Greenham Trust’s Coronavirus Emergency Appeal has received vital funding from the Englefield Charitable Trust to support those in need during the pandemic.
Greenham Trust launched a public appeal on their charitable funding and fundraising platform, The Good Exchange, earlier this year in order to provide emergency funding during the Coronavirus Pandemic.
They have pledged to match up to £200,000 of the funding they receive via The Good Exchange and, at the time of writing, are already 84% of the way to their £500,000 target. Public donations are also gratefully received in order to support those who are more vulnerable during this difficult time.
Along with over 250 public donations, grants have been received from nine organisations, including the Englefield Charitable Trust, and the funds have been distributed to voluntary organisations which support a wide range of community initiatives and organisations, from keeping elderly and vulnerable people fed to helping provide education to young people in Berkshire.
Julian May, Head of Collaborative Funding at The Good Exchange, said: "Thanks to generous contributions from funders such as Englefield Charitable Trust, local businesses and the public via The Good Exchange, Greenham Trust has been able to quickly support local people in urgent need during the pandemic.
"Using The Good Exchange platform, we have been able to join together as a community and rapidly raise almost half a million pounds to help those impacted by COVD-19. We look forward to continuing this great collaboration over the next months and years.”
One of the charities that has been supported by the grant from the Englefield Charitable Trust is the Fair Close Centre, which has been able to extend its Meals on Wheels service enormously to provide meals to vulnerable people.
Since the lockdown began, Fair Close has been delivering nearly 1,000 meals every week, including a full roast dinner on Sundays, thanks to the army of 80 volunteers who deliver meals to the elderly and vulnerable residents in the Newbury area.
Many other charitable organisations have also benefited from the generosity of all the donations, including: No 5 Young People, which has provided urgent telephone support for vulnerable young people struggling with their mental health; Royal School for the Blind, which has offered contract-free activity sessions, gardening equipment and technology; and Newbury Cancer Care, which has been able to offer taxi transport to hospitals for patients.
Catherine Haig, Chair of the Englefield Charitable Trust, said: “The sense of community has never been stronger and we were so pleased to be able to respond to this wonderful initiative by the Greenham Trust and support those needing help at this difficult time.”
The emergency appeal has been backed up by West Berkshire Council’s Community Support Hub. Set up in early March this has helped coordinate the volunteer effort, connecting those in need with those who were offering assistance. More information is available here.
Greenham Trust’s aim is to promote charitable purposes for the benefit of the residents of Newbury and surrounding areas. They support a huge range of charities and groups through their community grants, of which you can apply for on their website.
The Englefield Charitable Trust supports good causes either based in, or active in, Berkshire, together with certain areas of Hackney and Inverness-shire which are also connected with the Englefield Estate. You can find out more here.