Seven groups across Northamptonshire handed £18,230 funding boost thanks to Central England Co-op
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 03/04/2019
Special sensory bags, an eco-friendly garden and vital child safety software were among the items paid for as part of an £18,230 community grant in Northamptonshire thanks to Central England Co-operative.
Seven groups, organisations and charities shared the payout, with a total of £42,000 handed out to 24 good causes across 16 counties.
Action for Asperger’s, based in Corby, has been awarded £4,050 to pay for the creation of special bags filled with sensory toys as part of its work offering specialist autism counselling for all ages.
The toys are used to relieve heightened emotional states and are for people aged from five up to 100 years old.
Elaine Nicholson, from Action for Asperger’s, said: “The money will be used to purchase sensory SOS bags for our clients. These bags are holdalls that contain soothing sensory items such as fidget toys. These are specialist items that are used by stressed autistic individuals as a means to prevent escalation into often-dangerous fight and flight activity. Needless to say, they will aid the mental health of lives affected by the experience of autism enormously.”
A total of £2,500 has been handed to Desborough Men’s Shed Association to help support the community work undertaken by the group.
The innovative project supports people who are retired and unemployed by teaching them a range of skills at the same time as trying to preserve, protect and improve their health.
John Dale, from the project, said: “Being awarded £2,500 towards equipping our new facilities is a great help. The funding will go towards purchasing equipment which will provide a safer and cleaner workshop environment.”
A grant of £3,200 will be used to buy a range of items to support the project including an eco-toilet, wooden shed, disabled ramps, seats and various pieces of hardware.
Service Six, in Wellingborough, provides support for vulnerable and disadvantaged children, young people and adults during times of crisis.
A total of £2,950 has been awarded to the group for a specialist piece of software – Lamplight Spotlight – that will allow the organisation to easily and quickly manage cases involving users.
Fundraiser Brian Drury, from Service Six, said: “This wonderful donation will allow us to buy a new management system that will ensure our team spend less time on administration and more time helping local people.”
Desborough Library has been handed £2,080 to buy all the items needed to create a community cinema for people of all ages.
John Hodder, from the library, said: “One of our aims is to provide opportunities for the community that don’t exist at the moment and to ensure these endure for future generations. Establishing a community cinema in the library will contribute significantly to this.”
Accommodation Concern will use £1,950 to pay for a range of items from desks to chairs to help support its work with the homeless and those at risk.
Vine House, in Desborough, is a community day centre that aims to alleviate isolation in and around the area by offering bathing facilities, hot lunches and meals on wheels. They will use £1,500 to pay for a new dishwasher to support its busy kitchen.
Geddington Brickyard Garden works with the local community to create an eco-friendly space in the area that the entire community can use.
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 Paul Carvell 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 Northamptonshire 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