New report shows impact of £1 million Covid-19 Response
Our newly published Covid-19 Response Report outlines the remarkable response by charities and community groups across Wiltshire and Swindon to the pandemic and the generosity of individuals, companies, trusts and organisations who helped to raise over £1 million to support this vital work.
It also highlights the work we have done as a foundation to adapt our ways of working, secure additional funding and forge new partnerships to ensure that we could direct our funding, guidance and knowledge to the areas of greatest need, supporting the most vulnerable in our communities.
On 20 March 2020, acknowledging the vital role the voluntary and community sector would play in supporting people through this crisis, we launched the Wiltshire and Swindon Coronavirus Response Fund. The first grants from this fund were distributed on 30 March 2020. We are proud to report that by the end of December 2020, we had awarded 265 grants to 199 different charities and community groups, helping almost 150,000 people across Wiltshire and Swindon.
Commenting on the report our Joint Chief Executive Fiona Oliver said: “The last 12 months have significantly impacted everyone’s lives. It has been a time of sadness, anxiety and uncertainty but equally there has been an inspirational uprising of community support. We have seen new community groups emerge, responding to local need and working alongside well-established groups who have shown great resilience, innovation and flexibility in order to deliver their services.
We have also been humbled by our donors who have responded so generously and many of them on multiple occasions.
“Our Covid-19 Report provides an insight into our response to the pandemic, its impact on people and communities in Wiltshire and Swindon and the multitude of community groups and organisations that have been working so hard to support them.
“So much has been achieved in this last year but sadly the pandemic continues to take its toll and grassroots groups all over the county need our support more than ever. In a recent survey, 62% of charities and community groups in Wiltshire reported declining income due to cancelled fundraising events and loss of retail sales. That is why our Wiltshire and Swindon Coronavirus Appeal will continue throughout 2021 and as a foundation we have committed to investing £10 million in our local communities by 2025. This support will not only enable our voluntary and charity to respond to the ongoing crisis but build back stronger than ever.”
You can read our Covid-19 Response Report here and more details of how you can support the Wiltshire and Swindon Coronavirus Appeal are available here