Six projects in Derbyshire share £9,000 thanks to Central England Co-op community fund
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 15/10/2018
Six projects in Derbyshire are celebrating after sharing over £9,000 in the latest payout from Central England Co-operative’s Community Dividend Fund.
A wide range of groups, organisations and charities were handed grants, with a total of £42,000 handed out to 36 good causes across 16 counties.
Charity Rethink, which helps people with mental health issues, will use £1,050 to buy much needed computer equipment to help those that they work with.
Hannah Williams, Service Manager at Rethink, said: “This will help all of our service users to be able to access advice and guidance online, be able to bid on houses for people who are ready to move on and sort out benefit issues from our communal space.
“This is a massive help as presently people either have to walk into town to a public library to access a computer - and for people who have mental health conditions which include agoraphobia and anxiety, this is potentially an overwhelming experience.
“People are now able to access support online from the safe space we have at Beechwood Court with their support worker.
“It’s close to their home, it breaks down many barriers and is exciting because this has been requested by service users themselves and we have been able to deliver this with the help of Central England Co-op.”
Loundsley Green Church, in Chesterfield, has been handed £2,000 to pay for new kitchen equipment to help boost community organisations with a range of projects.
Ambergate and District Playgroup, based in Belper, will use £2,920 to install a brand new kitchen to help children learning about the importance of nutrition and healthy eating.
Street Safe Derby, an organisation that feeds the homeless across the city, has been handed £2,000 to pay for a range of items including sleeping bags, clothing and other essential items.
Rayma Hughes, of Street Safe Derby, said: “The funds we have been awarded are going to be an incredibly great help for us to provide the essentials needed for the homeless.
“Our funds will be spent on items such as sleeping bags, food and toiletries, hot drinks flasks and food containers as we are always in desperate need of these to ensure we can help the homeless at night.
“The funds will mean the most to the homeless as this is giving us a better opportunity to care for them, especially during the cold and dark winter nights where many of the homeless are feeling lonely and rather isolated.”
Spondon Parent and Toddler Group will spend its £500 grant to pay for new toys and equipment.
Youngsters at Oakwood Junior School, in Alvaston, who enjoy rugby will soon be sporting a brand new kit thanks to a £650 grant.
Ashbourne Blenheim Drive Food Store Manager Ben Wingfield 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 being a member and continuing to support Central England Co-op helps us as a Society continue to invest and fund vital projects in the local area.”
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/
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 Derbyshire 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