Six groups in Leicestershire share £9,000 funding boost thanks to Central England Co-operative
Posted by nathan lloyd | Published: 11/08/2016
Six groups and charities in Leicestershire are celebrating after sharing £9,274 in the latest payout from Central England Co-operative’s Community Dividend Fund.
A wide range of projects from across the country shared the money, with a total of £55,000 handed out to 35 good causes across 16 counties.
Friends of Westgate School, based in Glenfield Road, Leicester, scooped the highest award after receiving a donation of £2,790 for an interactive swing for pupils.
Budding football stars of tomorrow will soon be wowing the opposition ahead of the new season after Dunton and Broughton Rangers Juniors FC were handed £2,000 to pay for new kit.
Volunteers involved with Leicester Rape Crisis will use a grant of £1,900 to pay for a new stairs carpet at their headquarters in the city.
Lynda Yorke, Centre Manager at Leicester Rape Crisis, said: “Local businesses have been fantastic.
“We have had donations of goods and volunteer hours, but specialist skills had to be brought in and paid for and the funding from the Co-op allowed us to finish the job to a high professional standard.
“We now have smart, welcoming premises, and that is nothing less than the women who use our services deserve."
Friends of Evington scooped a cash boost of £1,000 to pay for seeds and containers as part of an ongoing environmental project.
Music lovers will soon be rejoicing after Leicestershire Co-op (Snibston) Band were given £964 to pay for a new concert bass drum to entertain the masses at concerts and shows across the county.
Leicester Mammas CIC, based in Cardinals Walk, Leicester, offers support, information and guidance to pregnant and new mothers.
The group has been handed £620 to help pay for a new series of training sessions for volunteers who help users in the community.
Representatives from the groups met up at Central England Co-operative Food Store, in Glenfield, to receive their cheques.
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