Six local organisations providing vital support - including virtual sessions for unpaid carers, support for families who have lost a child to cancer, a dedicated caseworker and a Covid-safe exercise space have received funding from Richmond Council.
Councillors have given final approval to grants allocated to community projects tackling the local impact of the Coronavirus crisis.
The £100,000 Covid-19 Response Fund was set up as part of the Council’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. The aim is to get money quickly to organisations that are on the ground now helping vulnerable people through the crisis.
Members have already approved awards to eight organisations, and now six more are set to receive funding.
These are:
- Barn Elms Sports Trust - To provide a safe, monitored area for the local community to undertake their daily exercise
- Crossroads Care Richmond and Kingston - A contribution towards the salary for a regulated senior caseworker to support the change in service during Covid-19.
- Momentum Children’s Charity - To provide virtual support sessions for families whose child has cancer, a life-challenging condition or has recently died
- Richmond Borough Mind - To provide resilience training to the voluntary sector, key workers and small local businesses
- St Augustine’s Community Care Trust (Homelink) - To establish a new remote/virtual support service for carers.
- Vineyard Community Centre - A contribution towards the Foodbank volunteer costs.
Projects are chosen that will have an immediate, positive impact. Priority is given to those organisations already working with the people of Richmond who face a sudden increase in demand for their services, or who need to adapt to new ways of working.
This funding is in addition to other available grants - including Civic Pride.
Further grants will be announced over the next few weeks.
Cllr Michael Wilson, Chair of the Equality, Communities and Voluntary Sector Committee, said:
“We are blessed with so many local groups and organisations that are still doing incredible work to support vulnerable people during this crisis.
“This is our biggest round of grants to date - with over £29k being awarded to these local organisations.
“Our emergency fund has been set up in recognition that this is an unexpected pressure for many services and the extra financial support is vital.”
More bids continue to be submitted and the Council is reviewing them regularly in order to get funding out to organisations as quickly as possible.
– from a Richmond Council press release - 24 June 2020