Maidenhead Advertiser

Grant helps families buy food and other essentials

Maidenhead: Link Foundation providing much-needed supermarke­t vouchers

- By George Roberts george@baylismedi­a.co.uk @GeorgeR_BM

Some of Maidenhead’s most disadvanta­ged families have been able to access fresh food and other essentials thanks to a donation from the Advertiser’s owner.

The Link Foundation has received a £2,000 grant from the Louis Baylis trust, which it used in January to give supermarke­t vouchers to the most disadvanta­ged people in the Marlow and Maidenhead areas.

The charity also used the money to give families Argos vouchers, which were used to get laptops and tablets to help with schoolwork, and in some cases for fridges and freezers, which many of the most hardup families have been struggling without.

Una Loughrey, chair of the Link Foundation, said: “Its unbelievab­le to see how many families are coping without a fridge or freezer.

“The idea that you have four or five children without a fridge for fresh food, I don’t know how they can cope.

“It grinds you down. A lot of these people have been ground down.”

With help from the Baylis Trust, The Link Foundation has been able to support these people and help them get through life a little easier.

The charity is also reliant on its loyal volunteers, who Una thanked for their help delivering the vouchers to those who needed them most, and for offering their help and support to others.

With many of the charity’s fundraisin­g efforts cancelled when the first lockdown began, it has ad to get a little creative when raising funds for people who need help.

Last week, fitness instructor Helena Shirley volunteere­d to run a fundraisin­g yoga session over Zoom, with more than 100 people donating £5 to join in.

Una added: “It was just a marvellous time.

“It’s a lovely story of how people want to help us.”

 ??  ?? The Link Foundation was one of the trust beneficiar­ies which met the Earl of Wessex when he visited the Advertiser’s offices to mark its 150th anniversar­y in 2019. Ref:132186-49
The Link Foundation was one of the trust beneficiar­ies which met the Earl of Wessex when he visited the Advertiser’s offices to mark its 150th anniversar­y in 2019. Ref:132186-49

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom