East of England Co-op awards latest round of community grants as Community Cares Fund donations total passes £1.2 million
Past support has included Lowestoft's first community apiary and an Ipswich-based Parkinson's boxing class - the twice-yearly Community Cares Fund continues to back projects that bring communities together
Each year, East of England Co-op invests part of its profits through its Community Cares Fund to support local charities and community initiatives that support 'community cohesion and integration'.
Since it was launched in 2020, the Community Cares Fund has awarded over £1.2 million in grants to 368 projects across the East of England.
Recent examples include Lowestoft's first community apiary, set up with a £5,000 grant from East of England Co-op's Community Cares Fund. Jamie McBride, Founder of Project Apis which runs the apiary said: “Bee keeping is for everyone, we accept everyone and everyone who wants to have a go, from 5 years old to 85.”
Project Apis uses beekeeping to bring people together, support mental wellbeing, and create inclusive spaces for learning, healing, and growth.
Christine Newman, Project Apis Site Lead, said: “Learning about the bees, learning about their life and their structure and their hive nature makes me think what we see in a beehive, we can bring into the community: connections, supporting each other and this hive mentality.”
In Ipswich, funding supported a Parkinson's boxing class offering both physical and social benefits, while in Essex a grant to a Connect and Dance class for women over 50 has helped build an inclusive, supportive community for its members.
Each community project supported by the Community Cares Fund is bringing members of the community together to improve connectedness. In this round of funding 27 projects across the East of England have been awarded grants, including:
- Cambridge Women's Resource Centre which received funding to expand its free counselling service for vulnerable women
- Cycling Projects which has been awarded a grant to establish a new inclusive cycling hub in Colchester, Essex using specialist adapted cycles which will enable disabled people, older adults and those with health conditions to participate in cycling
- River Church Ipswich, which has received funding to launch its Applaud Coffee Academy, providing barista training and employability coaching for young people and vulnerable adults
- and Dereham Cancer Care in Norfolk which has been awarded a grant to provide social and therapeutic support activities for people affected by cancer and their families.
You can find the full list of charities to receive funding on East of England Co-op's Community Cares Fund page.
Angela Carpenter, East of England Co-op Community Support Lead, said: “Every project we support through our Community Cares Fund is making a difference to local people's lives and bringing them together to build stronger, more connected communities. Going out to visit these projects as they go from strength to strength is a real privilege. Over £1.2 million has gone into making this possible since 2020, and we're proud to keep that going.”
This latest announcement follows a summer in which East of England Co-op colleagues raised over £67,000 for charities of their choice through the retailer’s Local Giving initiative.
Other news
News
Over £60,000 raised for local charities at East of England Co-op branches this summer
A huge fundraising effort by colleagues has raised highest ever fundraising total from Local Giving initiative
News
Local roots, shared success: Andy Rigby on the power of local suppliers
When people think about local suppliers, they often think about freshness, quality or supporting local businesses. All those things matter, but for me, there’s something even more important at the heart of it.
News
East of England Co-op partners with Uber Eats to expand rapid grocery delivery across 33 stores
The East of England Co-op has partnered with Uber Eats to bring another rapid grocery delivery option to their members and customers, with the service now available from 33 food stores across East Anglia.