Three groups in Suffolk handed an early Christmas present in the shape of £4,000

Posted by nathan lloyd | Published: 31/10/2016


Three groups in Suffolk have unwrapped an early Christmas present after sharing over £4,000 in the latest payout from Central England Co-operative’s Community Dividend Fund.

Projects from across the area shared the festive funding boost of £4,920, with a total of £42,000 handed out to 26 good causes across 16 counties.

Edgar Sewter Primary School, based in Halesworth, were handed £2,900 to pay for a brand new classroom computer.

The funding was applied for by the school in a bid to ensure that youngsters had the latest technology at their fingerprints.

The New Reach Working Group will spend £1,320 on a new metal punt.

The group of volunteers will use the device to continue their work to restore and maintain a section of an historic waterway.

Gerald Burns, from New Reach Working Group, said: “The Central England Co-operative Community Dividend Fund award means that we can now buy a work punt to help our volunteers restore the waterway as a community recreational amenity.”

Bungay Toddler Group were handed £700 to pay for equipment and books to encourage children’s imagination and learning.

Ruth Sparshott, from Bungay Toddler Group, said: “We are thrilled to have been awarded this funding as it will help breathe new life into our group. The toddler group has been running for 40 years and is largely self-funded. Many of our toys and equipment are looking dated and tired; this award will allow us to replace and update what we have to offer the children, particularly the mats and equipment for the babies. The award will support us to keep the group running and continue to provide a safe, fun and stimulating environment for another generation of children in our 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.

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/ or heading in store to pick up an application form.

Potential applicants have to have been a Central England Co-operative member for six months, the project should be in the trading area of a Central England Co-operative store and all applications will need a referee.

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