Two Leicestershire groups handed an early Christmas present in the shape of £1,000
Posted by nathan lloyd | Published: 31/10/2016
Two groups in Leicestershire have unwrapped an early Christmas present after sharing over £1,000 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 £1,090, with a total of £42,555 handed out to 26 good causes across 16 counties.
A total of £590 has been awarded to Uppingham in Bloom to play for a garden store and tools.
The equipment will be used to manage upkeep of a community garden that has been transformed from what was a disused allotment plot.
Castle Donington Museum Trust will buy a lightbox and camera stand after being given £500 from the Community Dividend Fund.
The equipment will be used to help the volunteer run history museum to give full access of its archives to the public.
Pam Dalby, from Uppingham in Bloom, said: “The Community Dividend Fund is such an apt award for Uppingham in Bloom as the money will be used to improve our community garden.
“We have been trying to create a tranquil space for the whole community to use, and for allotment holders to share excess produce with local residents.
“The money will pay for a picket fence to give the garden a well-kept feel, and for a storage shed for tools and watering cans so that volunteers can drop by and help in the garden at any time.”
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