HEART OF ENGLAND CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY'S UNIQUE HELPING HEARTS SCHEME DONATES £1,000 TO ZOE'S PLACE

A unique scheme launched by the Heart of England Co-operative Society has donated £1,000 to help terminally ill babies and young children in Coventry and Warwickshire.
 
Zoe's Place hospice in Exhall was chosen by Society members to receive a slice of £10,000 funding from its unique Helping Hearts Award Scheme, which pledges every penny of tobacco profits to charities and worthy causes.
 
Every one of the Society's 70,000 members was given the chance to vote for his or her favourite cause.
 
With the most votes, the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance Appeal received £5,000.
 
The remaining £5,000 was divided equally between Zoe's Place, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust in Coventry and Warwickshire, Mercia MS Therapy Centre in Coventry, Prostate Cancer Support Association (Central England) and De Montfort Talking Books in Kenilworth.
 
Richard Whateley, National Director of Zoe's Place, said: "We are extremely grateful to members of the Heart of England Co-operative Society whose votes have helped us secure this £1,000. As a charity we receive very little government funding and are reliant on the generosity of the public to help get the project up and running. The funds will be divided between care facilities and the clinical running costs of the Hospice, which we are looking to open in Autumn this year.
 
“On behalf of everyone at Zoe's Place I would like to say a big thank you to all those members who voted for us, and thank you also to the Society for this fantastic donation."
 
The charity survey was conducted by the Society towards the end of 2009. Every member received a copy of the Society's 2010 calendar along with a copy of the charity survey asking for votes on the most worthwhile causes to receive a slice of funding.
 
Ali Kurji, Chief Executive of the Society, said: "Once it is open for business Zoe's Place will provide an essential service to terminally ill babies and young children in Coventry and their families and it is a cause which has deeply touched the hearts of our members.
 
"On behalf of those members we are delighted to present this money to Zoe's Place which will care for babies and children from across Coventry and Warwickshire."
 
Since its launch 10 years ago Helping Hearts has pledged more than £500,000 to charities and worthy causes across its trading area.