Twenty-five community groups and charities handed share of £44,000 funding boost thank to Central England Co-op

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 16/01/2020


Twenty-five projects are celebrating after sharing £44,000 in the latest payout from Central England Co-operative’s Community Dividend Fund.

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.

Grants were handed out to good causes in Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Bedfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and the West Midlands.

Among the grants awarded were:

  • Wells-next-the-Sea Men’s Shed has been awarded £2,000 to pay for a selection of tools that will allow the people that use the group to cut down on isolation and loneliness to take on more community projects.
  • In the West Midlands, A total of £2,700 will be used by St Laurence Church Infant School, based in Northfield, to pay for new books and furniture for its library.
  • A total of £2,000 was awarded to West Norfolk Riding for the Disabled to buy a new workshop that will house equipment that allows youngsters the chance to enjoy horse riding or carriage driving.
  • In Leicestershire, St Joseph’s Catholic Voluntary Academy will use £5,000 to create seated areas across its play areas, new litter and recycling bins and some replacement play equipment.
  • Sight Support Derbyshire has been awarded £2,522 for vital new computer equipment to help children and adults affected by sight loss from across the area.

Central England Co-operative Chief Executive Debbie Robinson 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.”

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 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