As a co-operative, we've always supported our local communities. By working together, we aim to make life better for everyone. We’ve supported the work of these local groups and charities because we believe that they share this vision and can help people in our communities to thrive.

Since the launch of the Fund in April 2020 we've awarded 250 grants, supporting more than 146,450 people in our local communities. 

Below are the local good causes we've supported through the Fund so far and the great projects and services they're helping to deliver.

Cambridgeshire

• Cambridge Junction, who will work with a local school offering filmmaking workshops for young people who experience difficulty in mainstream schools. 
• Hourglass - Safer Ageing, funding across Suffolk, Essex and Cambridge will allow them to deliver their frontline service provision supporting older people who have suffered abuse.
• Newmarket Pony Academy, will offer enrichment activities for children with SEND and Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs (SEMH). Offering them access to equestrian trips that will enhance their knowledge of career prospects in this field. 

Essex

• Braintree District Mencap CIO, who will run weekly cooking classes for adults with a learning disability.
• Bridgeway Mission, who will use their grant to run its community hub for refugees and asylum seekers in Colchester, which looks to address the issue of loneliness and isolation.
• Colchester Bike Kitchen CIC, this project will support economically deprived people in Colchester, by offering residents access to tools and expertise needed to repair and keep their bikes safe, thereby ensuring people have a free way to access employment. 
• Colchester Samaritans, to help develop the organisation's outreach support working with partners across North Essex. 
• Daws Hall Trust, to provide sponsored places for schools to visit the site and take part in environmental education sessions. 
• Hearing Help Essex, will launch an in-person social support group for those who are deaf and hard of hearing in the Chelmsford area.
• Hourglass, funding across Suffolk, Essex and Cambridge will allow them to deliver their frontline service provision supporting older people, who have suffered abuse. 
• Re-engage, to help to recruit volunteers to continue to offer their free-to-access services for older people which include Monthly Tea Parties and Call Companions. 
• The Autumn Centre, this grant will enable them to continue their two weekly lunch clubs, which includes free transport to the venue for elderly and infirm residents in and around Arlesford and Brightlingsea.
• The Third Space Youth, to set up a 'pop up' youth club in Braintree, offering young people a safe place in the community to mix with their peers. 

Norfolk

• Centre 81 Limited, who will support sports activities for adults with physical, sensory and learning disabilities. 
• Friend in Deed, will bring together young people and residents of care homes in Norwich, with the young people planning activities that will support the well-being of the residents, whilst learning about the support needed for people living with dementia. 
• Headway Norfolk and Waveney, this grant will fund a programme of community activities and local outings for people with brain injuries in Norfolk. 
• Love Dereham Ltd, this grant will support the Community Fridge and their 'Let's Chat' group.
• National Centre for Writing, who will deliver 20 sessions for individuals aged 60+, focusing on memoir writing, local heritage and storytelling. The sessions will reduce social isolation and improve mental wellbeing. 
• Shrublands Youth and Adult Centre Charitable Trust, this grant will fund the weekly 'Chit Chat and That' group in Gorleston. The group consists of crafting while chatting and having a hot drink and aims to reduce social isolation.  
• St. Edmunds Society, will create a careers hub which will be an inclusive and supportive environment. 
• Sunbeams Play, will set up an additional needs' nursery for 0–5-year-olds with disabilities or suspected conditions, including autism and learning difficulties. 

Suffolk

• Age U.K., Age UK Norwich will fund a dedicated advice service for elderly people in the Waveney area of Suffolk.
• BME Suffolk Support Group CIC, this grant will go towards expanding their income maximisation project.
• Great Barton Free Church Ltd, this funding will go towards the organisation's weekly toddler group (Freedom Tots).
• Hourglass - Safer Ageing, funding across Suffolk, Essex and Cambridge will allow them to deliver their frontline service provision supporting older people who have suffered abuse. 
• Inside Out Community, to help continue to deliver their Creative Workshops, working to reduce social isolation in and around Ipswich.
• Ipswich Sports Club for the Disabled, to allow them to employ a Community Connector, who will deliver the Connect for Health 'Social Prescribing' programme. 
• Limitless Futures CIC, will use the funding to subsidise places on their nature and creative alternative provision for children suffering with anxiety in a traditional education setting.  
• Memories are Golden, to help support people suffering from dementia and provide respite to their carers.  
• Rushmere St. Andrew Parish Hall, who will run a lunch club over the winter months, supporting isolated people. 
• Suffolk Mind, will offer subsidised counselling places for those who need support, but cannot afford it. 
• The Befriending Scheme, to help re-establish their weekly Mindful Monday's project for people who are marginalised by their mental health conditions. 
• The Seagull Lowestoft CIC, who will set up a new wellbeing support group for adults living with autism. 

Previous Community Cares Fund recipients in Cambridgeshire 

• Buckden Parish Council will use their grant to help reopen the 'Making Memories' group, providing social interaction and activities for older people. 
• Cambridge Cyrenians will use their £5,000 grant to help fund a Horticultural Therapist to lead their Allotments Community, working with local homeless people. 
• Cambridgeshire Deaf Association will use their funding to launch information hubs, providing knowledge and social exchange for 150 local people in the deaf community. 
• Pinpoint Cambridgeshire will use their grant of £5,000 to continue to provide support, information and signposting for parents and carers of children with special education needs and disabilities. 
• Safe Soulmates will use their grant of £2,319 to run monthly cooking sessions at The Lighthouse Centre in Ely to teach local people with learning difficulties to cook healthy, nutritious food. 

Previous Community Care Fund recipients in Essex

• Age Concern, Colchester & North East Essex have been awarded £5,000 towards re‐establishing pop‐up dementia cafes across Colchester and Tendring to aid the mental heath and wellbeing of carers.
• Ark Family Resource Centre are creating a sensory garden for children and families in Harwich.
• Braintree Rethink Art & Social Group have received £5,000 to support their weekly are group with supplies and trips out.
• Bread and Roses Barge CIC will be delivering wellbeing sessions and providing a safe space for vulnerable women on their Thames Sailing Barge May.
• Bridgeway Mission are providing food, friendship and guidance to newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers in Colchester.
• British Gymnastics Foundation are using the grant of £5,000 to expand their Love to Move across Essex training, mentoring and support, particularly aimed at older people. 
• CARA (Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse) are using the £5,000 grant to support the development of the CARA Service-User Forum. 
• Castle Hedingham Parish Council are using our grant of £5,000 to create an accessible village garden for all residents to enjoy. There’ll be quiet spaces as well as vegetable beds to grow produce for sharing with the wider community. 
• Citizen's Advice Bureau Tendring will be upgrading their IT equipment so they can help even more people in need of financial or personal support. 
• Clothing Clinic Textile Collective CIC are going to encouraging more people to discover the wellbeing benefits of sewing and textile art.
• Colchester Gateway Clubs have received funding for new IT equipment. 
• Colchester Kings RFC, the first LGBTQ+ rugby team in East Anglia, will be offering opportunities for anyone, regardless of sexuality, age, size or ability, to enjoy the benefits of team sport.  
• Colchester Toy Library have been granted £2,981.50 towards their service, which provides high quality toys and stay and play sessions for all children, including specialist support sessions for those with special educational needs.  
• We awarded £5,000 to Colchester & Tendring Youth Enquiry Service towards the development of counselling services for young people in Colchester whose mental health has been affected by the pandemic.
• Cruse Bereavement Support have been awarded £5,000 to support the recruitment and training of Bereavement Volunteers to support children and young people, as well as adults. 
• The Dance Network Association CIC in Colchester have been awarded £5,000 towards the creation of dance classes and a social programme for older adults, people living with Dementia and Parkinson's and their families.
• Earls Colne Parish Council will use their grant to enhance the technology available at the Village Hall to support the many groups that use the space.
• Earls Colne Recreation Ground have been awarded £2,600 for refurbishing their sports and recreational facilities so that everyone can enjoy affordable activities. 
• Emmanuel Church will be using their grant to maintain and develop regular free of charge activities.
• Empire Theatre Trust CIO will be using their grant of £2,000 to offer free afternoon film sessions for those living with dementia, illness or similar personal circumstances in Braintree and Colchester.  
• Essex Carers Network CIC have been awarded £2,600 towards a pilot scheme which will provide arts and craft activities for families caring for those with learning disabilities in Tendring.  
• Ferriers Barn in Essex were awarded £4,000 towards the adaptation of facilities to ensure activity can continue for adults with learning difficulties.
• Firstsite in Colchester are using our grant of £2,500 to help run a holiday club providing food and activities for families facing challenging circumstances. Every day there’ll be a fun physical and creative activity for the children, alongside a hot nutritious meal. 
• Friends of Terling School have been awarded £2,250 to support the creation of a new breakfast club for the children. They’ll be able to enjoy a range of activities alongside a healthy breakfast so they’re ready to start the learning day. 
• Harwich Festival of the Arts Trust’s grant of £4,340 will help with the creation of a new arts café for the whole community at the Harwich Arts and Heritage Centre.  
• Headway Essex are using our grant of £3,000 to run social groups for adults with acquired brain injury living in north-east Essex, helping them to develop new networks and friendships. 
• Home-Start Colchester, Jaywick and Clacton will be using their award of £2,981.50 to create a new service called Time 4YOU, a space where parents and young people can openly share their story, describe their feelings and, together with professional support, create plans to make helpful changes.  
• Home-Start Harwich have been awarded £3,000 to set up a pilot parent and baby support group in Harwich and the surrounding villages. 
• Inclusion Ventures Ltd will be using their grant of £4,500 to create a new community garden in Jaywick. Residents of all ages will be able to grow and share fresh, healthy food to share with the community. 
• InterAct will be using their grant of £5,000 to help establish a new Together Club in Colchester, supporting young people and adults. 
• Lawford C of E Primary School PTA have been given £1,500 to replace their old raised beds to support the children’s learning experience. All the children will have the opportunity to learn about growing, caring for and eating good, healthy food. 
• Little Lifts will be using their grants to provide a Little Lifts Box to 45 breast cancer patients being treated with chemotherapy. 
• Little Yeldham, Tilbury-Juxta-Clare and Ovington Parish Council are making their pathways accessible, so that everyone can enjoy the benefits of being outside.
• Mistley Kids Club will be using their grant of £2,000 to expand childcare and respite for families of children who have special and additional needs in north-east Essex. 
• Opera Brava will be using their grant of £4,000 to continue their work bringing opera to local schools.
• Proud of Mersea are using their grant of £2,000 to purchase litter picking equipment and increased signage. 
• Silver End Youth Club will be providing engaging activities at their new weekly youth club.
• St Helena Hospice will be offering Creative Art Workshops for people within the local community who have a loved one facing end of life, or who have experienced a bereavement.
• Stambourne Congregational Church will be offering befriending and community services for the most vulnerable in their community.
• Stepping Stones Play and Learn Group will be using their £5,000 grant to fund a key worker to support children with complex additional needs. 
• Tendring Families First will be using their £5,000 grant to provide Counselling and Creative Therapeutic support for children presenting with emerging mental health difficulties. 
• The Mindful Life Group CIC will be using their grant to deliver an online mindfulness for later life group for older adults in Tendring.
• Theatre Témoin will be providing workshops to help young people navigate the challenges of social media.
• Toppesfield Community Village Shop will use their grant of £2,000 to create a new café for their rural community. They are aiming to provide fresh local produce and stock eco-friendly goods.  
• The Victor Batte Lay Foundation in Colchester were awarded £5,000 towards the creation of arts activities within a new community hub in the town centre. Working with Community 360 they are planning an exciting creative programme of activities appealing to all ages and backgrounds.
• Wivenhoe Bumps and Babies have been awarded £725 towards restarting their sessions which offer support, guidance and friendship for new parents and families. 

Previous Community Cares Fund recipients in Norfolk

• ArtatWork CIC will be developing a new, free creative wellbeing club for adults in Mile Cross.
• Brave Futures will be using their grant to trial a support group for young girls aged 13 to 18 who have experienced sexual abuse. 
• Break Charity will be using their £5,000 grant to support their Wellbeing Project, which is part of their Stepping Forward programme for care experienced young people.
• Build Charity covering Norwich and the surrounding area have been awarded £3,784 to reinstate their activities including dance, circuit‐training, swimming, walkabouts that encourage and promote healthy lifestyles benefitting the long‐term mental and physical health for people with disabilities and complex needs.
• Caring Friends for Cancer Mid Norfolk will be using their £3,000 grant to deliver additional coffee and support mornings in Marrishall and Reepham for those living with or supporting those with cancer.  
• Caring Together Charity will be using their grant of £4,940 to deliver workshops for young carers who are part of the Norfolk Young Carers Forum. 
• Chapter15 in Thetford will be using their award of £2,787 for the creation of shower and laundry facilities for people who are homeless. 
• Creative Support for Vulnerable Families and Children in Norfolk have been given £2,000 to provide art therapy sessions with vulnerable families and children in North Norfolk. 
• Cromer Community Association will use their funding to establish a financial support hub at Cromer Community Centre.
• DIAL Great Yarmouth will use their grant to support at least 200 people to overcome barriers caused by rising debt, low incomes, and poor access to benefits. 
• We awarded ENYP in Norwich £3,000 to provide families and vulnerable groups with food through their Picnic Project.
• £3,342 was awarded to Gatehouse Caring in East Anglia to deliver an online Mindfulness for Later Life course for Norfolk residents over the age of 65.
• Get Me Out The Four Walls will be making new connections in their communities, so even more people can be supported through life's challenges.
• Harling Parish Council will be using their grant of £1,000 to develop and expand the Community Garden. 
• During lockdown Miniature Donkeys for Wellbeing organised virtual visits. They have been awarded £2,059 to support the expansion of the service.  
• Morley Village & Sports Hall will be purchasing new, accessible equipment for their community climbing wall, so those living with a disability can enjoy the fun of climbing too. 
• Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre Norfolk will be supported in covering the rising energy costs for their centre, supporting people living with the complications of MS.   
• Nelson's Journey based in Norfolk have been awarded £3,648 to support the work of their Child Bereavement Support work.
• New‐U Enterprises provide support for unemployed young people and have been awarded £3,500 to run workshops to improve confidence, self‐esteem and develop employability skills.
• Norfolk & Norwich SEND Association (NANSA) are using their grant to provide opportunities to socialise through their free Link-up programme for adults with learning disabilities.
• Norwich City Community Sports Foundation will use their grant of £3,900 to fund their 'Run for Me' programme, which supports young adults to increase their mental and physical wellbeing through the power of sport. 
• Norfolk Community Law Service are using their grant of £5,000 to recruit a mobile legal adviser which will allow them to expand their Free Legal Advice Service in and around Dereham, Swaffham and Watton . 
• Norwich Men's Shed are going to be getting out and about with their 'Shedders', encouraging anyone and everyone to get involved in the joy of creating through outreach events and open days.
• NR5 Community Hub in Norwich have been given £1,980 to support the huge range of activities they provide for local residents, including weekly play and stay, homework clubs and holiday meals. By bringing people back together, they are rebuilding resilience and social connections. 
• NR5 Project - Future Projects will be using their funding to run a fortnightly radio segment and podcast on their community radio station, Active Spotlight. 
• Off the Record Counselling Service (Norfolk) have been given £2,500 towards providing affordable counselling sessions for vulnerable people.  
• Ormiston Families will be using their grant to fund Storybook Dads. Prisoners at HMP Norwich Prison can apply to read a book to their children, which are recorded and sent to their family. 
• Parenting Apart Centre East CIC are providing specialist contact support sessions in Great Yarmouth and Norwich.
• The Healing Harbour will use their grant to fund a new project; What Matters to You?, supporting people with deteriorating health. 
• Top Banana who support people in the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston area have been awarded £5,000 to provide a series of free family cooking sessions during school holidays.
• Wellspring Family Centre in Dereham were awarded £5,000 to support the running costs of the Well‐come project helping people recovering from mental illness.
• Willow Tree Garden will be offering a new programme of cooking, art, music and exercise classes for young adults living with disabilities.

Previous Community Cares Fund recipients in Suffolk

• Abbeycroft Leisure are developing their 'Family Park Cooking Project', which gives families in receipt of Free School Meals the opportunity to enjoy time spent together in the great outdoors.
• We awarded £4,953 to Access Community Trust in Lowestoft who are looking to produce 6 videos and hold 6 livestreaming sessions to inform, support and educate disadvantaged local people identified through the Pink Orange food poverty project.
• ActivLives have been awarded £2,980 towards a new 12-week chair-based exercise programme in Ipswich, Woodbridge and the Shotley Peninsula. The sessions will help to improve fitness and will also provide information on how to reduce falls at home.ActivLives have also received a further £4,950 towards the set-up of their 'Grow Well, Eat Well' project. 
• AFC Cedars will be using their grant to fund the pitch and changing room fees for players, to enable them to free up funding to provide food and nourishiment after each game to encourage the men to sit and speak and feel supported.
• Beccles Lido will be using their grant for their 'Forget-Me-Nots' group, a social club for those living with dementia and their carers.  
• Brave Futures will be using their grant to run a support group for young girls and women who've experience sexual abuse. 
• Breast Friends will be using their grant of £1,700 to purchase garden furniture to create a calm and quiet reflective space.  
• British Gymnastics Foundation will use their £5,000 grant to expand their Love to Move sessions across Suffolk, particularly aimed at older adults. 
• Citizen's Advice East Suffolk  and Citizen's Advice West Suffolk will be using their grants to expand their work supporting clients to make them financially resilient members of the community.
• Cohere Arts CIC will be using their grant of £5,000 to offer drama workshops for visually impaired adults. 
• Communities Together (formerly BSEVC) have been awarded £2,000 towards their Later Life Community service which offers and activities to improve wellbeing, reduce loneliness and social isolation amongst older people.
• Christian Youth Ministries has been awarded £4,191 to support students and teaching staff at Chantry Academy in Ipswich.
• Debenham Village Hall & Playing Field Trust will use their grant to support their Golden Years Games Club, a bi-weekly games club for older people at risk of isolation.
• Disability Advice Service (East Suffolk) have been granted £3,000 towards providing a Crisis Project Worker, who will support clients experiencing financial, social or personal crisis. 
• Dora Brown will be using their grant to expand its work by recruiting more volunteers to work with families in crisis. 
• East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice have been given £2,500 towards their bereavement support provision for family members who have lost a child or sibling. 
• The East of England Faiths Agency CIC have been awarded £3,000 towards the production of a game to be used in care homes in Suffolk to improve mental wellbeing.
• Eden’s Project in Sudbury will be using their award of £3,336.30 to run a range of positive wellbeing interventions, including creative sessions and counselling, for young people aged 11 - 25 years old. The Eden's Project also received a second grant of £4,966 which will enable them to continue to work with a professionally qualified counsellor to support young people. 
• Emmaus Suffolk in Ipswich have been given £4,000 towards running a Cooking Club for their clients who are vulnerable, socially isolated, homeless or unemployed.  
• EPIC Dad Community Interest Company have received a grant of £5,000 to help them develop their new 'EPIC Dad Chat' group, a weekly drop-in and support group for local dads and male carers to share experiences and feel empowered in their fatherhood roles. 
• Eye Opportunity Group are using our grant of £2,500 towards providing one-to-one help for children with complex needs. 
• We awarded £2,500 to Family First Ipswich so they can continue to support vulnerable families via their mentoring programme and parenting courses.
• Footsteps Walking With You in Suffolk have been awarded £2,500 towards increasing their counselling provision for 11‐25-year-olds and support for their families.
• Future Female Society will be using their funding to support vulnerable women through their monthly More Than Mum coffee mornings and quarterly Happiness Brunches.
• Halesworth Volunteer Centre will be using their grant to support their Going Social project which aims to help older people become active members of their community through a range of events.
• Happytots Pre-School will use their funding to run a pilot Children's wellbeing project, working to improve the mental health of pupils and their families. 
• Hive in Sudbury are looking to purchase the former United Reformed Church and were awarded £5,000 towards the cost of creating this new community hub for the town.
• Home-Start in Suffolk will be using their grant to provide a weekly, term-time Stay and Play Group for children and their parents/carers in and around Sudbury to reduce isolation and increase a sense of community. 
• Ipswich and Suffolk Indian Association (ISIA) will be using their grant to run a range of events throughout the year, including Bollywood dancing and Dandiya night.
• Ipswich BMX Club have been awarded £3,119 to install a disabled ramp for their new Clubhouse.
• Inspire Suffolk have been awarded £2,500 to support their wellbeing service, which provides counselling and early intervention for young people aged 10 - 25 years.  
• Karibu African Women's Support Group will be creating a children's social group, strengthening their bonds within the community.
• Leiston, Saxmundham & District Citizen’s Advice Bureau will be using their grant of £2,000 to develop tailored support for clients experiencing mental health difficulties such as budgeting and debt advice. 
• Leiston Town Pastors have been awarded £2,500 towards their regular community engagement work which also supports local people and businesses in the town. 
• Leiston United Church are looking to make the community hall more accessible and have been awarded £5,000 towards the cost of a disability ramp.
• Make Play CIC will be using their grant to expand their neighbourhood play sessions across Ipswich. 
• New Life Church Community Great Cornard will be using their funding to expand their 'Footprints Stay and Play' sessions.
• Plunkett Foundation will be using their £3,900 grant to support the 80 community-owned businesses across the East of England with practical business support and training. 
• REACH have been awarded £5,000 towards the cost of expanding their foodbank provision across rural West Suffolk and North Essex, targeting rural residents who need food but struggle to access foodbanks.
• Through their Call Companions service, Re-engage helps tackle isolation and loneliness in older people across Suffolk. They have been awarded £2,000 to continue to run the service.
• Riding for the Disabled (Woodbridge & District Group) have been awarded £3,458 to adapt their 'Pony Time' activity to meet the needs of those living with dementia and to use their Horse Care & Stable Management activities to encourage more children with social, emotional and mental health needs to attend.
• Rock, Paper, Scissors Arts CIC in Ipswich have been awarded £1,787.85 towards their creative workshops in collaboration with Suffolk Mind to enable children and young people to identify their wellbeing needs and develop their own tools to address them. 
• Rural Coffee Caravan Information Project will be using their £5,000 grant to expand their rota of visits into rural areas previously not visited, as part of their Meet up Monday network.
• Somersham Tennis Club have been granted £3,500 towards their new clubhouse; this new resource will provide a new community hub for everyone to enjoy. 
• St Edmundsbury Cathedral will be expanding their Yard Project to support children through fun activities and life skills after school and during the holidays.  
• St Elizabeth Hospice are working with their local libraries to provide training to staff in talking compassionately about-end of-life. They will also be providing multi-age books and resources to facilitate conversations about end-of-life.
• Sudbury and District Citizens Advice will be using their grant to hold advice sessions once a month during term time for parents and children of Wells Halls Primary School. Advice will be given on a range of topics including financial support. 
• Suffolk Artlink who are based in Walberswick have been awarded £3,980 to build a ‘virtual venue’ to share their creative activities with more people online.
• We awarded £3,753 to Suffolk Family Carers to help family carers have more understanding of how to look after their own mental wellbeing, to help family carers be able to connect with their communities and each other, to help family carers understand trauma, identify the signs, and be able to use coping strategies.
• Suffolk Libraries will be using their £5,000 grant to open all 45 of its libraries as warm hubs and community spaces.
• Suffolk Philharmonic Orchestra will use their funding to extend their outreach work to bring a people together to hear world class music, boosting wellbeing and combating loneliness.
• The Mix in Stowmarket have been awarded £3,449 to support the Greenlights mentoring project to deliver 1:1 mentoring for local primary school pupils aged 9‐11 struggling with anxiety, social skills, emotional management and poor resilience.
• The Pear Tree Fund will be using their funds to develop their 'Cooking for One' project, an initiative which supports the recently bereaved in adapting to their new personal situations.
• The Seagull Lowestoft CIC have been awarded £3,720 towards the running of their Girls’ Confidence and Wellbeing group to help girls aged between 10-15 years to build their confidence and self-esteem and to improve their mental health.
• The Sunflower Community Care Farm CIC will be supporting women experiencing personal challenges such as trauma or poor mental health through enriching outdoor activities.
• Voices for Gainsborough Community Library are using their funding to support their new 'Man Can Talk' group and create a new community singing project.
• Walton Parish Nursing’s grant of £2,000 will fund a Mental Health Nurse to continue and develop their mental health support in the community. Demand for this service has increased rapidly since the start of the pandemic.  
• Wickham Market Partnership will use their grant to update their newly acquired Wickham Market Men's Shed premises, to provide a workshop and storage area, along with a social hub.
• Woodbridge Tide Mill have been awarded £1,041 towards improvements to make visits for SEND families and individuals welcoming, accessible and inclusive.