Community groups in Brundall receives funds from Central England Co-operative

Posted by nathan lloyd | Published: 03/11/2016


Three groups in Brundall are celebrating after sharing £2,677 from Central England Co-operative’s Brundall Community Grants.

The Brundall food store has also supported Brundall Parish Council with food and drink for community events, Brundall Lions with a hamper for their charity race night and has recently partnered with the Norwich foodbank in a bid to tackle food poverty.

£580k was spent on the former car garage to create an impressive food store in the heart of Brundall community, which opened on Friday 26 August. The opening of the brand new food store also created 19 new jobs and fixtures and fittings include the latest in pioneering new energy efficient refrigeration technologies to minimise environmental impact and LED lighting.

Councillor Gill Buckley, Brundall Parish Council, commented: “When I heard that there was to be a new Central England Co-op in our village, I wondered if they would like to support the hard work of The Friends of Cremer's Meadow. Dean and the team at Brundall food store supported our opening event and went on to provide lunch for the hay making day.
“We have also been highly delighted that Central England Co-operative is supporting us further by providing the funding for a notice board, a bench and a bicycle rack for the site. We thought we would have to apply for grants for these items so it is wonderful that we now have certainty that we can provide them for villagers and visitors who come to have a peaceful time on Cremer's Meadow.”

Andy Terry, Chairman of 2nd Brundall Scout Group, commented: "Our Scout Group is so grateful to Central England Co-operative for their generosity in supplying the funds to enable us to purchase the much-needed tents.  In addition, we are going to be able to take advantage of Dean and his team's educational workshops for our Young People to learn about Fairtrade and nutrition.  We can't thank you enough."

Christine Wheeler, Brundall First Responders Group Co-ordinator, commented: “Community First Responders are volunteers trained by the Ambulance Service to attend the most serious life threatening emergencies in our local community. This grant from Central England Co-operative has enabled us to buy a new set of bags which will make it much easier and safer for us in carrying our equipment, and a pulse oximeter for measuring blood oxygen levels.”

Dean Blyth, Brundall Co-operative Store Manager, commented: “I am delighted to be presenting three local groups with grants to support their worthwhile causes.

“It is really important to have strong links with the local community and I am proud that in the last two months we have really made a difference in Brundall, with the Brundall Community Grants, supporting local events and I am hopeful this will continue for years to come.

“I look forward to hearing how the three local groups get on with their new facilities and working more closely with community groups in Brundall in the future.”

Central England Co-operative offers a wide range of educational and recreational workshops and classes for its members and communities. If you are interested in finding out more, please pop in to your local Central England Co-operative Brundall food store or email member.community@centralengland.coop

 

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 2016/17.

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 www.centralengland.coop, follow 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