Eight deserving causes in Kent receive £30,000 ‘essential lifeline’ from London Gatwick

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

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

The successful recipients included St George’s Community Children’s Project, experts in childcare for more than 30 years, which was given £3,000 for its Assisted Childcare Places Scheme.

St. George’s Childcare Fundraiser Jo Bailey said: “We were absolutely delighted and very grateful to be awarded a grant of £3,000 from the London Gatwick Foundation Fund.

“At St George’s we operate an Assisted Childcare Places Scheme and through this scheme we support families in crisis by offering either free or highly subsidised childcare. When families unexpectedly find themselves in financial hardship or difficult physical or emotional circumstances, we are here to provide help.

“The scheme is funded entirely by grants, donations and grassroots fundraising events and the very generous donation by the London Gatwick Foundation Fund will ensure we can continue to offer financial assistance to families in crisis this year.

“On behalf of St George’s, I would like to offer our sincere thanks to the London Gatwick Foundation Fund for this grant – it really will make a huge difference to the families we support.”

Age UK Sevenoaks and Tonbridge, which works so hard to champion the rights, needs and wishes of older people in the community, received £3,500 towards staff costs for its Information and Advice Service.

Domestic Abuse Volunteer Support Services in West Kent was awarded £4,000 towards the salary of a dedicated volunteer recruitment manager. This important organisation helps any victim of domestic abuse over the age of 16, creating bespoke safety plans, supporting them through the court process, if needed, and helping them begin to rebuild their lives.

Home-Start South West Kent, which supports families in need with young children, received £3,000 towards its core operational costs. Home-Start is a local community network of trained volunteers helping families with young children through their most challenging times. Its volunteers are there for parents when they need them the most.

Eden Christian Trust in Edenbridge which works with children in churches, schools and on the streets to build a sense of community, regardless of faith background, was awarded £3,000 towards the salary of a full-time youth worker.

Sheila Stapleton, trustee at Eden Christian Trust said: “All at the Eden Christian Trust are delighted to receive a grant of £3,000 from the London Gatwick Foundation Fund. It will help us financially in these difficult times and enable us to continue and expand our youth services for our young people in the Edenbridge area.”

Tree of Hope in Tunbridge Wells, a crowdfunding charity that helps children and young people with a disability or illness by providing their families with support in raising the funds they need for specialist care, was awarded £3000 towards core running costs.

West Kent Mediation, which helps people in Tonbridge, Sevenoaks, and Tunbridge Wells use the mediation process to solve conflict, whether that’s in a personal or professional setting, was awarded £3,000 operational funds.

Tonbridge Welcomes Refugees, which works with refugees and asylum seekers, helping them to feel safe and welcome when they join a new community, received £7,500 in support of its essential operations.

Melanie Wrightson, stakeholder engagement manager at London Gatwick, said: “It’s important to us that the people of Kent 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 Kent 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 eight key organisations.”

To apply for the next round of funding from the London Gatwick Foundation Fund in Kent, applicants should apply by the end of Thursday 8 February, 2024.  

To find out more please visit the Kent Community Foundation, which manages the fund on behalf of London Gatwick please visit: https://kentcf.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/.