Thirty-six projects share £42,000 thanks to Central England Co-op community fund

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 15/10/2018


Thirty-six projects are celebrating after sharing £42,000 in the latest payout from Central England Co-operative’s Community Dividend Fund.

A wide range of groups, organisations and charities were handed grants, with a total of £42,000 handed out to 36 good causes across 16 counties.

Derby-based Charity Rethink, which helps people with mental health issues, will use £1,050 to buy much needed computer equipment to help those that they work with.

Hannah Williams, Service Manager at Rethink, said: “This will help all of our service users to be able to access advice and guidance online, be able to bid on houses for people who are ready to move on and sort out benefit issues from our communal space.”
Variety, the Children’s Charity, has linked up with Harrington Day Nursery near Tamworth to secure a grant of £5,000 to pay for a special interactive floor that will support youngsters with disabilities with their movement, speech and language.

Broxtowe Womens Project, which is a domestic abuse charity in Nottingham, has been handed £1,650 to pay for new laptops.

The new devices will allow the vital organisation to work in the community when helping women and children impacted by domestic abuse, thus increasing the amount of time that they can spend with them.

Sarah Dagley, Business and Fundraising Manager at Broxtowe Womens Project, said: “We are thrilled to receive the funding from the Community Dividend Fund.

“For small charities like Broxtowe Women’s Project this type of funding is invaluable and will enable us to support women and children affected by domestic abuse.”

Sunbeams, a charity launched to support children and families impacted by autism in Great Yarmouth, has been handed £2,500 to help complete an outdoor area for people to play and learn.

Sue Carr, Sunbeams deputy manager, said: “We would like to say a big thank you from the children and young people at Sunbeams Play, the staff and trustees.

“At Sunbeams we try to promote a healthy lifestyle including exercise; being able to replace the poor grass area in our garden with a safe durable artificial surface will enable us to provide a wide range of activities and encourage those attending the centre to take part on a regular basis.”

South Leicestershire Mobile Toy Library will be soon filled a wide range of new items thanks to a £1,000 grant.

Liz Keenan, from South Leicestershire Mobile Toy Library, said: “We are delighted that the Central England Co-op Community Dividend Fund has decided to support the work of the toy library.

“We support children with disabilities and additional needs by lending them toys that bring them enjoyment and help with their early years development.

“The money that we have been awarded will enable us to buy a fantastic selection of new sensory toys meaning that more children can benefit from our service.”

The fund has also supported football, rugby and cheerleading teams to help pay for kits for the new season.

Central England Co-operative Chief Executive Martyn Cheatle said: “We are delighted that these great projects and good causes have been handed a grant for the fantastic work they do in the community.

“Community Dividend Fund grants like this showcase how being a member and continuing to support Central England Co-op helps us as a Society continue to invest and fund vital projects in the local area.”

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.

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 groups celebrated 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 the Society’s principal areas of activity being food, funeral services, travel shops, 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 at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140

 

Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop