New Co-op scheme to raise funds for good causes

Lincolnshire Co-operative introduced a new scheme that will give out an estimated £200,000 per year to hundreds good causes across the county.

Whenever a member shops with Lincolnshire Co-op and uses their dividend card, whether in a foodstore, travel branch, pharmacy or any other service, a percentage of money from the Community Champions scheme pot will go towards their local good cause.

The Community Champion will be printed on the receipt, and every three months, the total raised for each will be calculated. Each group will get a cheque or some vouchers to put towards its projects and a new set of Community Champions will start raising funds.

There will be a central list of charities and good causes that people can choose to make their Community Champion all year around. At the end of the year, Lincolnshire Co-op will add up all the money raised for local groups on that list and pay out the total.

There’s no limit to the amount that can be raised – though the total for each group will depend on how many members shop during that period.

Membership and Community Manager Sam Turner said: “We think Community Champions will make more people aware that we share our profits with not only our members but also their communities. It’s such an important part of who we are so it’s something we want to promote.

“Community Champions will also make sure that the money we give out is shared fairly across the trading area, with 80 different groups benefitting every three months, spreading out from Scunthorpe to Spalding and from Newark to Skegness.

“It also gets the charities and community groups more involved with the process. They can make a real difference to the amount raised by rallying their supporters and getting them to use their dividend cards.”

The Community Champions for each area will be picked by Lincolnshire Co-op’s 10 area members groups, made up of dividend card holders from across the area.

Current charities selected for the Lincoln and Sleaford areas include:

• STRUT in the Community, linked to the Carlton Centre area of Lincoln
• Mount Street Infant and Nursery School, linked to the Burton Road area of Lincoln
• St Barnabas Hospice, linked to the Riseholme Road, Woodhall Drive and Queen Elizabeth Road areas of Lincoln
• Weirfield Wildlife Hospital, linked to the Swanpool and Moorland Avenue areas of Lincoln
• Birchwood Access and Training Centre, linked to the Birchwood area of Lincoln
• Nettleham Carnival, linked to the Nettleham area
• Welton Scouts and Guides, linked to the Welton area
• Navenby Playing Field Association linked to the Navenby area
• Metheringham Area Community Leisure Association, linked to the Metheringham area
• Heckington Village Hall, linked to the Heckington area
• Ruskington Village Hall, linked to the Ruskington area