(Left to right) – Stuart Bussey, the Revd Diane Bussyey, Clive Miles, President of the Heart of England Co-operative Society; Mark Borrill, Store Manager of The Co-operative food at Long Lawford, and Jo Dyke, Community and Membership Adviser of the Society.
LONG LAWFORD COMMUNITY GIVEN A HELPING HAND FROM THE HEART OF ENGLAND CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY
Friday, May 26, 2017
The Society has contributed £360 towards the project from its Helping Hearts Awards Scheme – a community chest which to date has distributed more than £900,000 of Society profits towards charities and worthy causes across the retailer’s trading area.
The donation comes on the back of the recent unveiling of the Society’s new £1.3 million store in the village.
Built around the old Lateshop facility – which had served Long Lawford for many years – the store has been re-branded as The Co-operative.
To mark the start of a new chapter in Long Lawford the Society made the donation to pay for broadband inside Long Lawford Methodist Church – where the Buddy Club’s sessions are held every week.
The Buddy Club is the brainchild of Stuart Bussey – a leader of Lawford Light House – a project put together by the Church of England and the Methodist Church.
He said the benefits of the broadband will be more far reaching than the Buddy Club as it will also be open to the youth club – which meets at the Methodist Church – and opens up the possibility of opening an internet café or similar facility within the building.
The Buddy Club came on the back of a survey conducted by Long Lawford Parish Council last year in which 58 per cent of respondents said there was a real lack of services in the village.
Stuart added: “I ran a similar project in Brownsover which was a great success in getting people into employment and also breaking down barriers of social isolation.
“This latest project will help us to give a lot of support and assistance to vulnerable members of our community.”
The Buddy Club was one of 10 community groups across Rugby borough to receive a share of £3,100.
Others to benefit include the 1st Rugby Boys’ Brigade, which received £500 towards this year’s summer camp, Rugby Mental Health Social Group, which received £300, Knightlow C of E Primary School in Stretton-on-Dunsmore which received £240 and NCT Bumps and Babies in Southam, which received £200.
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