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Co-op gives £5400 boost to good causes in Caithness





Rebecca Birkbeck says the Co-op supports causes that 'help to make communities safer, happier and healthier places'.
Rebecca Birkbeck says the Co-op supports causes that 'help to make communities safer, happier and healthier places'.

The Co-op has given a funding boost to good causes in Caithness through its Local Community Fund – money that has been raised by Co-op members and through the sale of carrier bags.

In total £5400 has been shared by six local groups – Caithness Ladies' Football Club, Tanya Horne Dancers, Castletown Primary School, No Limits Caithness, John O'Groats Mill and the Healing Hub oxygen therapy centre in Wick.

Co-op members receive a five per cent reward every time they buy own-brand goods and services, with a further one per cent going to local causes. Since the scheme began in 2016 more than 21,000 causes across the UK have received over £60 million.

Co-op members can choose to support a particular cause at www.coop.co.uk/local-causes

Rebecca Birkbeck, director of community and shared value at the Co-op, said: “The local community fund is now a well-established way of supporting local causes that help to make communities safer, happier and healthier places to live.

“All the local community causes we’re connected to are at the centre of helping their communities. We’ve increased the payout to give the causes a vital cash injection to help them continue the essential work they do in the community at this time of crisis and difficulty for so many people.”

The Co-op is also urging its members to help alleviate the impact of the lockdown by donating their personal unspent existing five per cent reward to a new Co-op members' fund set up to support foodbanks, funeral hardship and community causes.

The Co-op Members’ Coronavirus Fund has been established so that the Co-op’s 4.6 million members across the UK can donate their unspent rewards, that total over £30 million, into these areas. The Co-op’s CEO Steve Murrells kicked-started the fund by donating 20 per cent of his salary over a three-month period.

The five percent reward members receive is held in an online wallet which can be redeemed on future purchases. By visiting the Co-op’s website members will be able to donate the existing money in their wallet to the fund.

Mr Murrells said: “One per cent of what our members spend already goes to local causes and now, if they wish, they can donate their five per cent personal rewards to help lessen the impact the emergency is having on millions of our communities.

“I know that many of our members want to support others at this very difficult time and our new fund makes it as simple as possible for them to contribute in their own way. The collective effort of our members could have a massive impact for thousands of lives in the weeks and months ahead.

“The Co-op has been supporting the communities in which it operates for 175 years and we will be still be here when this crisis is over.”


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