Community groups in Stretton and Rosliston could be awarded up to £2,000 as part of a scheme which grants funding to local charities.

Nominations are now open for the Community Dividend Fund which will see both Stretton and Rosliston Co-op convenience stores raise funds for charities who need it most. In the past eight years, the Community Dividend Fund has handed out over £80,000 to good causes.

Co-op customers generously donate the dividends earned on their purchases to top up the fund every year. Each store adopts a particular cause in its neighbourhood to support based on the nominations it receives.

The organisations currently being supported in the Burton area are: Friends of Fountain Special School, nominated by Stretton customers, and Coton-in-the Elms Community Centre, nominated by Rosliston.

Grants awarded range from about £200 to £2,000, with around £10,000 handed out annually to a variety of clubs and charities, as well as schools and churches.

Marina Hutton, manager of the Stretton Co-op convenience store in James Brindley Way, said: "The Community Dividend Fund plays an important part in providing support to grassroots organisations.

"We're particularly keen to help groups that enrich the day-to-day lives of the communities they serve, either socially or educationally – for example, a playgroup, a school, a club for the elderly or a special interest group."

Members and non-members can nominate any local organisation. It must be near the store they visit and should not be in the private sector or for profit. Any previous recipients will be ineligible for further support for a three-year period.

Application forms are available from the Stretton Co-op store in James Brindley Way, Stretton Park, and Rosliston Co-op in Main Street. The closing date is November 26.