CHARITIES BENEFIT FROM HELPING HEARTS

Charities across Coventry, Warwickshire, south Leicestershire and Northamptonshire have been awarded a share of £2,470 from the Heart of England Co-operative Society’s Helping Hearts Award scheme.

The cash will be used to help make a difference to the lives of hundreds of people including schoolchildren, soldiers and the homeless.

Helping Hearts was set up in 2000. Recently, the Heart of England Co-operative Society celebrated a landmark £500,000 in pledges to charities and worthy causes throughout the trading area.

Among those in Coventry to have benefited in the latest round of donations were Whitley Abbey Primary School which received £100 towards books for members of its story club, the Shysters Theatre company, which received £100 towards a Steadicam and Wood End Mums and Babies which received £100 towards a Christmas party.

The Coventry Community Health Service and Rathbone Training each received £100 towards planned events and Provost Williams Primary School in Ryton received £50 of goods towards a Christmas fayre.

In Rugby the Chernobyl Children’s Project received £250 towards bringing a child from Chernobyl to Warwickshire for a month in the summer while in Nuneaton the Atherstone District Blind Group received £100 towards outings and meals.

Jo Dyke, Community and Membership Adviser at the Heart of England Co-operative Society, said: “Once again our Helping Hearts Award scheme has received requests from a wide range of groups which is great as it means our tobacco profits are reaching thousands of people from all walks of life across our trading area and they are helping some of the most deserving causes.