Good causes in Yorkshire urged to apply for up to £5k in community cash from the Co-op
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 23/04/2018
Community groups, charities and good causes in Yorkshire are being urged to apply for grants of up to £5,000 from a special community fund.
Central England Co-operative’s Community Dividend Fund is appealing for members to apply after the Society continues to grow in the area following record investment in 2017.
Last year, sites in New Mill, Thongsbridge, Wooldale and Halifax Road, Birchencliffe were given a major overhaul as part of a near £1.5 million project.
This was coupled with the opening of a new store in High Street, Dodworth, and plans for a new site in Keresforth Hill Road, Barnsley, later this year.
The Society also has Food Stores and Petrol Filling Stations in Shepley and Sheffield.
Members of all of these can now apply for a grant of between £100 and £5,000 to support their area in a wide variety of ways.
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.”
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.
In the past 12 months, the fund has helped change the lives of seven groups and charities in Yorkshire by donating over £14,000.
All Saints Catholic College, based in Huddersfield, was awarded £2,000 to pay for a range of new library books designed to help people who struggle with dyslexia and dual languages.
Susan Kaye, school librarian, said: “This grant has made such a big difference to our students.”
West Yorkshire Scouts have received £2,000 to pay for new canoes as part of a bid to allow more youngsters in the area to learn.
Family support charity Home-Start Kirkless has used £2,000 for a variety of items including duvets, curtains, bedding and children’s clothing.
People can apply for funding by visiting www.centralengland.coop/community
Potential applicants have to have been a Central England Co-operative member for six months, the project should be in the trading area of a Central England Co-operative store and all applications will need a referee.
Notes to editors
Picture caption: Groups from across Yorkshire have benefitted from Central England Co-op’s Community Dividend Fund during the past 12 months.
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