Burton Albion mascot Billy Brewer is backing a popular doorstep initiative in Stretton which hands outs thousands of pounds out to community groups every year.
The Tamworth Co-op’s Community Dividend Fund supports clubs, charities and schools in Stretton and Rosliston.Shoppers at the Society’s convenience store in Stretton will be able to help their own local areas by suggesting worthy causes they believe should benefit from the Community Dividend Fund.
And to help raise awareness of the scheme, Billy Brewer posed for pictures outside the Co-op store in Stretton where he was greeted by passing drivers honking their horns.
The Stretton convenience store will adopt a deserving organisation, based on the nominations received, to be given a grant from the fund in the coming year.
“My goal is to encourage people to nominate good causes to receive cash,” said Billy.
“There are a lot of community groups in Stretton and Rosliston that really deserve support and it would be such a shame if they missed out just because people didn’t take the simple step of nominating them.
“So please think about who deserves this cash and make sure you nominate them. It’s so easy to do.”
The scheme is financed by customers opting to donate the dividends they would normally have earned on their purchases to selected groups.
There is no limit on how much an individual club or other organisation can receive. It depends entirely on how many dividends are donated, but typically grants range from ÂŁ200 to ÂŁ2,000. This year, for example, the Stretton store raised nearly ÂŁ800 for the 2nd Rolleston Brownies.
Julian Coles, chief executive of the Tamworth Co-operative Society, said: “It’s down to the generosity of our customers that I’m proud to say we’ve been able to distribute more than £50,000 to clubs, societies, charities and schools since the launch of the Community Dividend Fund in 2009.
“This is a remarkable effort when you consider that there are so many worthy causes competing for our help these days and people’s finances are often tight.
“We are looking for nominations for organisations, such as schools, playgroups, clubs for the elderly, or societies which play an important role in the community. Without these nominations, we cannot convert people’s dividends into hard cash for these groups. In many cases, they rely on outside funding, not always for the luxuries, but for essential items as well.
“We’d like to thank Burton Albion and Billy Brewer for helping us raise awareness of the scheme.”
The closing date for nominations for the 2016 Community Dividend Fund is November 30. Each of the Tamworth Co-op’s 12 convenience stores, including Rosliston Co-op, and its supermarket and department store in Tamworth, are taking part.
Anyone can put forward a group or school for consideration. You don’t have to be a member of the Tamworth Co-operative Society. However, you can only vote once and at just one location. Nominated groups must be near the store you visit and should not be in the private sector or for profit.
Nomination forms are available from the Stretton Co-op in James Brindley Way and Rosliston Co-op in Main Street.