Christmas came early for causes across in and around Ormskirk recently, when the Co-op revealed a £112,000 festive funding boost.

The money will be shared by 20 organisations, all of whom are making a real difference to communities throughout the region. These include the 1st Ormskirk Scout Group, Amplify Youth Group (pictured), and Southport Soup Kitchen.

This is the latest round of pay outs from the fund generated by Co-op members, and means overall the Co-op has invested more than £218,000 in 68 groups in Ormskirk since the membership scheme launched in September 2016.

Co-op members, who receive a five per cent reward for themselves with a further one per cent going to local causes when they buy own-brand products, have a say in how the money is allocated, and are encouraged to select the organisations they wish to support online.

Rebecca Birkbeck, Director of Community Engagement at the Co-op, said: “Since the launch of the local community fund our members have helped 12,000 organisations to make a positive difference in their neighbourhoods, and in the last 12 months alone we have invested £19m in local causes.

“The fund is now supporting a wide variety of local organisations, from village halls and support groups to education providers and neighbourhood watch schemes, all of which are helping to make Ormskirk a better, happier, and healthier place to live.”

The Co-op has 4.65 million active members, including 1,800,000 recruited since the new scheme began on 21 September 2016, and over one million have already chosen which local group they want to support.