Local charities changing lives with funding from East of England Co-op

Each year, the East of England Co-op invests part of its profits through its Community Cares Fund to support local charities and community initiatives that address ‘community cohesion and integration’. 

In the latest round of grant funding, announced today, the East of England Co-op is donating grants totalling £110,000 across East Anglia. Since 2020, the retailer has donated over £1.1 million through its community programmes. 

Be More Dandelion in Colchester is one of the projects to be supported by a Community Cares Fund grant from the East of England Co-op last year. 

Be More Dandelion supports women who have experienced, or who are at risk of, domestic abuse. Using dance and movement the organisation helps survivors rebuild confidence, reconnect with their bodies and improve their wellbeing. 

The grant from East of England Co-op's Community Cares Fund helped the project to run two of its six-week Survivor Steps programme courses free of charge, giving the project the valuable opportunity to evaluate and refine before redelivering. Survivor Steps provides a safe and supportive environment where women can heal at their own pace, guided by founder Fiona Bool. 

“We’re so proud to have this funding to help us launch our Survivor Steps programme, which is the first of its kind in the UK.” said Fiona 

“Once a survivor’s crisis is over in terms of the emergency services and crisis support, there’s nowhere else for them to go. Our programme is a lifeline for them to come and rebuild their life outside of an abusive relationship.” 

This latest round of grants from the Community Cares Fund will support local projects such as: 

• Essex: Colchester United Community Foundation’s Senior U’s programme, a weekly health and wellbeing session combining social interaction and low-impact physical activity. 
• Suffolk: Inspiring Happiness CIC’s Lantern Project, a peer-led survivors' group for women who have experienced any form of childhood or adult abuse. 
• Norfolk: Norwich Climate CIC who will use the funding to provide energy advice for refugees who have moved into their own accommodation. 
• Cambridgeshire: The Cambridge Acorn project which is introducing an innovative therapeutic model to their educational provision for young people who are experiencing challenges. 

The full list of projects benefitting from this latest round of funding is available on the East of England Co-op website. 

Angela Carpenter, East of England Co-op Community Support Lead, said: “We’re privileged to support charities like The Dandelion Project through our Community Cares Fund to help strengthen communities across the East of England.

"These organisations are doing incredible work to help people when they need it most, and we’re proud that our funding can help them to reach more people in need of their support.”

Community Cares Fund grants form part of the East of England Co-op’s community support programmes. This includes In-Branch Hosting, Small Donations, and Local Giving. Combined, these initiatives saw the retailer support over 700 unique charities across East Anglia last year.