Three groups in Burton and South Derbyshire share £6,600 in 2019 thanks to the Central England Co-op Community Dividend Fund
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 26/12/2019
Three groups, good causes and charities across Burton and South Derbyshire shared £6,600 during 2019 thanks to a donation from Central England Co-op’s Community Dividend Fund.
A diverse range of projects were handed a funding boost during the past 12 months, with the largest single amount given being £5,000.
In total, 114 organisations spread out across 16 counties shared a funding pot of £177,885
Burton and District Mind, based in Branston Road, has been handed £2,600 to buy sofas, chairs and tables to revamp its group therapy room.
The room is used to provide group work sessions and relaxation classes for anyone in the area who is experiencing emotional distress or mental health difficulties.
The idea behind revamping the room is to make sure that visitors feel safe to talk about and share difficult and distressing issues.
Lynne Barrell, centre manager at Burton and District Mind, said: “We provide mental health support to anyone over 18 years of age (with no upper age limit) living in East Staffordshire.
“Our main base is in Burton and we operate six days per week and evenings through face-to-face counselling, telephone and email. In 2018 we supported over 3,300 individuals within our local community.
“Central England Co-operative has kindly helped us to replace some much needed upholstery in our counselling rooms.
“As our rooms are used for face to face counselling, it is important that our clients feel safe and comfortable to work through difficult and at times distressing issues.
“This grant will enable us to refurbish two of our many counselling rooms to a really comfortable standard.”
Visitors to Willington Nature Reserve will soon be able to take in everything from ducks to dragonflies all year round after the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust was awarded £2,000 to pay for a brand new log cabin. The building will be used as an all-weather visitor information centre.
Carol Phillips, senior grants and corporate officer at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, said: “Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is delighted to receive this wonderful donation from Central England Co-op.
“As a charity that gets no guaranteed income, every penny really does count for us. The money will enable us to provide an indoor education and community centre at our Willington reserve.
“This former gravel quarry in the Trent Valley is teeming with bird life all year round, from ducks in winter to sand martins and common terns in summer. Dragonflies and damselflies are plentiful here too.
“With lots of viewing platforms and a feeding station this reserve already attracts many members of the public – the funding will help us to ensure that many more people engage with nature and protect it for future generations.”
St Georges Knights Powerchair Football Club, based at Shobnall Leisure Centre, provides sessions for people with physical disabilities to participate in sport.
The group currently has two powerchairs and will use a grant of £2,000 towards buying two more.
The club hopes the new equipment will allow them to start new training sessions and therefore recruit new members and provide them with them opportunity to play the sport on a more regular basis.
Everyone from schools and churches to support groups and volunteer organisations benefited from the fund that 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 from the Midlands to the East Coast.
Grants of between £100 and £5,000 are handed out every three months to a wide range of applicants.
Debbie Robinson, Chief Executive of Central England Co-operative, said: “We have handed out £177,885 to projects in our communities in 2019 – with £6,600 of that being right here in Burton and South Derbyshire.
“The Community Dividend Fund reflects a key principle of our society, in that we reward the loyalty of our customers by investing in and supporting local communities.
“The scheme helps to benefit a wide variety of projects, which will make the local area that we serve a better place for our members to live, work and visit.
“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 Fund scheme during the coming 12 months.”
People can apply for funding by visiting https://communities.centralengland.coop/
Notes to editors
Picture caption: Groups from across Burton and South Derbyshire celebrate being awarded grants from Central England Co-op’s Community Dividend Fund in 2019.
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 2019.
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 member 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 and James Brindle at Central England Co-operative on 01543 421390
Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop