called 'Up Close in Crewe.

Ben, who is the Member Pioneer for Wistaston and Shavington, has been working for Co-op for the last 18 months.

He has a track record of community work in the Crewe area, is a passionate advocate of the benefits to be had from cycling, while he was recently elected as a councillor onto Crewe Town Council.

Co-op Member Pioneers work to improve the wellbeing of their communities and help establish local support networks.

Last year Ben set up foodbank points for Crewe's St. Paul's Pantry at Co-op's Wistaston and Shavington stores.

He says there has been a great response to donations at both stores, although he says he does take to social media from time to time to remind customers of the most suitable food stuffs to donate – long-life products, he says, are pretty much essential.

"Tins of meat and vegetables and sugar are very popular, and we are always in need of them," said Ben, who transports donations to the foodbank at Hightown in a trailer behind his trusty bike.

Keen cyclist Ben is going electric to boost foodbank donations while spreading the benefits of Co-op membership. He is about to get a helping hand with those heavy loads after Raleigh generously offered him the opportunity to borrow an electric cargo bike.

"That shows that people outside Crewe are thinking of sustainable transport which fits in with the ideals of the Co-op," said Ben.

"I'm looking forward to trialling the bike on my journeys this summer."

Meanwhile, Ben also lent his support to Shavington Festival, which took place on July 10, and is one of the Co-op's Local Causes he partners with.

He manned a stall using donations from a bookstore he has set up at the Shavington Co-op store in Rope Lane.

And it wasn't just books that Ben was trading, but Co-op membership.

"We were explaining our membership as not enough people realise the benefits of being a Co-op Member. We got the message across that people could choose which Local Causes they wish to support," he said.

You can contact Ben at [email protected].

Remember, if you've got any ideas on how Co-op could help your community, or want to know what Co-op is doing near you then contact the Co-op Member Pioneer Co-ordinator for your area, who will then put you in touch with your local Member Pioneer. You can also find Ben on Facebook here.