How £5k spells a very happy Christmas for the users of one Devon community centre

The Strand Centre in Dawlish brings locals together for a host of reasons. Now its efforts have been recognised with a cash award from Co-op’s Winner Shares It All prize draw

A warm place, a good meal and a few kindhearted people can have an amazing effect. If you need proof, just drop in at the Strand Centre in the seaside town of Dawlish.

Here, Barrie Cooper and his colleagues provide food, friendship and support for the local community, and they’re doing it with the help of Co-op Members.

Opened in 2011, the centre, run by the Strand Community Trust, is a multipurpose community hub. “It’s a space for the people of Dawlish to meet,” says Barrie, its chair of trustees.

“It serves many purposes. We provide good-value, high-quality food and drink. It’s a warm space. And we also have a food bank and provision for people who are homeless. It’s really just somewhere for people to come, whatever their purpose.”

Barrie adds that in recent years, as the cost of living has skyrocketed, the services the centre provides have become more and more vital. “We’re getting lots more people coming in looking for support.”

The food bank, for example, now helps at least 30 families per week.

“What we’re seeing is that it’s not just affecting the poorest families, but some who would have been considered well off,” Barrie says. “Having a full-time job is not necessarily enough.”

The centre is not just there to provide food and warmth, however. It’s also a place for locals to connect.

Regular entertainment evenings, craft fairs, farmers’ markets, and weekly meet-ups for all sorts of groups – including those with special needs – makes it a thriving part of the community, where all manner of people, who might otherwise never cross paths, come together.

“Walking into the centre and seeing the atmosphere, hearing everyone chatting away, it’s fantastic,” says Barrie. “We get all different ages and demographics mixing together.”

The Strand Community Trust is just one of many organisations to have benefited from Co-op’s Winner Shares All prize draw.

Each month 10 Co-op members are picked to win the £5,000 cash prize for their chosen Local Community Fund cause. They also receive £500 for themselves.

If you want to take part in future Winner Shares It All prize draws, it couldn’t be simpler. Sign up to become a Co-op Member, either online or via the app. It costs just £1, which also gives you access to loads of members-only prices.

Once you’re a member, select a Local Community Fund cause of your choice, and every time you spend £5 or more, online or in-store – remember to scan your membership card – you’ll be entered into the Winner Shares It All prize draw.

Since 2020 Co-op has shared over £58million with 20,500 local causes. It’s all part of the company’s commitment to supporting grassroots groups improving lives across the UK.

“It was just amazing when we were chosen,” says Barrie. “It really is transformative for the community.

“The money means that over the festive period we can put a whole host of events on.

"We’re going to have a Christmas lunch at the centre for 100 people, and from Christmas to New Year we’ll have free refreshments for people who are alone and want to come in either for some support or just to see a friendly face.

"We’ll also be using some of the money to improve our disabled access, such as getting a stairlift to rooms on the upper floor.”

Start changing local lives with your next shop

1. Choose your Local Community Fund cause via the Co-op website or in the app

2. Pop into a Co-op near you and spend £5, or buy online via shop.coop.co.uk

3. Members get an entry for every £5 spent

4. Scan your membership card at the till and you will automatically be entered for a chance to win big for you and your community

Find out more at coop.co.uk/communities

^{*UK, 18+. Co-op members only, 10/04/24-31/12/24. Co-op Group food stores and web purchases only, excludes independent co-operatives. Full Ts&Cs at coop.co.uk/terms/winners-share-it-all}