More than £15,500 has been shared between good causes across Norfolk and Suffolk during the Coronavirus outbreak.

Central England Co-Op’s Community Dividend Fund has made the donations in a bid to ensure events, activities and support that might otherwise have been postponed or cancelled can still go ahead to boost the local community.

Among the beneficiaries is the Black Dog Judo Club, based in Bungay, who will use the £4,950 grant to pay for a brand new specialist floor to ensure the centre can reopen safely following lockdown.

Mark Purlland, from the club which has more than 500 users aged from two to 92, said: “We are so chuffed and very thankful to Co-Op for their generosity and understanding of our communtiy project.”

Ellingham Primary School, in Bungay, has also been recognised, with the fund handing over £2,080 to help pay for vital safety equipment to ensure the children of key workers still at school can continue using outdoor activity equipment.

In Halesworth, a £480 notice board has been funded by the Community Dividend Fund for Saxons Way Allotments to support a boom in people being interested in growing their own food.

Harleston Magpies Hockey Club have also been handed £2,400 to plug a fundraising gap left unfilled due to the Coronavirus outbreak, which will enable them to buy new bespoke kits.

Other groups include the Rescue Wooden Boars Maritime Heritage Centre, based in Wells, which will use £3,000 to extend the life of one of its ships providing vital community and history benefits, while the 12th King’s Lynn Scout Group will use £2,830 to transform their scout hut into an information and communication suite.

Debbie Robinson, Central England Co-Op chief executive, said: “Now, more than ever, being a co-operative business that sits at the heart of our communities is so important..

“We are delighted that these great projects and good causes have been handed a grant that will allow them to continue their fantastic work in the community at this uncertain time.

“Grants like this showcase how, by being a member and shopping at your local Co-Op store, allows us, as a society, to continue to invest and fund vital projects in the area.”