Groups across Yorkshire handed nearly £1,600 in funding by Central England Co-operative

Posted by nathan lloyd | Published: 22/09/2016


COMMUNITY groups across Yorkshire are being urged to follow in the footsteps of dozens of organisations across the county who have shared thousands of pounds in funding.

Central England Co-operative is issuing a plea to clubs, charities and schools across the county to apply to its Community Dividend Fund as, in the past year alone, two good causes in the area have shared £1,600 between them.

Grants of between £100 and £5,000 are handed out every three months to a wide range of applicants – more than £55,000 was handed out to 35 good causes in the last payout.

Members who head into selected stores across the county can now enjoy an exclusive offer with 5% off Co-op own brand products for a limited time and help support good causes across Derbyshire as part of the Community Dividend Fund.

The selected stores involved in the special offer include:
• Lane Head Road, Shepley
• Station Road, Shepley

Growing Works from Shepley received a cheque for £500 to purchase craft items and software which will directly benefit people from the local community.

Paul Burnett, from Growing Works, said: “The money was used to buy craft equipment to aid behavior management for children with special needs.”

Shepley Village Association has been handed £1,100 to pay for six oak benches that are used for community sports spectators, family activities and picnics.

Martyn Cheatle, Chief Executive of Central England Co-operative, said: “The Community Dividend reflects a key principle of our society, in that we reward the loyalty of our customers by investing in and supporting local communities.

“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.

People can apply for funding by heading online and visiting https://communities.centralengland.coop/ or heading in store to pick up an application form.

Notes to editors

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 2015/16.
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 http://www.centralengland.coop follo,w 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