Co-op’s £36,000 festive boost for local groups

CHRISTMAS came early for groups all around Southport this week, when the Co-op revealed a £86,000 festive funding boost.

The money will be shared by 15 organisations making a real difference to communities.

These include Southport Soup

Kitchen, The Library in the Gardens, and Southport Lifeboat.

It was the latest round of pay-outs from the fund generated by more than 80,000 Co-op members in Merseyside. Overall the Co-op has invested £175,000 in 52 groups in Southport since the membership scheme launched in 2016.

Members receive a 5% reward for themselves with a further 1% going to local causes when they buy own-brand products, have a say in how the money is allocated, and are encouraged to select the organisations they wish to support online.

Rebecca Birkbeck, director of community engagement at the Co-op, said: “Since the launch of the local community fund our members have helped 12,000 organisations to make a positive difference in their neighbourhoods, and in the last 12 months alone we have invested £19m in local causes.

“The fund is now supporting a wide variety of local organisations, from village halls and support groups to education providers and neighbourhood watch schemes, all of which are helping to make Southport a better, happier, and healthier place to live.”

The Co-op has 4.65 million active members, including 1,800,000 recruited since the scheme began.