Welcome help for charities helping the relief effort

Surrey County Council have announced a £100k contribution towards the Community Foundation for Surrey (CFS) to supplement their Coronavirus Response Fund that offers support of up to £5k to smaller charities and voluntary bodies.

Already more than £350k in emergency funding to help our most vulnerable residents has been distributed by The Community Foundation for Surrey (CFS), a philanthropic charity which brings together local donors to support voluntary groups across Surrey providing vital services.

Amongst those receiving a grant in Surrey have been:

Brockham Emergency Response Team (BERT) (pictured below) for the setting up of a food bank in Brockham Church working in partnership with Mid-Surrey Community Fridge and Fare Share.  

Age Concern Mole Valley supporting the costs of its Befriending Service which supports older people, especially in times of crisis.

Oakleaf Enterprise offers work-related training, work experience and wider support to local adults suffering mental ill-health. Funding was awarded for delivering support to vulnerable clients remotely.

Denise Turner-Stewart, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Fire and Resilience said: “At this challenging time it’s humbling to see Surrey communities working in partnership to protect each other.  The voluntary and charity sector have been and continue to play a massive role in these relief efforts as we continue to pull together to protect each other, our communities and particularly our most vulnerable. This funding forms a part of the significant financial support that the council provides in order to ensure that our community groups can continue to deliver their relief efforts.”

The Community Foundation for Surrey Chief Executive, Laura Thurlow said: “It is a privilege for the Community Foundation for Surrey to be able to play our role at this time – to bring together local partners that are keen to assist in this crisis. Since establishing the Fund, it has been a pleasure connecting with our donors and network of supporters across Surrey as we grow this Fund together”.

Further Information

• If businesses or residents are wanting to help, whether financially or by volunteering during the Coronavirus crisis, they should visit the Surrey County Council Community Hub www.surreycc.gov.uk/coronavirus or call the Community Helpline on 0300 200 1008 Monday – Friday 8am – 6pm and Saturday to Sunday 10am-2pm.

• If you are a charity or organisation that is seeking funding from The Community Foundation for Surrey Charity more details are here https://www.cfsurrey.org.uk/

• The total figure raised to date for the Community Foundation for Surrey is £885,000. The figure includes close to £600,000 contributed by local donors, along with £188,000 allocated to CFS for distribution in Surrey from the National Emergencies Trust Appeal.