It's not what you know; it's who you know.

It's amazing what you can find out when you start talking to people! Back in the summer, we met together at Great Ayton Methodist Church to share breakfast and ideas for raising funds for projects across the circuit. Val Sonley came to the breakfast and shared with us a bit about her job.

Val is a Co-op Member Pioneer. Her role is connecting people in the community; linking needs with resources that are available. Her work is paid for by the Coop and the number of hours she has per month is based on the number of Coop stores, such as food stores and funeral care, in the area.

The Co-op also has a community fund, which give grants to local projects. For every £1 spent by members on all own-branded products and fresh produce, 1p goes to help fund community projects. It doesn't sound like much but it soon adds up. So the more Co-op members that shop at the local store, the more money is available. Three projects are selected each year to receive a portion of the money. This year Stokesley Methodist Church applied to be one of the projects and were successful! Follow this link to find out more about the project and how you can support it.

The Co-op Springfield Store in Stokesley has already supported the circuit by giving money for an oven at Carlton Methodist Church for the new Community Lunch Club. All this came from meeting together so perhaps we should breakfast together more often!