Four groups in Birmingham handed early Christmas gift after sharing over £8,000 in funding
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 03/10/2017
Four charities, groups and projects in Birmingham have unwrapped an early Christmas present after sharing over £8,000 in the latest payout from Central England Co-operative’s Community Dividend Fund.
A wide range of projects from across the area shared the festive funding boost of £8,000, with a total of £51,000 handed out to 30 good causes across 16 counties.
The Jaffray Care Society, in Erdington, offers residential and nursing care to adults with learning disabilities. They have been handed £2,500 as part of a bid to build a special sensory garden.
Tracey Dunkley, from the society, said: “Lime Court Nursing Home is situated in a quiet residential area in lovely gardens.
“The money from the Community Dividend Fund will be used to build a sensory garden in the grounds. It is planned for it to be an area which is accessible to all of the residents at Lime Court all year round, regardless of developmental, sensory or physical disability.
“We plan to have shaded areas, a water feature and with the use of colour, scent and texture from plants, create a sensory environment which can be both stimulating and calming to our residents.”
The Orchard School, in Oldbury, will also use a £2,000 grant for the revamp of its sensory garden.
Cerebral Palsy Midlands has been handed £2,500 to help pay for vital equipment that will allow a community day centre in Harborne to care for people who use the service.
Sarah Lilly, development officer, said: “The care facilities were in need of being updated and we are very grateful to the Central England Co-op Community Dividend Fund for helping fund essential equipment for our manual handling that will really benefit those who utilise our services and facilities daily.”
A total of £1,000 will be used by Lisieux Trust, in Erdington, to pay for new equipment, which will be used to support gadget workshops for disabled people.
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/
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 four groups in Birmingham celebrate 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 gross sales of £927 million in 2016/17. The Society’s principal areas of activity are 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 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 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