Local causes in Tenby and Narberth are set to receive a share of £22369.59 this month, thanks to funding from Co-op members - taking the total amount awarded across the area since the Local Community Fund launched in 2016 to £171,798.18.

With many community causes experiencing funding challenges and a surge in demand, the money raised when Co-op member’s buy own-branded products and services is being shared by projects to support services in the community, including: Tenby Sea Cadets ; RNLI Tenby Beach Lifeguards and Ffrindiau Ysgol Arberth / Friends of Narberth School - since the Local Community Fund was launched in 2016 some 41 causes in Tenby have benefitted.

Since 2016, Co-op members have raised £117 million for local communities, including over 30,000 local community projects across the UK through the Co-op’s Local Community Fund - helping to build stronger and more resilient communities by tackling key issues such as access to food, mental wellbeing support and opportunities for young people.

Rebecca Birkbeck, Director of Community & Member Participation at Co-op, said: “I am delighted to see the incredible amount Co-op members have raised, simply by choosing Co-op. We know that the Cost of Living crisis is making it incredibly challenging for many local causes. I’m proud our Local Community Fund can be a life-line, not only promoting the development of stronger, more resilient and fairer communities but also helping people cope with what life throws at them. By listening closely to our local causes, along with data from Co-op’s Community Wellbeing Index, and our network of Member Pioneers, it’s helped us bring to life Co-op’s vision of ‘Co-operating for a Fairer World’, providing the long-term investment and support local causes need. Our members have all helped make their communities places where they can be proud to live and work.”

The latest round of Co-op’s Local Community Fund has supported 4,500 community projects UK-wide, and is estimated to have benefited over 1.3 million people - with causes highlighting that the funding and support will enable them to help people to make a positive change during these challenging times.

More than half of causes (53%) confirmed that the funding enabled them to develop new or improved partnerships with other local organisations. Co-op’s support has been shown to assist almost two-thirds (65%) of causes with mobilising volunteer support from their local communities, while over two-fifths (41%) of causes reported that the project funded by Co-op also helped them to obtain further funding to support their organisation.

Co-op is owned by its Members, and its family of businesses operate across Food, Funeralcare, Insurance and Legal Services.

Members of the Co-op receive exclusive offers, deals and discounts – in Co-op Food stores, for instance, when Members buy own-branded products, 2p for every £1 spent goes into a Members personal Membership account, with Co-op donating the same amount to support community organisations and local causes.

For more information about the benefits of Co-op Membership, and how to support your local community, visit: www.coop.co.uk/membership.