Generous shoppers provide a welcome boost to the Rochdale community

Co-operative members in the Rochdale area have helped two groups continue their good work in the community.

Norden Youth Club has been awarded £500 to buy new equipment including table football and a snooker table, and Home-Start Rochdale has received £1,600 to start a new support group for the siblings of children with autism and behavioural difficulties.

The groups received the cash from The Co-operative’s Community Fund, a pot of money accumulated by member customers opting to donate all or part of their annual dividend to good causes in the area. The money is distributed by The Co-operative’s local area committees.

Hazel Remeika, The Co-operative’s Membership Manager for the North West, said: “Supporting local communities has been an inherent part of The Co-operative’s values and principles since the very beginning of the Co-operative Movement.

“We are particularly proud of the Community Fund, as it demonstrates how the generosity of our members can make a real difference in their local area, and now we have stores and branches in every postal area of the UK it makes it all the more relevant.”

Co-operative members receive a payment twice a year based on the points they earn when they trade at any of the Group’s businesses, including The Co-operative Food, Travel, Pharmacy and Funeralcare, as well as The Co-operative Bank, Smile and The Co-operative Insurance.

Community Fund application forms are available online at www.co-operative.coop/communityfund or by phoning 0844 262 4001.

Awards are allocated by local Co-operative members’ committees, based on a set of values and principles such as social responsibility and caring for others.