Cambridgeshire group gets £500 boost to ensure vital work continues to help those in need

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 29/06/2020

A Peterborough good cause will spend a £500 grant from Central England Co-op to ensure it can continue its vital community work during the Coronavirus outbreak.

Members of Nene Valley Care Trust were delighted to receive the funding boost during these uncertain times, with a total of £31,000 handed out to 22 groups across 16 counties from the retailer’s Community Dividend Fund.

The money will now be spent to ensure that support that otherwise might have been postponed or cancelled can still go ahead and provide a vital boost to the local community.

It will use £500 to buy vital computer equipment to allow them to work remotely.

Chairman Priscilla Padle said: “This money will purchase a laptop which is much needed during this Coronavirus crisis.

“The Nene Valley Care Trust supports 25 vulnerable care leavers in Northamptonshire and Peterborough.

“They will now have access to the regular use of a PC, free internet and ongoing 1-2-1-support with employment options, improving CV’s as well as doing online training.

“This will remove the barriers the young people are faced with in their attempts to do this at the local job centre or library.”

Debbie Robinson, Central England Co-op Chief Executive, said: “Now more than ever being a co-operative business that sits at the heart of our communities is so important.

“We are delighted that these great projects and good causes have been handed a grant that will allow them to continue their fantastic work in the community at this uncertain time.

“Community Dividend Fund grants like this showcase how by being a member and shopping at your local Central England Co-op store allows us as a Society to continue to invest and fund vital projects in the area.”

Notes to editors

Picture caption: Central England Co-op’s Community Dividend Fund has shared out £31,000 to good causes to help ease the impact of the Coronavirus.

About Central England Co-operative

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK with interests in food, funeral, floral, travel and property investment.

Co-operatives have always been there for their communities; they were formed to protect them and help them flourish. 

Our 7,900 colleagues who serve Members and customers work hard to ensure that co-operative values, principles and spirit flow through everything we do to help support and improve our local communities.

Owned by hundreds of thousands of Members, we have over 430 trading outlets across 16 counties including West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

We are proud of our reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.

We invest a percentage of our trading profit into local communities through our Community Dividend Fund scheme, have donated over £1.3 million to our corporate charity partner Dementia UK and also operate a pioneering food redistribution partnership with FareShare Midlands so unsold food goes to those in need.

Visit www.centralengland.coop for more information or follow us on Facebook or Twitter using @mycoopfood

Press office contacts: Rob Smyth and James Brindle

Phone - 01543 421390

Email - publicrelations@centralengland.coop