Central England Co-op donates £57,000 to boost 36 charities and projects
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 19/01/2018
Thirty-six charities and groups are celebrating after sharing over £57,000 in the latest payout from Central England Co-operative’s Community Dividend Fund.
A diverse range of projects picked from across 16 counties have been handed funding, with the largest single amount given being £5,000.
Over £4,500 has been handed to Fairshare East Midlands to pay for an industrial chiller and chiller boxes.
This payout will support a project that aims to provide over 2,000 youngsters living in poverty with food.
Simone Connolly, Fairshare Project Manager, said: “Increasing our capacity will allow us to reach more of these children who are vulnerable and hungry.”
A community café based at Beyond the Wall, a day service for people with disabilities in Eye, has been handed £2,110 to support the project.
Sharlene Budd, finance officer, said: “The community café will be a great benefit to our clients. It will give them the opportunity to work in the café, taking orders, serving food, handling money and social interaction with the community.”
Havelock Junior School, in Desborough, secured a grant of £2,000 to support a sensory garden for its pupils.
A total of £2,500 will be used by the Birmingham Youth Empowerment Project to musical instruments as part of one of its successful projects.
Over £2,500 has been awarded to the Hope Centre, in Derby, to pay for food, duvets and underwear to help support homeless people in the city.
Paul Brookhouse, Director of Community Development, said: “This grant will help us to provide essential food and household items to some of the most in need individuals or families within Derby.
“Without support like this, we would not be able to provide this service to those who most need it.”
Other groups to receive funding include schools, Scout groups, and football teams.
Grants of between £100 and £5,000 are handed out every three months to a wide range of applicants.
The fund guarantees that at least one per cent of the Society’s trading profit is reinvested in local communities in a bid to help projects to thrive across its trading area of 16 counties from the Midlands to the East Coast.
Martyn Cheatle, Chief Executive of Central England Co-operative, said: “The Community Dividend reflects a key principle of our society, in that we reward the loyalty of our customers by investing in and supporting local communities.
“I would like to urge all of our members to get in touch and put forward a community cause close to their heart for the Community Dividend scheme.”
People can apply for funding by heading online and visiting https://communities.centralengland.coop/
Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.
Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop
Notes to editors
Picture caption: Community Dividend Fund awardees celebrated being handed their grant from the Central England Co-operative Community Dividend Fund.
About Central England Co-operative
Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK.
It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with the Society’s principal areas of activity being food, funeral services, and property investment.
Central England Co-operative has over 400 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. The Society has an ambitious food store development programme for 2018.
Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility. It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence. The Society supports a number of charities including Dementia UK and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.
Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.
Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop
For more information visit www.centralengland.coop, follow Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative
Rob Smyth / Heather Clapton at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140
Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop