Eight groups across the West Midlands handed £14,200 funding boost thanks to Central England Co-op
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 03/04/2019
Equipment for youth clubs, a training tower for future scaffolders and even a yurt were among the items paid for as part of a £14,200 community grant in the West Midlands thanks to Central England Co-operative.
Eight groups, organisations and charities shared the payout, with a total of £42,000 handed out to 24 good causes across 16 counties.
Women, girls and disadvantaged groups will now be able to learn to train and work safely after not for profit social enterprise OLDP Community Interest were handed £2,800 to buy a scaffold tower.
Barbara Quarless, from the project, said: “The funding will help make a change in the lives of women and girls at grassroots level in some of the most disadvantaged areas of Birmingham.
“It will help us to offer support, training and equipment to women to start a career in the built environment where they are significantly underrepresented in the workforce.”
Highbury Orchard is a community interest organisation in Moseley that runs programmes helping people to reconnect with nature through gardening, conservation activities and forest school type activities.
They have been awarded £2,500 to buy a brand new yurt that will be used to support a wide range of projects.
Efforts to spruce up the playground at Chase Terrace Primary School, in Burntwood, have been handed a £1,000 funding boost to pay for new equipment.
Kay Turner, from the school, said: “We are currently undertaking a project to rejuvenate our playground for our pupils.
“At the moment it is in need of an update. As it is a fundamental part of daily school life, we feel that our pupils would benefit from a purposeful playground with exciting activities and areas to choose from that will engage and inspire their imagination and help promote healthy lifestyles.”
Birmingham People’s Centre will use £2,000 to buy two new computers and a photocopier to supports its work to offer free employment rights and advice.
Trevor Allsopp, In-House Employment Solicitor at Birmingham People’s Centre, said: “The support from Central England Coop will allow us to ensure that our interview room is fully equipped, so we can provide an even better service to our clients.”
Three youth clubs at Elim Life Church have shared £750 to pay for new equipment to support up to 110 children in the Kingstanding area.
Oasis Academy Foundry has been awarded £2,000 to pay for computers and equipment to help people at risk in an area of high social deprivation.
Youngsters who visit Brocton Pre-School Playgroup, in Stafford, will now be able to be more physically active and enjoy healthy lifestyles after being awarded £1,700 to pay for outdoor activity equipment.
Open Trail, based in Kidderminster, will use £1,450 to pay for a new trailer to support a range of different projects.
Hannah Escott, from Open Trail, said: “This is a massive leap forward for us, enabling us greater flexibility to coach a wider range of cycling and Forest School activities to more places in our region.”
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.
People can apply for funding by visiting https://communities.centralengland.coop/
Central England Co-operative Store Manager Dennis Brown said: “We are delighted that these great projects and good causes have been handed a grant for the fantastic work they do in the community.
“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.”
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: Members of groups in the West Midlands 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, travel shops, 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 at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140
Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop