At Sandbach Nub News, we aim to support our community. We promote shops, businesses, charities, clubs and sports groups.

We will be profiling some of these businesses and organisations as well as the personalities who do their best to help others in a feature called 'Up Close in Sandbach'.

We caught up with Arnie Laing, the Co-op Member Pioneer for Sandbach. Arnie took up the role in September and has been using his extensive local network to benefit Local Causes and the wider Sandbach community.

Member Pioneers can be colleagues or Members of the community. They create local action plans that mean Co-op can provide support at a local level. They work very closely with the Local Community Fund recipients which are Local Causes that are supported by the local Co-op Members. They can be charities, local community groups or food banks.

Before retiring, Arnie had worked in financial services for 40 years. Since then, he has devoted his time to volunteering at a number of organisations, including as a regional ambassador for Marie Curie, a governor at a local school, chairman of Sandbach UCA and as a member of Dementia Friendly Sandbach.

Arnie said: "I generally found when I was leaving these roles, I had a bit more time on my hands, which was a pleasant change. My daughter's friend contacted me on Facebook and said 'you should have a look at this role' and three months later I accepted the position as the Sandbach Member Pioneer."

It's through his local network and experience that the grandfather-of-four aims to help the Local Causes connect with the wider community.

He is also bringing the Local Causes together in online meetings to allow them to share best practice with one another on issues such as fundraising.

"I'm quite excited because in my past I've been involved in a lot of fundraising and it can be quite a challenge. Whereas, with the Co-op, it seems to be very much upfront; this money is there, you're part of this movement and it's there to be used for the benefit of the community," Arnie said.

While unphased by the increased digital aspect of the Member Pioneer role, Arnie hopes in the future to be able to get out more in person, particularly to show off his array of costumes, including Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, to aid any fundraising efforts.

He added: "To be able to get out there and make these appearances is key to what I'm about."

To find out more about Co-op's Member Pioneers and how you can cooperate with them in your community, click here.

When Co-op Members buy own-brand products and services, 2p for every £1 spent goes to support local causes and community organisations. To find out more about Membership, click here.