Co-op members raise £2,100 for Friends of Hopwood Park

The Friends of Hopwood Park were presented with a cheque for £2,113.59 towards their bus shelter renovations

The Friends of Hopwood Park were presented with a cheque for £2,113.59 on Saturday (25 November) by the local Co-op store on Coronation Avenue.

The money, raised by Co-op members through the local charity cause scheme, will help the Friends complete renovations to the bus shelter.

The local community fund works by donating 1% of the money spent on selected own-brand products by Co-op members towards a cause.

Shoppers can select their own cause to benefit from their 1%, and any money raised by members who don’t select a cause is added to the money raised from shopping bag sales. This is shared equally between the causes in their local area.

Sandra Trickett, Chairwoman of the Friends, said: “This donation will be a massive help to completing the bus shelter renovation.

"We would like to thank all Co-op members supporting our cause, Keela Walsh of The Co-op Group, Jarreth James the Co-op Manager and staff at the Co-op, Coronation Avenue, Hopwood for their continued support.”

The bus shelter is set to re-open in 2018 as The Tree House Café and has undergone extensive repairs as part of its transformation. So far, the Friends have completed all external repairs – new roof, windows, doors, shutters plus all brickwork repairs and pointing – making the building watertight, secure and “much better looking”, according to Sandra.

The next step is preparing the building for the electricity connection, and then a complete rewire in the new year.

Sandra added: “Our aim is to be open for late spring or early summer, all being well.”

Over the last year the park has seen the reopening of Hopwood Cabin, a picnic area, new paths to improve disabled access, improved lighting and drainage facilities, plus landscaping and enhancements.