Vital community centre in Mansfield handed funding boost from Central England Co-op
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 16/01/2020
A community centre based in one of the most deprived areas of the country has been handed a vital funding boost thanks to Central England Co-op.
South Mansfield Community Association will use £1,670 to help reinvigorate the vital community building that plays a major role in trying to support local people.
In the last 12 months the centre has hosted a range of groups and events including kickboxing, dog training and various activities for children.
The centre has up to 1,200 visitors a month and this funding will help secure its long-term future and support its mission of helping those currently living in an estate ranked as the 256th most deprived in the country.
Mike Stevens, Chair of Management Committee, said: “We, as a Community Centre Management Committee, are extremely thrilled at the news of our successful application to Central England Co-operative for the award of £1,670.00 which will complete our refurbishment of the passageway in our community centre after spending £3,600 on new flooring/redecorating it.
“The last part of this are the doors which were, in the past, severely damaged during break-in’s in at our centre and had to be patched up with ply board.
“This might be only cosmetic surgery to some, but to those of us that use the centre we will see the difference, and for any new user groups they will see that we care for both the security and appearance of our centre.”
The centre shared in the payout, with a total of over £44,000 handed out to 25 good causes across 16 counties from the retailer’s Community Dividend Fund.
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 South Mansfield Community Association 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 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