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The Channel Islands Coop are proud to be donating a total of £39,766 to local charity and community projects across Jersey and Guernsey as part of its Coop Community Fund.
The fund will support around 39 causes across the Channel Islands, going to projects that the Coop believe resonate with its vision of making a real difference to local communities.
This is the Coop’s second year of running its Community Fund, following a successful first year where an overall total of £50,000 was donated to 57 community projects and initiatives. The first pay-out of 2022 helps to reinforce the Coop’s ongoing commitment as a local community retailer to communities in both Jersey and Guernsey.
Recipients of the first round of funding for this year included charities such as The Jersey Youth Trust which was granted £2,500 to its YES Project. This service provides free, confidential advice, guidance, and counselling for young people under 25 years.
Emily Pinel, Senior Youth Worker at the YES Project said: “The Youth Enquiry Service (YES) is a vital facility for young people as it offers a safe and confidential space for any young person to pop in and speak with a Youth Worker about any concerns or worries, they may have. If we can't help, we will work with other agencies to ensure a young person gets access to the support, they need. We also have a dedicated team of counsellors providing 1:2:1 talking therapy for young people 12 to 25 years of age. Our counsellors can support young people who are experiencing any issues that may be causing difficulty, pain, or mixed emotions. We run a drop-in centre 6 -days a week in St. Helier based at Eagle House.
“We want to ensure that we are offering a welcoming, safe, well-equipped, and well-staffed place for the young people of Jersey. Thanks to a donation of £2,500 from the Coop Community Fund, we can upgrade our drop-in centre to ensure it is fit for purpose the anybody wishing to access our services.”
Ms Pinel added: “What’s more, we are also now open one evening a week for parents and carers to access advice if they have concerns about a young person. Again, we can now ensure our drop-in has the right facilities.”
Other projects supported on this round included Jersey Hospice Care for their summer garden, equipment for volunteers at The National Trust for Jersey, and resources for Jersey Mencap’s weekly book club at Jersey Library.
On receiving the funds, Jersey Mencap’s project manager, Ali Hand, said: “We were pleased to hear we had received a grant from the Coop Community Fund for £500 for our book club.
She added: “We have a group of social club members who meet every Wednesday at the library, and they have a lot of enthusiasm for books, games and learning together. The funds will be used towards learning resources including educational board games, learning how to use audio books and podcasts and large textbooks.
“Revisiting skills such as reading remains a constant in their lives. Book Club provides the opportunity for people to do this and to share their love of books with like-minded people. Yet, our book club is about so much more than reading, it's about building confidence, accessibility of information and inclusion. The library is a great venue for this, and with thanks to the Coop Community Fund, we can get new resources and welcome new members and volunteers to this group.”
Donations were also made to eighteen groups and charities in Guernsey totalling £17,952 in the Spring round of funding.
Successful recipients of the Coop Community Fund in Guernsey included: Headway Guernsey who received £2,140 to run weekly sessions for its members at risk of isolation and needing support.
Philippa Stahelin, Executive Director and Trustee for the charity, said: “Our aim is to enable attendees to live as independent a life as possible and play as full a part as they can back into their local community.
“This weekly group can be a lifeline to members and their families and loved ones. It brings them out of their homes, provides social interaction, cognitive training to relearn skills which have been lost, builds confidence, and provides respite for family members and carers. Funding means that we can offer these support groups once a week for a year providing a valuable service to the community.
“We are delighted that the Coop Community Fund has chosen to support our work as we continue to support islanders and their families on their road to recovery from serious brain injury.”
Following this recent grant pay out, Head of Community and Sustainability at the Coop, Carl Winn said: “We know that there are so many community groups, clubs and charities on our islands doing incredible work and supporting our islanders every day. It’s in the DNA of our organisation as a Coop to make a real difference in the community, and our Community Fund looks to celebrate other charities and not-for-profit groups who share our vision.
“It’s our way of recognising the positive things that are happening right here in our islands, and giving local causes that little bit of financial support to help them to continue the truly amazing things they do daily.”
Applications for the Co-op Community Fund remain open all year-round with pay-outs being made to successful projects in spring and autumn. More details on the Society’s community fund can be found at: www.channelislands.coop/communityfund
