Groups across Teesdale benefit from Co-op stores' community fund

COMMUNITY groups are hundreds of pounds better off thanks to the dale’s Co-op stores.

The cash comes from a scheme which donates one per cent of what customers spend on selected Co-op products, with shoppers deciding which local good causes to support.

Last Saturday was celebration day when Teesdale’s four Co-op stores joined others from across the country in handing over cash from their community fund.

At Cockfield, the Friends of Woodland School (FoWS) received £859.58, Hamsterley Trailblazers picked up £829.51 and the 1st Staindrop Scouts got £807.71. Katrina Scanlon, chairwoman of the FoWS, said: “We were extremely pleased to have been chosen as one of the organisations they were going to help through this scheme.

“We applied for a contribution to help us provide exciting workshops for the children and the community.

“We are planning to have an animal encounters experience and a music concert and the children will be involved in planning and publicising our events so we can appeal to as many people as possible in our community.”

She added: “We are really grateful to the Co-op and the community for their fantastic support. We are absolutely delighted with our grant.”

Olly Graham, vice-chairman of the Hamsterley

Trailblazers, said: “We have recently built a new bit of trail which has been really popular and we are hoping to extend that further, so this is going to help. We also run a monthly youth coaching programme which attracts about 50 youngsters and the money will contribute to volunteers doing a level two British Cycling coaching course.”

In the upper dale, the 1st Middleton-in-Teesdale Scouts received £1,360.92 from the village store, while the Friends of Middleton School saw £1,432.93 added to their coffers. The third recipient was Middleton Cricket Club, which benefited to the tune of £1,307.32.

In Barnard Castle, the stores in Horse Market and at the garage raised cash for the town’s Scouts and Guides plus Cotherstone Pre-School.

The 1st Barnard Castle Scouts picked up a cheque for almost £900 and the Guides received £878. The pre-school was presented with £875.

The next round of fundraising under the Co-op community scheme is now under way. In Cockfield, money will be raised for Copley Village Hall and Butterknowle Village Hall.

Teesdale YMCA, Durham County Carers Support Group and the Friends of Cotherstone School will benefit from the Barnard Castle stores and at Middleton, cash will go to the Friends of Middleton School, Chat and Play and Middleton Community Gym. For further details of the community fund, ask in store or go to www.causes.coop.co.uk