1st February 2012

BRIDPORT: Dance group secure Co-op grant

MEMBERS of a community dance group are jumping for joy after securing a cash boost.

Bridport Youth Dance received a £500 cash injection from the Co-operative’s Community Fund to help them put on next month’s production of Tapistory.

The three-day production will feature 50 of the group’s 90 members who range from five to 20-years-old.

The money will help pay for choreographers, musicians and teachers in the lead up to the show.

Nikki Northover, from Bridport Youth Dance, said the group relied on donations to put on productions since they were hit by cuts in Arts Council funding.

The group’s founder said: “We are very grateful to the Co-operative for this award, which has made a real difference to the preparation of our spring show.

“We do raise our own money, always, but because of cuts to the Arts Council we are relying much more on picking up money such as this because it costs so much to put on a production, around £7,000.

“The dancers put so much effort into rehearsals so it is important that we can do them justice on the artistic side of things.

“This money from the Co-operative really does make it happen for the young people.”

Tapistory will be performed on March 1st, 2nd and 3rd at the Bridport Arts Centre.

Members of the Co-operative Group elect to donate all, or part, of their twice-yearly dividend payments directly to the Community Fund.

The funds are then shared among local community projects and groups, such as Bridport Youth Dance.

Around £600,000 is made available to the region’s community groups through the Community Fund each year.

Applications from local groups hoping to get up to a £2,000 share of the funding pot are always welcome, said Paul Kimber, from the Co-operative’s Wiltshire and Dorset Area Committee.

Community Fund application forms are available online at www.co-operative.coop /communityfund or by phoning 0844 262 4001.

Awards are allocated by local Co-operative members’ committees, based on a set of values and principles such as social responsibility and caring for others.

PICTURE: Bridport Youth Dance

BRIDPORT: Dance group secure Co-op grant

BRIDPORT: Dance group secure Co-op grant

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