Volunteer lifesavers in the West Midlands handed funding boost

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


Two projects in the West Midlands are celebrating after sharing over £4,000 in the latest payout from Central England Co-operative’s Community Dividend Fund.

MROC 4x4 Response, in Solihull, and Action 4 Bullying, in Erdington, were both handed grants, with a total of £52,000 handed out to 26 good causes across 16 counties.

A total of £1,755 has been handed to MROC 4x4 Response to pay for a new radio system for the group who work with the local authority and emergency services during civil emergencies such as severe weather or catastrophic incidents or evacuations.

The group provides 24-hour, 365 days a year on-call service and the new radios will allow volunteers to communicate more easily if they are ever needed to support in an emergency.

John Kesterton, MROC 4x4 Response Group Coordinator, said: “It is such wonderful news that we have been awarded a Community Dividend Fund grant.

“It will be put to very good use by purchasing extra two way radio equipment for our volunteers. 

“The radios will bring professional communications to the group to aid safety for the volunteers, efficiency to the groups working practices and a faster more capable response to any call for help from members of local communities we are assisting.” 

Action 4 Bullying has been handed £2,315 for new equipment ranging from pool tables to sports equipment.

The registered charity supports young people aged 11 to 19 who are experiencing bullying. It offers a safe and environment where they can take part in activities such as dance, drama, sports and arts and crafts.

John Fisher, from the project, said: “Action 4 Bullying offers essential support to young people affected by bullying and we are now working with more young people than ever.

“We are delighted by the news of this funding that will enable us to replace the equipment that we sadly had stolen last year and purchase some new items that will mean we can do many more activities with the young people we support.

“It is grants like this that have enabled our charity to grow and develop into a project that is seen as a vital support network to many young people who have been
affected by bullying.”

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