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the Co-op's
Charity

We’re marking #iwillweek 2021 by shining a light on Groundwork South, which helps young people not in education, employment or training make a difference to local spaces

Current available Charity Commission data shows that, of 953,062 trustee roles registered, 11.7% are taken by people under 40 while just 2.6% are under 30. This is why, for the third year in a row, the Co-op Foundation has awarded a grant to the Young Trustees Movement.

In late 2019, we awarded the Iona Village Hall Community Trust (IVHCT) a £20,000 grant and a £30,000 interest-free loan to help them redevelop their village hall.

In 2018, we awarded Norfolk-based Mancroft Advice Project (MAP) £77,000 from our Building Connections Fund to work with local partners and help young people at risk of loneliness improve wellbeing, build relationships and deliver community campaigns.

We chatted to two of our Community Spaces Loans partners to find out the impact of our grants and their hopes for the future beyond the pandemic.

Building Connections Fund partner, Ourside, found that moving to digital youth work during Covid helped them to break down barriers with some young people.