Five deserving causes in Sussex receive £30,000 ‘essential lifeline’ from London Gatwick

London Gatwick has delivered a fresh cash injection for five of the most deserving organisations and special causes in the county just in time for Christmas.

This latest wave of financial awards totalling nearly £30,000, is part of the ongoing London Gatwick Foundation Fund initiative, which includes three rounds of funding every year.

The successful recipients include Crowborough Community Pantry, which aims to address food poverty and reduce food waste.

It was given £5,000 funding towards establishing a base with storage facilities. The innovative organisation also works to support the local community in developing equitable solutions to wider sustainability challenges.

Jo Stonebrook, chair of Crowborough Community Pantry: said: “We are so grateful for this grant from the London Gatwick Foundation Fund, which will really help improve and further promote the Community Pantry in our local area. This will help us to feed even more families throughout the current difficult times, while also saving an enormous amount of food from being wasted.”

Home-Start CHAMS, which supports young families with children under five in Crawley, Horsham and Mid Sussex, received £10,000 towards its operational costs. The money will go towards offering a wide array of support for families, especially those experiencing crisis and breakdown, helping to ensure that the children don’t suffer.

The Garden Army, which looks after people living with mental health and wellbeing needs in Mid Sussex, was awarded £5,000 to help improve accessibility. Located on a farm in Mid Sussex, the organisation welcomes and provides local people with the opportunity to experience the beneficial effects of working on the land, including getting fresh air and exercise and working with a sense of purpose.

Crawley Community Action, an organisation that tackles health and social inequalities, received £5,375 towards its staffing costs. It delivers a range of support services and collaborates with partners across the voluntary, corporate and statutory sectors.

Finally, the Crawley CAP Centre, which offers in-home debt counselling and financial planning, was awarded £4,625 towards operational costs. It works closely with people in the community to help them find resolutions to their financial problems and plan for a more secure future.

Melanie Wrightson, stakeholder engagement manager at London Gatwick, said: “It’s important to us that the people of Sussex experience the positive effects of being near one of the nation’s most important transport hubs.

“The London Gatwick Foundation Fund’s role is more important than ever right now as a result of the cost-of-living crisis. So many charities and support organisations in Sussex are experiencing a fall in income as well as rising operational costs. We’re very pleased to be able to offer an essential lifeline to five key organisations.”

The deadline to apply for the next round of funding from the London Gatwick Foundation Fund in Sussex is Friday 5 January 2024 with decisions expected in March 2024.

To apply for funding from the London Gatwick Foundation Fund which is managed by the Sussex Community Foundation on behalf of London Gatwick please go to: https://sussexgiving.org.uk/

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Editors notes

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 £1m 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 the Mole Valley area, and in Kent across Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks.

For more information, visit: https://www.gatwickairport.com/business-community/community/our-support/foundation-fund/.