London Gatwick supports good causes in Kent

Kent community groups were jumping for joy this week as London Gatwick announced the recipients of £30,000 from the second round of the London Gatwick Foundation Fund of 2024, across Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks.

Among the seven good causes which benefited from a financial boost were Life and Soul Youth Work in Tunbridge Wells, which received £6,000 to put towards its annual core costs.

The group works with children and young people aged 5-18, delivering one-to-one mentoring and resilience workshops in primary and secondary schools.

Sarah Finch, CEO, Life and Soul, said: “We are so grateful to the London Gatwick Foundation Fund for its generous grant towards the work of Life & Soul. Demand for our services is increasing rapidly and this money will go a long way towards enabling us to train and deploy new volunteer mentors and to provide mentoring for young people in more schools.”

St Philip's Church Community Larder in Tunbridge Wells benefitted from a £5,000 donation towards the cost of its food larder, which helps to feed around 250 people a week who can visit without the need for a referral from a professional body.

Compaid Trust in Tunbridge Wells received £4,000 towards its annual core costs, which will help it continue to provide services helping disabled, older and other vulnerable people to overcome the barriers of social and digital exclusion with digital skills training and accessible transport services.

Steve Sherry, chief executive at Compaid said: “A big thank you to the London Gatwick Foundation Fund for its generous support. This grant will make a tangible difference in the lives of many elderly and disabled individuals who rely on our transport services. With this funding, we can reach more people in need, reduce isolation, and improve overall wellbeing in our community.

“Accessible transport is a lifeline for many of Compaid’s passengers, who often live in rural areas with limited public transport options. The service not only provides practical assistance but also offers social interaction and a sense of independence.”

Restore Counselling Training and Related Services in Tunbridge Wells will spend its £2,500 towards the supervision costs of counsellors. The charity provides services such as one-to-one counselling and child-parent relationship therapy at an affordable cost.

Therapeutic Equine Assisted Learning CIC in Edenbridge and Sevenoaks received £5,000 towards its annual core costs.

Toc H High Brooms will use the £5,000 it received to provide support for low-income families from its hub in the village. The charity has been providing regular activities for people in High Brooms including Youth Boxing and Sew and Chat, as well as wide variety of one-off events such as family fun days and community lunches.

Finally, Tonbridge Counselling Service received £2,500 towards an assisted places scheme, as it continues to offer professional and affordable counselling to the area.

Melanie Wrightson, stakeholder engagement manager at London Gatwick, said: “We love making a difference to our local community through the London Gatwick Foundation Fund, which has helped hundreds of good causes over the years.

“We can’t wait to hear updates from the charities and community projects we have supported this year about their completed projects.

“We encourage all community groups and charities to apply for the next round of funding to enable us to lend a helping hand.”

Each year there are three rounds of grants, totalling £100,000, which are made available to beneficiaries in Kent, across the area of benefit which covers Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks.

The London Gatwick Foundation Fund was set up in 2016 to award funding to local groups that work to fight social isolation and tackle disadvantage, raise aspirations and develop skills, improve health and wellbeing, and support children and young people.

The London Gatwick Foundation Fund is managed on behalf of London Gatwick in Kent by the Kent Community Foundation.

To apply for funding from the Gatwick Foundation Fund in Kent, please go to: https://kentcf.org.uk/

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Editors notes

For further information, please contact:

Tom Bushby, Samantha Clark or Flo Powell

Midnight Communications

Tel: 01273 666 200

Email: gatwick@midnight.co.uk

Notes to editors:

About London Gatwick Foundation Fund

The London Gatwick Foundation Fund is managed by individual Community Foundations for Kent, Sussex and Surrey on behalf of London Gatwick, which oversees the programme and assesses all applications.

Each year, there are three rounds of grants, which are split equally between Sussex, Surrey and Kent.

Since it was founded in 2016, the London Gatwick Foundation Fund has made more than £1.7m in donations, which support local grassroots community and voluntary projects that make a difference to people’s lives and meet local need.

It operates in Sussex across Crawley, Horsham, Mid Sussex and Wealden, in Surrey across Reigate and Banstead, Tandridge and Mole Valley, and in Kent across Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks.

For more information visit: https://www.gatwickairport.com/company/community/funding.html