NHDC awards COVID-19 grants for community groups

PR Date: Monday, 29 June 2020 - 11:00am

Fourteen community and voluntary organisations have been awarded grants from the North Herts District Council’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) Community Support Fund.

Grants allocated from the fund so far total nearly £60,000.

The fund has been set up to help community and voluntary organisations in North Herts who are supporting the districts most vulnerable residents.

Projects which have benefitted so far include:

• Age UK Hertfordshire: £4000 to provide mobile phones and tablets for vulnerable and socially isolated older people
• Headway Hertfordshire: £,2000 to assist with the uplift in demand for services due to Coronavirus
• Keech Hospice Care: £1,500 to provide specialist, holistic care to children and their families.  
• The Need Project: £5,000 to provide food for those in food poverty
• Christians against poverty: £3,500 to deal with increase in demand for the Debt Centre service
• Homestart Hertfordshire: £5,000 to provide assistance with the costs of supporting 23 vulnerable families across North Herts
• Growing People: £2,504 to run a horticultural programme to support adults with mental health issues
• Howard Garden Social Centre: £2,400 to enable the day centre to maintain a service for its users
• Ickleford Community Larder Assistance: £2,000 to assist with costs such as the purchase of food, delivery costs and promotional materials
• Letchworth Food Bank: £4,000 to purchase supermarket food vouchers.
• Hitchin Food Provision team: up to £18,254 to purchase supermarket food vouchers
• North Herts Emotional Support in Schools Project: £5000 for running on-line and telephone counselling services
• Homestart Royston Project: £1885 to run a counselling services for families in Royston
• Baldock Coronavirus Support Group: £2000 to provide food boxes to those in need, a hardship fund for victims of domestic violence and fund to support projects to enhance mental health

Councillor Judi Billing, NHDC’s Executive Member for Community Engagement said: “Community and voluntary groups across the district are doing incredible work to support vulnerable people during this crisis.

“Groups have reacted quickly and come up with creative ideas so they can carry on helping the people who need them.” 

Cllr Ian Albert, NHDC’s Executive Member for Finance and IT said: “Our emergency fund has been set up in recognition that the pandemic has placed unexpected financial pressures on many services and local groups. The extra financial support from North Herts Council will be vital.”

How to apply

Complete an application form on our website: https://www.north-herts.gov.uk/home/community/grants/coronavirus-community-support-fund

Read the Community Support Fund policy and criteria fully before completing an application form. Completed applications will be reviewed by Community Team staff to check eligibility. You may be contacted for more information after applying and a decision-making panel will make recommendations based on the fund’s criteria and the budget available.  

For more information, contact the Community Engagement Team by emailing: community@north-herts.gov.uk