Funding on offer from Co-op for Caithness groups

CAITHNESS groups are being encouraged to apply for the Co-op's Local Community Fund.

Twenty-four good causes in the county have been supported by the Co-op over the past two years and it is targeting funding more specifically as the next application period opens.

Over the past year, the Co-op has been talking to its members and people across the UK to find out what matters most to them, and what could be improved in their community. This has resulted in a Community Wellbeing Index to help identify three key areas that make communities safer and stronger places to live and work.

The Co-op is looking to support organisations that make a difference in their local communities by protecting and improving community spaces, helping people reach their full potential by developing their skills, or promoting health and wellbeing.

Groups looking to deliver projects in these areas are urged to apply to be a beneficiary of the scheme which paid out an average of almost £5000 to 4000 causes across the UK last year.

Co-op members, who receive a five per cent reward for themselves with a further one per cent going to local causes when they buy own-brand products, have a say in how the money is allocated.

Rebecca Birkbeck, director of community and shared value at the Co-op, said: “Through working with communities across the UK to understand what matters most to their collective wellbeing, we’ve developed our Community Wellbeing Index. This, along with the views of more than 10,000 Co-op members, has led us to focus on three key areas that make the greatest difference to communities.”

Groups wishing more information about the next round of the Local Community Fund can find it here. Applications close on June 16.

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