Local causes in Macclesfield receive share of £7,339.78 at Ivymeade Co-op
A ceremony, held at Ivymeade Co-op on Ivy Road, saw thousands given out to Macclesfield local causes.
By Alex Greensmith
Posted: Tuesday, 21st November 2023 10:59 am
The Co-op in Ivymeade has presented a massive sum of money to Macclesfield community groups.
The funds were raised by the Co-op and its members, reserved for three Macclesfield local causes.
The trio of cheques, when added together, totalled £7,339.78.
Macclesfield Co-op Member Pioneer Louise Little, Ivymeade Store Manager David Dundas and Thornton Square Store Manager Christopher Salt invited Macclesfield Nub News and the three lucky causes down for a day of celebration.
The presentation took place on Friday at Ivymeade Co-op on Ivy Road.
Calvary Church Rainbow Tots were given £2,101.39.
The church on Merebrook Road in Macclesfield hosts their Rainbow Tots group for two hours every Monday.
Church Pastor Gary Holdcroft said: "The group is going very well."
"We started back up after COVID, and numbers are really good. We have 20 different families coming in.
"We are using the Co-op donation to buy new toys. I have already bought a lot of new soft play toys, shaped like cars and other things.
"And we will revamp the toys we have already have.
"I would like to say a big thank you to the Co-op and their members. It will help people connect in their local community.
"We had a family that joined us in September who didn't know anyone, and have now made friends in Rainbow Tots.
"It is a safe place where families can meet together, and share each other's problems should they need help."
"We have been a Co-op cause before this, and would be open to do so again in the future. It is a good way of raising money and the profile of the church, encouraging people in the town."
You can find more about the toddler group near the Weston on THIS LINK.
Macc Wild Network had the largest total of any of the twelve Co-op causes this year raised for them.
Macc Wild Network received £3,068.45.
Dr. Emma Passmore explained how this money will be put to good use: "We are a local environmental community charity, working to enhance the green spaces that are already in Macclesfield."
"We want to make the most of them by planting more trees, hedges and connecting people together in those green spaces.
"Because it is winter, it is quite a busy time of year for us. We have got a lot of tree planting coming up.
"We have quite a big project we are working on in South Park at the minute.
"We're developing some projects with schools as well, to have plants in their gardens, and if any school is interested in working with us we'd love to hear from you.
"We'd like to say a massive thank you to the Co-op and their members. We have been blown away by the response.
"It was far more than we are expecting, and it is amazing we have been chosen again."
Macc Wild Network will also be a Co-op cause next year, so could see the figure raised this year eclipsed in 12 months. Co-op Members can select Macc Wild Network as a cause TODAY on the Co-op app.
"Some of the funds from this last round of Co-op funding is going to be used in some public ground around The Pavilions in Macclesfield to create a community orchard," added Emma.
"We will be having a tree planting event on December 18 for this.
"And we are lucky to have been selected as a Co-op cause again, some of this coming year's funding will go towards purchasing new fruit trees in other spaces across Macclesfield.
"Next year's fund will be spent on expanding the projects, and working in new areas.
"We'll be looking at spaces in Upton Priory in particular as well, getting more trees, plants and wildflowers into Macclesfield."
Macclesfield: You can find more about Macc Wild Network on THIS LINK.
If you know of a patch of ground in a public space that may benefit from more trees or wildflowers, why not get in touch?
Last but certainly not least, Friends of Macclesfield Academy had £2,169.94 to collect.
The registered charity for the Park Lane place of education, which was a Co-op cause last year, has received a similar amount.
This time, their Co-op Local Community Fund donation will be spent on two projects to aid student's school lives.
Some of the funds will be spent on their reading for pleasure programme, where students can pick books they want to read, which boosts the reading rates at the school.
But the majority will be spent on the handicraft clubs run for pupils.
These allow them to socialise, and give back to the community this country and abroad.
So the money will buy materials to knit and sew clothing and other items for those in need, as well as paying for the equipment to help make them.
"For five years now we have been making dresses that members of staff take over to Cambodia to give to children when they go on school trips there," said student Mia.
One teacher said: "It is so powerful for our students to be supporting students in a very deprived community, where the idea of a new dress is just not something that happens very often."
"Somebody here in Macclesfield can provide a dress or some shorts that will be worn in Cambodia. And what we usually do is we send a postcard with a photo of our student who has made it, so they can see who and where the clothes have come from."
Some of the funds will also be used to send these handmade clothes via post, as not all of them can be carried on the trip to Cambodia.
It will also help their crochet project which benefits those locally, making blankets for the homeless and knitted hats for babies.
Teacher Pauline Holt said: "We'd really like to say thank you. The money will be used really well to support the school community in our country, and other countries."
When asked if Friends of Macclesfield Academy would like to become a Co-op cause in future years, Mrs Holt added "Of course we would!
"It is really good for the students to look outwards in things that support the community and beyond.
"And this gives them opportunities to do things that aren't offered on the National Curriculum."
The after school club which meets every Friday afternoon has fast developed into a support group, with the timing helping both staff and pupils relax after a busy week.
Almost 20 sewers and knitters attend the after school club.
Macclesfield Academy Year 11 pupil Mia said of the benefits of after school curricula: "There are definitely benefits. It teaches simple life skills which the school is able to provide for us, which we are very, very glad for."
For more information about Friends of Macclesfield Academy, please click HERE.
Co-op membership helps support your local community, with great rewards for you too.
When you buy selected Co-op branded products and services, 2p for every pound spent goes to you.
And the Co-op gives the same to local communities, just like these three Macclesfield causes.
Become a Co-op Member today online at this webpage or in-store.
And it is not just Ivymeade Co-op that has given out cash to Macclesfield causes.
Westmorland Close Co-op, Co-op Funeralcare Macclesfield High Street and Bollington Co-op have all recently held cause donation ceremonies.
In total, the Co-op have donated £24,835 to twelve Macclesfield causes, with those funds raised over the past 12 months.
Over the next twelve months, the Co-op will support eight Macclesfield causes, seven of which are new.
You can read about them by clicking HERE.
To find out more about the Local Community Fund or to become a Co-op Member please click on the red links in this sentence.
If you run a cause that would be suitable for the Local Community Fund, keep your eye on Macclesfield Nub News's Co-op Community noticeboard to find out when applications open.
Got a business or charity to promote in Macclesfield? Advertise it for FREE on our Local List
Macclesfield: Have you signed up for our FREE Friday weekly newsletter? It contains each week's top five Macclesfield news stories, and one EXCLUSIVE article?
Simply enter your email address on this link.
Free from pop-up ads, or unwanted surveys, Macclesfield Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.
Share:
