The Co-op Local Community Fund has raised £1,200 for Diverse Abilities’ STARs service, with two months of fundraising remaining. 

STARs is the charity’s support and advice service for siblings of children with special education needs. It’s a 12-week programme for children aged eight to 16, meeting on Thursday evenings between 4.30pm and 6.30pm. The charity aims to reduce pressure the siblings are under by providing an environment where they can access support and advice, but also take part in fun activities, make friends, and be themselves. 

Clare Rochford, manager of STARs, commented: “It’s tough being an SEN sibling, as well as the usual challenges of growing up, they also often receive less attention from parents and have more worries and responsibilities than their peers. 

“It’s important to provide an opportunity that enables young people to realise they are not alone, hopefully giving them a support network which will last far longer than the time they attend our sessions, as being a sibling never ends.”

STARs continues to be one of the Co-op Local Community Fund charities until Saturday, October 22, 2022, where 2p in every £1 spent by Co-op members is deposited into an account that is split equally between the Local Community Fund and the Community Partnerships Fund. More than £84million has been raised for over 25,000 causes since 2016. The charity aims to reach its target of £2,500 by the end of the campaign, and urges supporters to select STARs as their chosen charity when they shop at the Co-op. 

Emma Bovey, fundraising officer at Diverse Abilities, added: “We want to say a huge thank you to everyone across all the Co-op teams for their support of our STARs sibling service so far. Everyone get on down to the Co-op, become a member, and help causes that are right on your doorstep and desperately need your support.” 

Co-op members can visit https://membership.coop.co.uk/causes/59371 to select Diverse Abilities as their chosen cause, or select the charity within the membership app, and generate fundraising for the service no matter which branch they shop in. 

The Poole branches supporting STARs are Poole Ashley Road, Parkstone, Good Road, Petrol Lilliput, Ashley Cross, and the Funeralcare branch in Parkstone.