COMMUNITY groups in the borough have been given a £26,000 funding boost in a supermarket's latest round of investments to good causes.

Leigh Caring Kitchen, Resolutions, the Homeless Support Project and St Ann's Hospice are among the 11 organisations who were awarded money from Co-op's local community fund in time for Christmas.

Since it was launched in September 2016, £62,000 has been presented to groups in the Leigh area.

Director of community and campaigns at the Co-op Rufus Olins said: "Making a positive contribution and great things happen locally has always been at the heart of company's purpose and the local community fund is a good modern example of this.

"Along with our members, we are proud to be making a difference to hundreds, if not thousands, of local lives."

The supermarket has managed to raise £20 million in England since the scheme was launched helping 8,000 causes in the process.

Mr Olins added: "This is not just about giving money, it is about developing relationships with good causes in local communities, and over the past year we have been touched by hundreds of ways in which people have made their own communities better places to be.”

Money is raised from the scheme when shoppers who are signed up to the supermarket's membership scheme buy branded Co-op products from food stores or funeral products from its Funeralcare service.

As well as earning a five per cent reward for themselves, a further one per cent goes to a good cause of their own choice which they can select by logging on to coop.co.uk/membership.

Customers can also do the same for online electrical items too.