LeicestershireLive joins with charities to help most at risk A £250,000 fund that will mean some of our most isolated, vulnerable people will not be forgotten in the Covid-19 crisis
A£250,000 fundraising drive has been launched to support communities and vulnerable people suffering extreme hardship due to the coronavirus lockdown.
The LeicestershireLive There With You Fund has been established by LeicestershireLive, which features Hinckley Times news online, in partnership with Charity Link and with the support of the Randal Charitable Foundation.
It aims to offer support to those in Leicestershire whose lives have been derailed by the Covid-19 lockdown, by offering small grants, typically in the form of vouchers and household goods, to pay for everyday items that most of us take for granted.
The fund was launched on the back of a grant from the Randal Charitable Foundation, which will see £96,000 made available for grants immediately. It means the fund is already nearly 40 per cent of the way to its target.
The foundation has a clear vision that is to “save lives, help the socially disadvantaged and improve the quality of life for those in need in the UK and around the world”.
One of its trustees said: “The speed at which the Covid-19 pandemic has spread is something that has taken everyone by surprise, and has turned lives upside down.
“This has inevitably affected some people in our communities more than others, which is why the There With You Fund is such a great idea.”
To help support people in need immediately, as well as after the peak of the pandemic has passed, a funding model has been set up, whereby people can become individual donors by logging on to a Just Giving page. Alternatively, organisations can become business donors by calling Charity Link direct.
George Oliver, editor of the Leicester Mercury and LeicestershireLive, said: “The remarkable generosity of the Randal Charitable Foundation means that some of Leicestershire’s most isolated, vulnerable and atrisk people will have increased support available during coronavirus.
“It also means some of those who don’t have neighbours or family to look out for them are not left behind, and that those working within our already stretched public and charity sectors have another tool with which to help those most in need.
“But this is not the end of the matter. Rather it is merely the beginning.
“Our goal now is to continue building momentum with this fund and ensure more support for our city and county’s most vulnerable.”