Central England Co-op donates £3,600 to boost seven charity and community projects in Derbyshire

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 23/04/2018


Seven projects in Derbyshire are celebrating after sharing over £3,600 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 £45,000 handed out to 40 good causes across 16 counties.

Youngsters in Belper will soon be able to enjoy a range of activities on two wheels following a grant of nearly £1,000.

The money will be used by Kilburn Junior School to pay for new bikes and helmets to support a series of afterschool and weekend events based around cycling and outdoor pursuits.

All of the activities will also encourage parents to attend to bring people together and to build stronger relationships.

A charity launched to help people manage their finances and make informed decisions has been given a £500 grant.

Release Financial Charity, based in South Normanton, offers training and education in personal finance matters.

It will use the donation to pay for new equipment such as mobile phones and laptops to support its Budget Buddies volunteer scheme, which will help people aged 16 to 65.

A group designed to promote disability awareness – Accessible Belper - is set to use a £400 grant to pay for portable ramps that can be loaned out across the area to help people in need and improve the experience for disabled people and their families who live or visit Belper.
Derbyshire Refugee Solidarity will use £500 to talk about the work it does to support refugees in the city as part of Peace Week in Derby later this year.

Alvaston Baptist Scouts now has six new tents for exciting camping trips thanks to a £900 grant.

Carlyle Infant and Nursery School will use £657 to pay for a heated case for its new lifesaving defibrillator.

The grant comes on the back of a major project by Central England Co-op which has seen over 300 of the lifesaving devices installed outside food stores and funeral homes across 16 counties thanks to funds raised from the 5p carrier bag levy.

A total of £570 will be used by RSPCA Chesterfield and North Derbyshire to pay for equipment to allow volunteers to deliver educational workshops.

Branch manager Rachel Gray said: “We're delighted to have been awarded the Community Dividend Fund grant from Central England Co-operative to allow us buy projection equipment to deliver presentations.”

Horsley Woodhouse store manager Paul Robinson said: “We are delighted that these great projects and good causes have been handed a grant for the great 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 these groups across 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, 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 / Heather Clapton at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140

 

Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop