LEAMINGTON GROUPS BENEFIT FROM THE LATEST HELPING HEARTS DONATIONS

Charities and community groups around Leamington are among the latest to share a cash windfall of more than £7,000 from the Heart of England Co-operative Society’s unique Helping Hearts scheme.

The scheme, launched nine years ago, pledges every penny of the Society’s tobacco profits to worthy causes across the trading area in Coventry, Warwickshire, south Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.

Earlier in the summer Helping Hearts celebrated reaching a landmark total of £500,000 pledged to groups since its launch.

Among the groups to benefit from the latest round of donations were organisers of the Southam Christmas Festival, who received £100 towards Christmas lights and members of Southam Football Club’s Under Nine’s team, which received £300 towards money for a new kit. Guide Dogs for the Blind in Wellesbourne received £25 towards a raffle prize.

Southam United Football Club Under 9's celebrating their donation.

Julia Jordan, Welfare Officer at Southam United Football Club, said: “We are delighted to receive £300 from the Heart of England Co-operative Society’s Helping Hearts scheme. It is a huge amount of money to us as we rely totally on fundraising and donations. We have 23 players in our Under Nine’s team. Since September we have gone competitive and are now part of the John Bryant Coventry Minor League, which they are obviously excited about. This is the first time in two years they’ll have had a new kit and they are excited about this too.”

Jo Dyke, Community and Membership Adviser at the Heart of England Co-operative Society, said: “Once again the groups benefiting from the latest round of pledges from Helping Hearts are wide and varied and each strive to make life better for different groups of people within our community.

“This is excellent news as it means every penny of our tobacco profits is reaching thousands of people across our trading area and the most deserving people within the area are benefiting.

“As a community retailer it is only right we share our profits with these organisations so they can continue in the excellent work they do, helping to benefit some of the most vulnerable people in the Coventry, Warwickshire and south Leicestershire areas.”

Grants range from £10 to £1,000. Application forms are available from any of the Society’s 55 branches.