‘I’m the last chance for these kids’
Co-op Members in West Yorkshire are helping a cause that teaches teens crucial life skills
We all love the feel-good factor W we get when giving to charity, but between paying the bills and putting food on the table, it can be hard to find the spare cash needed to make a difference. Across the UK, there are many causes doing great work in communities that really need our help, like Bradford-based Ontrak.
Ontrak is a cause that focuses on young people in the area and provides them with skills they can use to give them a chance when they feel like they’re going nowhere.
As part of the cause’s bike project, founder Adrian Woods MBE, a mechanic from Bradford, teaches youths the skills they need to undertake bicycle maintenance. Once the bikes have been repaired, they are donated to organisations like schools and children’s homes, so they can be used to teach children road safety.
Adrian tells us, “The original idea was to send out 80 repaired bicycles to help kids in need, but it’s grown to around 4,000 a year now.” Adrian adds, jokingly, “My retirement plans haven’t quite worked out…”
This brilliant work is making a real difference in Bradford, and it relies on donations from many sources of fundraising – this is where Co-op Members come in.
When a Co-op member buys selected Co-op branded products and services – which can be anything from a loaf of bread to a funeral plan – 1%* goes to a cause of their choice, in their own community – just like Ontrak in Bradford. Adrian adds, “The money that’s coming from the Co-op is going to help us buy some new equipment.”
Charlene, a member from Bradford, heard about Ontrak through Co-op and chose it as the cause she’d like to donate her 1% to. She says, “I live locally, but didn’t know the full extent of what Ontrak does. It works with young boys who struggle at school, and Adrian teaches them life skills. Everyone is take, take, take but, with the Co-op, it’s nice to know that at least a percentage of what I spend goes to charities and raises them up a bit, because I think that’s what people need.” As well as contributing 1% to their cause of choice, members also get an additional 5%* back into their online Membership account, to spend at the Co-op. Shopping at Co-op means you can make a difference to the people around you – so choose a cause today and help your community grow stronger.