Member Article

Coalfields Covid fund delivers lifeline for family support group

An independent family support group struggling to fundraise following the Covid-19 outbreak has been given a lifeline thanks to an £8,072 grant from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust’s new Coalfields COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Fund.

Kidz Aware, a not-for-profit charity, works to ensure that children and adults with a disability have opportunities to achieve their aspirations in life. The team delivers advice, support and training to families across the Wakefield district. The cash boost will cover its running costs, allowing the team to meet the unprecedented demand for its services while also continuing to fundraise.

Gillian Archbold, Diversity Manager at Kidz Aware, comments: “As an independent charity, sixty per cent of our income comes from fundraising. Like many charitable organisations we are struggling to raise the funds that we need to operate due to Covid-19.

“The grant from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust has been a real lifeline at a time when our services are needed the most. The families we work with are already facing immense difficulties, which have been amplified by this pandemic.

“These vital funds have allowed us to focus on delivering our support, while also looking at new and virtual ways to provide our services so that we can continue to help people safely during these challenging times.”

Head of Operations (England) for the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Andy Lock, comments: “Our community-based organisations are in crisis, at a time when demand for their services and support is at an all-time high. So, at the start of lockdown, we altered our funding support to address local needs during this difficult time. This included our COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Fund, which was launched specifically to help eligible community-based organisations just like Kidz Aware.

“We aim to provide financial support to help these services to continue operating during the current crisis. This includes those who have had to significantly adapt their services to respond to the pandemic and still assist vulnerable groups.

Established in 1999, the Coalfields Regeneration Trust is the only organisation dedicated to supporting former mining towns and villages.

Over the years, it has helped more than 2 million people. More than 25,500 people have been supported into work, 5,500 jobs have been created or safeguarded, 1.3 million people have received the necessary support to help improve their skills and gain qualifications and over 250,000 people have participated in activities that have improved their health.

The Coalfields Community Investment Programme, which the Coalfield COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Fund is part of, supports organisations and programmes of activity that meet with three key criteria; to address skills, employment or health and wellbeing.

Now in its fifth year, the Coalfields Community Investment Programme has already awarded more than £2 million to community groups across the UK, delivering initiatives that provide a social impact and positively influence former mining neighbourhoods.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Nick Hill .