Four community groups from across Norfolk and Suffolk share £9,300 following funding boost

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 09/01/2019


Four projects in Norfolk and Suffolk are celebrating after sharing £9,300 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.

Halesworth Kuk Sool Won martial arts will use £5,000 to pay for a new roof for its dojo. The site is 25 years old and it is hoped that the work will ensure it continues to serve its more than 1,000 members for a further two and a half decades.

Kevin Clouting, Chairman of Halesworth Kuk Sool Won committee, said: “The generosity of Central England Co-op has quite literally stunned and humbled us all.

“The donation is quite frankly breathtaking in its generosity and will allow us to carry out some major and much needed renovations.”

Members of Lowestoft Shopmobility now have a new £2,000 scooter to help get around town thanks to a grant.

Margaret Oldham, Chairman of Lowestoft Shopmobility, said: “The scheme was formed 22 years ago to improve the quality of life for anyone with mobility impairments.

“Some of the older mobility scooters which we hire out can no longer be repaired, so we were delighted to hear that a grant from the Central England Co-op Community Dividend Fund will enable us to buy a new, large pavement scooter, which will be used by our members to do their shopping independently."

The 1st Earsham Scout Group will soon have a new access ramp for disabled youngsters to use its facilities thanks to a £1,500 grant.

Wells Community Hospital Trust will spend over £800 on a vital hearing loop system that will play a part in turning an unused office space into a community room for a wide range of groups.

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 Norfolk and Suffolk 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