Six local community centres run by local charities have been awarded grants to help them purchase PPE and other items to help them be Covid-safe when they open.
Last month the Council set up the Community Centre Covid-19 Support Fund, to help local centres access funding to buy protective equipment, enabling adherence to social distancing and Public Health England’s guidelines in their venues.
All local centres were invited to apply for funding to help them buy Personal Protective Equipment, hand-sanitiser, client face masks, health and safety signage, Perspex partitioning and additional cleaning equipment.
Six local centres applied and have subsequently been granted funding. This includes:
- Cambrian Community Centre
- Castelnau Community Centre
- ETNA Community Centre
- Greenwood Centre
- Mortlake Community Centre
- Whitton Community Centre
Cllr Michael Wilson, Lead Member for Communities, Equalities and the Voluntary Sector for Richmond Council, said:
“Our community centres play a vital role across our borough. All our centres are run by local voluntary organisations. They provide a vast array of services and activities - including foodbanks, health classes, exercise and adult learning workshops.
“They all aim to unite communities, and provide a venue for people to connect, socialise, learn or access help and support.
“As centres reopen, we want them to be able to do so safely. Therefore, these small grants are our way of helping them pay for vital safety equipment - that will keep their staff, volunteers and their visitors safe.”
– from a Richmond Council press release - 15 December 2020