Co-op windfall delivers boost for local good causes

Simon Wetherell, Co-op Director of Facilities Management, Macaulay Road Store Manager, Steven Cooper, Cromwell Street Store Manager Steven Macphail, and Divisional Managing Director John McNeill celebrate handing over Â£38,429 to three local causes.

As a result of the Co-op’s membership scheme which launched last September, the money was shared by three local good causes: The Leanne Fund; Western Isles Association for Mental Health and the Bridge Community Centre.

When a Co-op member buys own-brand products from food stores or a funeral plan or funeral from Funeralcare they earn a five per cent reward for themselves with a further one per cent going to local good causes.

All those one per cent rewards have resulted in the £38,000 pay out in Stornoway.

Representatives of the Leanne fund received Â£12,750 for the charity.

Steven Cooper, store manager of Co-op’s Macaulay Road store, said: “We’re a close knit community and our customers and members have relished the opportunity to support such a wide range of local causes whilst doing their everyday shopping.

“It’s a great feeling to know that the groups and charities have had a funding boost from Co-op and can start to put the money to good use.”

One of the charities helped is The Leanne Fund which received more than £12,000 from the membership payout.

As the foremost Cystic Fibrosis (CF) charity in Scotland, The Leanne Fund works with individuals affected by CF and their families across the Highlands, Islands and Grampian to provide vital social, practical, emotional and financial assistance.

Representatives of the Western Isles Mental Health group received Â£13,120 from the membership scheme.

The funding from the Co-op will help to support a brand new service – ‘On the Move’ – a programme to support young people with CF who are moving away to College or University or setting up home independently for the first time.

Chrisetta Mitchell, Development Manager for The Leanne Fund said: “We are so grateful to the Co-op and its Members who have raised such a phenomenal amount of money which will make such a difference to the lives of young people with CF.

“’On the Move’ is a new service which has been created in response to demand from those we work with. For a young person with CF, moving out of home can be a very daunting prospect and presents many practical challenges.

“Through this programme we hope to be able to assist with providing essential items such as a fridge for storing medicine, help with heating costs; a mentor/befriending service etc.

Representatives of the Bridge Community Centre received Â£12,559 in funding.

“Moving away to College or University or setting up home for the first time can be really exciting but it can also be extremely stressful and worrying as new social relationships have to be built up. These are inevitably constrained by the nature of the illness and the need to protect against infection.

“At The Leanne Fund we recognise that these may be additional worries for young people with Cystic Fibrosis moving out of home and we want to do all that we can to help.”