Groups across Derbyshire handed nearly £21,000 in funding by Central England Co-operative
Posted by nathan lloyd | Published: 22/09/2016
COMMUNITY groups across Derbyshire 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, seven good causes in the area have shared £21,000 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 Staffordshire as part of the Community Dividend Fund.
The selected stores involved in the special offer include:
• Blenheim Drive, Allestree
• Kedleston Road, Derby
• Civic Centre, Dronfield
• Mansfield Road, Hasland
• Littlemoor, Newbold
• Smalley Drive, Oakwood
• Strutt Street, Belper
• Derby Road, Ripley
Matlock 10th (Wirksworth) Scout Group were handed £5,000 to upgrade the main hall at the Scout hut, add a new stores area, a secure room, and a leaders’ office thanks to the Community Dividend Fund.
Andrew Fretter, from Matlock 10th (Wirksworth) Scout Group, said: “We would like to thank Central England Co-operative for these indispensable funds.”
The Salvation Army in Derby received £4,200 to install a new kitchen in a bid to provide a luncheon fellowship group for the local community, benefiting lonely and homeless people.
Sight Support Derbyshire has used the £4,500 it was awarded to upgrade computer equipment and help more people across the county.
Martin Wilson, from Sight Support Derbyshire, said: “The money has been used to allow us to better meet the needs of blind and partially sighted people in our area.”
Ripley and Alfreton Tennis Club was handed £500 to pay for new equipment such as soft balls and rackets to help coaching in the community.
Belper–based Massive Youth Project, which provides drop-in facilities for young people in and around the Duffield and Belper areas, was handed £750 towards new equipment and furniture to ensure that is can continue to hold sessions.
2nd Belper (St Peter’s) Guides were handed £1,000 for camping equipment and Ripley Guides and Brownies were handed £5,000 by the fund new windows for the group’s headquarters.
Carol Evans, from Ripley Guides and Brownies, said: “It’s heartening that projects such as ours can receive direct support from Central England Co-operative’s Community Dividend Fund.”
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