Brighton community group share in £30K funding boost from Co-op’s Local Community Fund

The focus of Co-op’s Local Community Fund is on enabling communities to thrive, supporting local groups and causes to make a difference locally through their work to either: provide access to food; improve mental wellbeing; create opportunities for young people; promote community cohesion and, build more sustainable futures.

Celebration events took place in stores in recent weeks, and causes benefitting to support local projects, include: Carden Primary PTA (£1,610); Friends of Downs Infant School (FODIS) (£2,145); Art in Mind (£1,584); Saunders Park Edible Garden (£2,131); The Clock Tower Sanctuary (£2,247); The Community Kitchen Brighton/Sussex (£2,169); Women of Colour Brighton Group (£1,724); Wild Purpose (£1,876); Stoneham Bakehouse (£1,884); The Grace Eyre Foundation (£2,240); The Hangleton & Knoll Project (£2,789); Saltdean and Rottingdean Youth Club (£2,235); Living Vital (£1,601); Rudyard Kipling Primary School PTFA (£1,524) and, Woodingdean Food (CIC) (£2,242).

Co-op is committed to making a difference in the communities it serves, and its members have a say how the fund is shared between local causes, simply by choosing a community group close to their hearts via Co-op’s Membership App.

Nearly 40,000 unique projects have been supported in communities across the UK since the fund began in 2016.

David Luckin, Head of Social Value & Community Engagement, Co-op, said: “Local causes make a huge difference in communities across the UK. As a co-operative, our members have a say in where and how our profits are shared, and our funding enables local groups to deliver projects that focus on the needs of local communities and, the issues affecting people’s lives. We know that things are increasingly challenging for local causes, and we are told that our funding makes a real difference – we are focussed on helping people and communities thrive.”

Around 9.5m people (almost one in seven of the UK population) have benefitted directly from Co-op’s Local Community Fund since the fund started in 2016, with nearly 40,000 unique projects supported UK-wide during the period. The benefits to community groups also extend beyond the funding support, with more than nine-in-10 causes (94%) saying that they felt more connected with their community as a result of participating in Co-op’s Local Community Fund.

Co-op is one of the world’s largest consumer-owned co-operatives, with its history dating back more than 180 years.

The Co-op exists to create value for its membership and communities, and members can view current local causes and choose a community project close to their own heart via the Co-op membership app.