THE CO-OP has donated more than £125,000 to good causes across south Essex in the lead-up to Christmas.

The company is giving 42 good causes and organisations a total of £127,000 in donations to help boost funding over the festive period.

Rufus Olins, director of community and campaigns at the Co-op, said: “It’s great to be delivering an early Christmas present to those communities and individuals that need it most.

“Making a positive contribution and making great things happen locally has been at the heart of the Co-op’s purpose since 1844, and the local community fund is a good modern example of this.

“Along with our members, we’re proud to be making a difference to hundreds, if not thousands, of local lives.”

The huge funding boost will be going to organisations throughout south Essex including the Massive Youth Project, Rayleigh Town Museum, and Basildon Community Resource Centre.

The donations to the good causes will provide an average funding boost of around £3,000 to each organisation.

The Massive Youth Project itself was presented with a huge donation of £3,416 from the Co-op as part of the new campaign.

Rayleigh Town Museum is also set to receive an early Christmas present, totalling £2,780.

The museum applied for the donation after reading about the Co-op’s community fund in the Echo.

Mike Davies, chairman of the museum, said: “I saw an editorial piece in The Echo about six months ago, saying that the Co-op community fund was looking for good causes to help fund.

“We got in contact with the Co-op, sent in an application form and a month later we were told that we were one of the lucky groups.

“Our reason for the application was in order to keep maintaining the Echo photo archives, which contains hundreds of thousands of pictures from more than a century of south Essex’s history.

“It is absolutely lovely that we had the opportunity to receive the funds, I have sent a letter to the Co-op to thank them for what they have done.”

The Co-op, which has 4.6 million active members has been donating very generously to groups in Essex for more than a year.

Since September 2016, the company has donated £237,000 to groups across the county.

The money for the causes is raised from community donations and through the 5p charge for plastic bags that the Co-op sells.

Mr Olins added: “Since the scheme launched, Co-op members have helped to raise an amazing £20million for 8,000 causes nationally.

“However, we want to do more, so the more people shop, the more good causes can earn.

“However, this is not just about giving money, it is about developing relationships with good causes in local communities.

“Over the past year, we have been touched by hundreds of ways in which people have made their own communities better places to be.”

The Co-op fund is set to provide all the donations before Christmas Day.

The funds will allow for these organisations to continue helping their communities and make sure that everyone of them feels the festive spirit over the rest of the Christmas period.

The Echo would like to hear your stories for our Caring at Christmas campaign.

The stories so far have been incredibly heart warming, and we hope to receive many more from you.

We always hope to show the good that the people of Basildon, Southend and Canvey are doing throughout this festive season.

Do you know someone who is making a difference this Christmas?

Share their story with our reporter Sam Drury, email sam.drury@newsquest.co.uk or call 01268 469292.