August 19, 2011 6.40 am This story is over 150 months old

Lincolnshire Co-op celebrates 150 years with £500,000 giveaway

Generosity: Lincolnshire Co-Operative revealed winners of grants as part of its Big Birthday Awards.

Happy Birthday — Lincolnshire Co-op Chief Executive Ursula Lidbetter awarding Bailgate Pre-School their £1,000 grant.

To celebrate 150 years of trade, Lincolnshire Co-operative has announced which local groups are set to receive a slice of its £500,000 grant give-away.

The county-wide co-operative launched the Big Birthday Awards in May, offering grants ranging from £1,000 to £25,000.

Applicants had until July 1 to bid for a share of the half a million pound prize fund, and Lincolnshire Co-op has now revealed that more than 700 applicants were received, including those from local schools, charities and community groups.

Since the closing date, the Co-operative has been deliberating which applications would be successful. Of the initial applicants, a total of 150 will be awarded grant money.

The 150 groups will receive their awards at various Lincolnshire Co-op outlets across the city on Friday, August 19.

Of the £500,000, a total of £171,000 was awarded to projects within the Lincoln city area, including grant awards for Bailgate Pre-School (pictured),Lincoln Cathedral, Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue, Chad Varah Primary School, Lincoln BIG, The Imposters Rollergirls, Lincoln Imps Trampoline Club and several others.

Sam Turner, the Lincolnshire Co-operative’s Membership and Community Manager said:

“We asked for groups to focus on the themes of community sport, heritage, health, environment or education and we were amazed by the number of applications we received.

“We had a really diverse mix of groups applying for the awards and what stood out in them all was how much good work is going on out there.

“We’re a co-operative, owned by our members, so the decisions on the Big Birthday Awards were made by those who sit on our area groups, the Member Services Council and the Board of Directors.

“I know they had a very difficult job picking the successful applicants.

“We hope that the £500,000 we give out on our official 150th birthday will help all 150 recipients build thriving projects that make a difference to local people and their communities.

“We wish all of the groups the best of luck in the future.”

Source: Lincolnshire Co-op | Image: Lincolnshire Co-op