Funding boost for charities

The Co-op will be giving £207,000 out to 53 organisations including Home Start, Portsmouth Family Welfare Association, Friends of Mary Rose Academy, and Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association.

Rebecca Birkbeck, director of community Engagement at the Co-op, said:  '˜Since the launch of the local community fund our members have helped 12,000 organisations to make a positive difference in their neighbourhoods, and in the last 12 months alone we have invested £19m in local causes.

'˜The fund is now supporting a wide variety of local organisations, from village halls and support groups to education providers and neighbourhood watch schemes, all of which are helping to make Portsmouth a better, happier, and healthier place to live.'

Overall the Co-op has invested £408,000 in 143 groups in Portsmouth since the scheme launched in 2016. Co-op members, who receive a five per cent reward for themselves with a further one per cent going to local causes when they buy own-brand products, can have a say in the organisations being supported by the scheme.