Specially created film showcases book-loving pupils in Burton following £2k grant from Central England Co-op
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 31/10/2017
Bookworms at a Burton primary school have had their heads buried in brand new books thanks to a £2,000 funding boost from Central England Co-operative’s Community Dividend Fund.
Teachers at Rykneld Primary School, in Main Street, Branston, sought out funding in a bid to stock the shelves of their expanded library following a major upgrade compared to the previous library facilities.
This, however, resulted in the stock of books, particularly non-fiction, being low and the funding application was made in a bid to ensure children have the widest selection possible to help with their studies.
The funding was also used to pay for an expanded range of dual language books as the school has an increasing number of pupils with English as an additional language.
Now a specially created film showcases how the grant was spent and the difference it has made to youngsters at the school – in their very own words.
Fabien, 8, said: “The library is good for our education and is really good for when you want to get stuck into a book.”
Venetia Sharratt, literacy co-ordinator at the school, said: “In 2015, we were really lucky and had our school expanded.
“One of the areas we benefited was with our new library - before children only had access to books that were wheeled in on a trolley.
“However, following the completion of the new library, we soon found we had a real shortage in our non-fiction area, but then the manager of the Branston Food Store got in touch to tell us about the Community Dividend Fund. We then decided we would apply for some funding.
“The children absolutely love it and they are thrilled to bits. It helps them with their homework, with their learning and it has also allowed the passion for learning that our children have to shine through.
“The Community Dividend Fund showcases really good community links and people working together and that Central England Co-operative is a trustworthy business that wants to make links with the local area.
“I would urge anyone to apply for the Community Dividend Fund as it is straight forward and it has a real positive impact for everyone involved.”
See youngsters from Rykneld Primary School talk about their favourite books and how the Community Dividend Fund helped support their library by watching the specially created film at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT4Unu19xL8&list=PLmSr_w9hjI92wA8qoYQ3Z907GRuGHaynb&index=5&t=2s
In the past six months alone, over £109,000 has been shared between 60 good causes, charities and community groups. Since being launched in 2007, the fund has handed out over £2 million to hundreds of different groups.
Grants of up to £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/
Notes to editors
Picture caption: Youngsters from Rykneld Primary School enjoy some reading time thanks to a grant from the Central England Co-operative Community Dividend Fund.
Embed code: Please use the code below to embed the video on your website –
<iframe width="560" height="315" src=https://www.youtube.com/embed/fT4Unu19xL8 frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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