Six groups in Derbyshire handed early Christmas gift after sharing over £10,000 in funding
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 03/10/2017
Six charities, groups and projects in Derbyshire have unwrapped an early Christmas present after sharing nearly £10,000 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 £9,864, with a total of £51,000 handed out to 30 good causes across 16 counties.
The Padley Group, in Derby, has been handed £5,000 to buy a suite of iPads to help homeless and disabled people in a variety of ways.
Jane Sandall, development centre manager, said: “You cannot imagine what a difference it will make to the classroom environment and I am so excited about the imaginative work that can now be created by some of our learners that struggle to use some regular art mediums.
“The Co-operative Community Dividend Fund will support our Padley Development Centre learners with assisted technology in the arts and crafts workshops and bring them into the 21st Century with the purchase of new iPads. By using the iPads in a regular classroom setting, our learners can use them in a safe and comfortable environment.
“The iPads will give confidence to our learners with dyslexia by using voice activated software and spellcheckers. For our learners who struggle with speech, a voice synthesiser will allow them to join in and by accessing a wide range of apps, the learners can really show their natural flare for art and design.”
Cruse Bereavement, in Vernon Street, Derby, will use £3,000 to help launch a scheme that will provide support for children and young people who have lost a loved one.
Dee Coulthurst, from Cruse, said: “The grant will greatly enhance our Cruse Children and Young Peoples Service as it will enable us to purchase much needed resources such as books, memory boxes and craft materials.
“These resources will help us to work creatively with our bereaved young people to give them vehicles to express themselves so that we can help them even more on their grief journey.”
A total of £1,000 will be used by New Whittington Social Institute, in Chesterfield, to pay for a lifesaving defibrillator.
This comes after Central England Co-operative installed hundreds of the devices across its food stores and funeral homes as part of a major project made possible thanks to money generated by the 5p carrier bag levy.
Derwent Valley Donkey Sanctuary, in Cromford, were handed £114 to help rescued and abandoned donkeys, Adverse Camber Productions, in Cromford, will use £150 for a new gazebo to help enhance its productions, and budding footballers from Wirksworth Colts will play in a brand new kit thanks to a £600 donation.
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/
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: People from six groups in Derbyshire celebrate 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 gross sales of £927 million in 2016/17. The Society’s principal areas of activity are 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 2017.
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