Coop rolls out grants using dormant account cash

A geopark and a mobility buggy are among the projects getting funding from the Channel Islands Coop, backed by money from members' dormant accounts.

The first round of the CI Coop's Community Impact Fund was seeing seven projects from across Guernsey and Jersey each getting a slice of the £69,000 funding pot, managers said.

The organisation approved the use of unused balances at the 2021 Annual Members' Meeting, and promised to reinvest the unused cash into "meaningful community, environmental, social, and heritage projects across the islands".

CI Coop said it was "proud to launch a fund with clear purpose and real potential".

Simon Matthews, from the CI Coop, said: "The launch of our Community Impact Fund is the culmination of a journey initiated by our members, delivered by our colleagues, and undertaken with our community.

"The fund is the very essence of community impact: supporting those islandwide initiatives in each of Jersey and Guernsey that will make a difference to the communities they serve."

Projects receiving grant money include:

• Jersey Island Geopark - £10,000: For educational materials and digital resources
• GROW Jersey - £10,000: To fund wheelchair-friendly raised-bed growing areas
• Jersey Trees for Life - £10,000: For increasing tree cover and boosting biodiversity
• National Trust for Jersey - £9,000: For 90th anniversary celebrations and an exhibit
• Jersey Transport - £7,500 over two years: To help support a town buggy
• Guernsey Nature Commission - £10,000: Biodiversity support for landowners
• National Trust of Guernsey - £5,000: Restoring grassland and supporting native flowers

The CI Coop said applications for the next round of funding was due to open in early 2027.

Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook. Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.