Seven Derbyshire groups handed an early Christmas present of nearly £11,000
Posted by nathan lloyd | Published: 31/10/2016
Seven groups in the Derbyshire have unwrapped an early Christmas present after sharing nearly £11,000 in the latest payout from Central England Co-operative’s Community Dividend Fund.
A wide range of projects from across the area shared the festive funding boost of £10,910, with a total of £42,555 handed out to 26 good causes across 16 counties.
Stand Road Bowls Club, in Chesterfield, was handed the highest award with £3,500 to pay for a new shelter.
Members of the crown green bowls club will now be able to shelter from the rain as a result of the grant.
Maureen Kayser, from Stand Road Bowls Club, said: “This grant will mean we can put up a shelter on our ground to shield us from our English weather. Presently we have no shelters and it is bleak when you have to watch and try to score with an umbrella balanced over you and the score cards. “Therefore it will make a huge difference to our ground and the watching of the sport.”
Codnor Bowls Club has also been handed a Community Dividend Fund grant of £2,600 which will go towards new fencing and refurbishment of its pavilion and bowls hut.
Members will not be the only ones to benefit from the funding as youngsters from nearby schools also use the facility during term-time.
Chris Emmas-Williams, from Codnor Bowls Club, said: “This will considerably help not just the school but the whole of our community.”
Sandiacre Memorial Institute has been given £1,350 to pay for planters and compost to help boost flower and vegetable beds that pre-school children in the area help to maintain.
Annette Noskwith, a trustee at the memorial institute, said: “We are very grateful for the grant from the Central England Co-operative Community Dividend Fund which will enable us to purchase two planters - in one of which the children in the pre-school play group can plant flower seeds and the other for vegetables.”
A total of £1,250 has been awarded to Breedon Play and Learn Pre-School.
The vital funds will be used to pay for new high-visibility jackets for youngsters for when they go out and about exploring in the local community.
A wild flower garden area will be created with a £1,000 grant handed to Holme Hall Unite, in Chesterfield.
Tony Hedley, from the group, said: “This grant will make a huge difference to us and enable us to complete our projects on time.”
The organisation helps to improve the lives of people in the area and believes the garden area will help to put an end to isolation and loneliness.
A new notice board will be put in place by Friends of Normanton Park, in Derby, with the help of a £660 funding grant.
The Belper District 50+ Forum has been awarded £550 for a new projector and screen to aid descriptive talks within the community.
Representatives from the groups met up at Central England Co-operative Food Store, in Burton Road, Littleover, to receive their cheques.
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: “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 visiting https://communities.centralengland.coop/ or heading in store to pick up an application form.
Potential applicants have to have been a Central England Co-operative member for six months, the project should be in the trading area of a Central England Co-operative store and all applications will need a referee.
Notes to editors
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 projected gross sales of £958million for 2016/17. The Society recently celebrated being named Leading Co-operative of the Year 2016 by Co-operatives UK. The Society’s principal areas of activity are food, funeral services, and property. Central England Co-operative has more than 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. The Society has an ambitious food store development programme for 2015/16.
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 Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.
For more information visit http://www.centralengland.coop follo,w Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative
Rob Smyth / Jo Baldock at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140
Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop