Co-op stores pledge more than £20,000 to local causes
Two Lochaber Co-op food shops paid out their community funds to local groups last week.
Ballachulish store manager Neil Cameron handed out more than £8,000 to three groups in south Lochaber. The £8,058.04 payout was split between the 4th Lochaber Scouts, Kentallen and Duror Community Centre, and Nether Lochaber Community Association.
Neil Macleod of Caol Co-op also gave away its total of £9,325.76 to the shop’s three local causes last week. They were Stramash, Lochaber Hope and Shopmobility Lochaber.
The funds were raised from the Co-op’s membership card transactions of the company’s own brand label products. One per cent of this goes into the community fund which is also supplemented by the 5p charge for carrier bags.
A £2,276.57 donation from the Kinlochleven Co-op store was presented to Kinlochleven Community Trust (KCT). The money will be put towards the community toilets, which are owned and operated by the trust meaning there is no charge for weary walkers on the West Highland Way and other visitors using the facilities.
KCT development officer Marion Smith said: ‘We rely on donations towards the running costs of the toilets and although we receive funding from the Kinlochleven Community Council, we are delighted to have been successful with a funding application to the Co-op, for a facelift and to replace old cisterns and lighting. The toilets are open from 8am to 6pm from April to October.’