Two groups in Nottingham share over £2,000 thanks to Central England Co-operative

Posted by nathan lloyd | Published: 10/04/2017


Two projects in Nottingham are celebrating after sharing over £2,000 in the latest payout from Central England Co-operative’s Community Dividend Fund.

Arena Petanque Club and Lowdham Village Hall were both handed grants, with a total of £52,000 handed out to 26 good causes across 16 counties.

Arena Petanque Club has been handed £1,750 to pay for a new toilet with disabled access.

This will allow the club, which is based around a game similar to bowls, to try and attract new members.

June Ricketts, from the club, said: “Our membership ranges from 15 to 89 with some members having varying degrees of learning and physical disabilities. 

“The disabled ramp and decking that will be funded from the grant will provide access to our clubhouse facilities and ensure we provide sporting and social activities with no boundaries to age or ability. 

“Similarly, the disabled access portable toilet will benefit all members especially at times when the main building facilities are closed.

“On behalf of the club members, we sincerely thank Central England Co-operative for the generosity in awarding us the Community Dividend Fund grant.”

Lowdham Village Hall will use £750 to pay for new energy efficient lighting in the toilets location within in the venue.

This comes on the back of a project that saw Central England Co-operative install LED lighting across several of its stores as part of an ongoing effort to help the environment.

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.

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

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 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 Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children 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 http://www.centralengland.coop follo,w Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative

Rob Smyth – PR officer - Central England Co-operative - 01543 414140
Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop