FALMOUTH Age Concern is among local causes which have received an early Christmas present this week, after Co-op revealed a £55,000 funding boost from its members.

The money will be shared by 21 organisations, all of whom are making a real difference to communities throughout the region. These include Falmouth Age Concern, True Butterflies Foundation, and Frontline Emergency Equipment trust.

Rebecca Birkbeck, director of community and shared value at the Co-op, said: “The local community fund is now a well-established way of supporting local causes who help to make communities safer, happier, and healthier places to live, and we’re delighted to be able to support such a wide range of local groups as they help to improve wellbeing in Cornwall.

“By choosing their local cause online, our members are telling us what really matters in their communities, and we have used this information to help us identify new groups to support throughout next year.

"Feedback from our own Community Wellbeing Index – which highlights the areas where communities can benefit from support – has shown us that we should be focused on protecting and improving community spaces, helping people reach their full potential by developing their skills, and promoting health and wellbeing.”

This is the latest round of pay outs from the local community fund, and brings the amount the Co-op members have invested in causes in Cornwall since the scheme launched in September 2016 to £192,000.

When members shop with the Co-op, one per cent of what they spend on selected Co-op branded products and services goes to support local causes through the Local Community Fund.

By joining the Co-op’s membership scheme shoppers can contribute to the money raised for the causes, and they can choose which of these causes they wish to support by logging on to the Co-op’s membership website at www.coop.co.uk/membership.