GOOD causes across Tynedale have received an early Christmas present thanks to the Co-op’s community fund.

The Co-op is handing out more than £67,000 from its members to go towards local causes in the district.

The organisation’s Local Community Fund sees one per cent of what members spend going to support good causes.

The latest round of pay-outs from the fund benefited 16 Tynedale groups.

Funding of £2,764.42 went to Bellingham Town Hall; £4,759.65 to Corbridge Youth Initiative; £2,609.47 to Stomping Grounds Forest School; £2,897.43 to Jessica’s Sarcoma Awareness; £9,906.5 to Happy Faces Prudhoe; £2,932.71 to North Tynies Childcare Ltd; £2,027.62 to Fawside-Deneholme Wood Volunteers; £5,173.98 to Northumberland Cancer Support Group; £2,788.45 to Haltwhistle Cricket Club; £2,027.58 to Bardon Mill and Henshaw Village Hall; £9,641.04 to Prudhoe Community Allotment; £3,132.24 to North Tyne and Rededale Community Partnership; £4,558.41 to Open Arms – Hexham Community Centre; £2,770.41 to Haltwhistle Beavers and Cubs; £2,277.96 to Haydon Bridge Playgroup & Tiny Tots and £9,444.35 to 1st Prudhoe Scout Group.

Nationally, nearly 4,500 groups are sharing more than £17m, bringing the total value of the fund since its launch to more than £56 million.

Rebecca Birkbeck, director of community and shared value at the Co-op, said: “The local community fund is now a well-established way of supporting local causes who help to make communities safer, happier, and healthier places to live, and we’re delighted to be able to support such a wide range of local groups as they help to improve wellbeing in Hexham.

“By choosing their local cause online, our members are telling us what really matters in their communities, and we have used this information to help us identify new groups to support throughout next year.

“Feedback from our own Community Wellbeing Index – which highlights the areas where communities can benefit from support – has shown us that we should be focused on protecting and improving community spaces, helping people reach their full potential by developing their skills, and promoting health and wellbeing.”