£35,000 for groups helping communities through Covid-19 – and more is available
Published: Monday, 18 May, 2020
Community groups and organisations which are helping people most in need are being boosted by a £100,000 fund set up by Stroud District Council and Gloucestershire County Council.
The Stroud District Community Resilience Fund is part of the council’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and so far £35,216 has been granted to 38 local organisations and community groups.
Stroud District Council has set aside £50,000 and Gloucestershire County Council has matched this.
Councillor Mattie Ross, Chair of Stroud District Council’s Community Services and Licensing Committee paid tribute to local groups and organisations which are making a real difference at a local level.
“An extraordinary number of specialist groups have been set up to help the most vulnerable during this crisis, and other specialist organisations are turning their expertise to helping others,” she said. “There is an incredible will to help others in our communities, and we want to support that. I am proud of the way the council is responding to the pandemic and this is another way of ensuring help reaches those who need it.”
Organisations in the Stroud district which have been awarded grants so far are:
Paganhill Community Group, Coopers Edge Trust, Gloucestershire Counselling Service, Stroud District Ring & Ride/Voluntary Car Scheme, Wotton Area Mutual Aid, Painswick Covid19 Community Response, The Door, Berkeley and Surrounding Area Covid 19 Community Support Group, GL11 Community Hub - Covid Volunteer Response, GL11 Community Hub - Remote Working Bid, Nailsworth Town Council - Covid volunteer response, Eastington Coronavirus Community Volunteers, Severn Vale Community Kitchen, Oakridge Community Coronavirus Support Network, Bisley Coronavirus Community Support Group, World Jungle - Online Health and Wellbeing Support, Allsorts - Family Support Worker, Clean Slate - Money and Benefits Support Charity, Uplands and Slad Road COVID-19 Support, Rodborough Community Mutual Aid Network (RCMAN), Frampton on Severn Parish Council, Whiteshill and Ruscombe Parish Council, Tresham Village website, Brimscombe and Thrupp Parish Council, Slimbridge Parish Council, Furniture Bank, Creative Sustainability, Kids Stuff, Nailsworth Chamber of Commerce Food, Woodchester Parish Council, Gloucestershire Counselling Service - Concessionary Counselling, Stroud Coronavirus Community Response, Homestart, Chalford Parish Council, The Listening Post. Berkeley & Surrounding Area Convid-19 Community Support Group, and Hardwicke Parish Council.
Organisations can apply for up to £1,000 but if more funding is needed, this will be considered. The fund is not for mainstream activities of an organisation such as ongoing spending commitments including salaries and administration costs or to create an ongoing funding commitment from the council. The funding can only be used for expenditure in relation to the Covid-19 Crisis including but not exclusively:
- Setting up of community floats to purchase food and essential supplies for vulnerable people and families
- Development of digital/virtual support – equipment such as mobile phones or tablets
- Expenses incurred by volunteers such as petrol
- Developing infrastructure to support vulnerable people
Keep up to date with the council’s response to the pandemic on www.stroud.gov.uk/coronavirus , www.facebook.com/strouddc, @StroudDC on Twitter and Stroud District Council on Instagram