Five community groups from across the West Midlands share £6,000 following funding boost
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 09/01/2019
Five projects across the West Midlands are celebrating after sharing £6,060 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 £40,000 handed out to 26 good causes across 16 counties.
A total of £2,750 will be used by The Job Marston Centre, in Hall Green, to buy six new laptops and other equipment that will support a project that aims to provide people with all the skills and support they need to find a job – from setting up an email account to writing a CV.
Andrea Parker, Community Co-ordinator for the centre, said: “When the Job Marston Centre won this grant it was the best present of all.
“We are excited that in 2019 we will be able to offer more lonely people a warm welcome and a safe space - hopeful that we can boost the confidence of the long-term unemployed.
“We are determined to expand our work to benefit those who need it most.”
Voluntary managed preschool St Peters Little Fishes, based in Stonnall, has recently moved to new premises and will use £1,170 to pay for everything from bean bags to toys to ensure youngsters have all they need while there.
Sikh Nari Manch, based at the Northside Welcome Centre, has been granted £1,000 for new computers to help 100 disadvantaged locals gain access to technology for the very first time.
West Midlands Kurdish Community Centre will have a brand new PA system and projector to support community events thanks to a £640 grant.
Himaya Haven works with the black, Asian and minority ethnic communities to support families of loved ones in custody and prison.
A £500 grant will pay for new technology that will allow the group to deliver workshops and activities to help people involved deal with the anxieties of arrest, sentencing, imprisonment and release.
Central England Co-operative Chief Executive Martyn Cheatle said: “We are delighted that these great projects and good causes have been handed a grant for the fantastic 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 groups in the West Midlands 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, travel shops, 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 at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140
Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop