London Gatwick Foundation Fund awards £30,000 to Sussex causes

London Gatwick has donated a total of £30,000 to deserving causes throughout the Sussex region.

A total of six deserving groups have been handed a lifeline, which means they can continue to build better communities, support young people and those with additional needs, and improve the health and wellbeing of thousands of people.

Melanie Wrightson, stakeholder engagement manager at London Gatwick, said: “We are so happy to be in a position to help such worthy causes in Sussex.

“The past few years have been especially difficult for so many of the charities and support organisations that work incredibly hard to help people in need.

“These financial awards will go a long way to making sure that the essential services they provide remain accessible to those that benefit from them the most.”

The organisations that are set to receive these life-changing payouts include Relate West Sussex in Crawley which has benefited from £4,700 to provide counselling for couples, individuals, families and children and young people, aged 11 to 19. Funding will go towards staff training and counselling sessions.

Crawley Jumma Group now has £555 towards the cost of a new support group for Asian women and Broadfield Community Centre in Crawley has received £5,000 to help pay for staff and core costs.

The Springboard Project in Horsham has benefited from £8,486 to support its work with children, young people and families by offering support, inclusive play and leisure opportunities. Funding will enable it to increase the capacity of sessions delivered for children and young people (CYP), aged 6-18 years, with special educational needs and disabilities in Horsham.

Vickie Harvey, fundraising and communications manager at the Springboard Project said: “The funding will make such a difference to the children, young people and families that we support. It will enable us to increase the capacity at sessions, taking more children that require 1:1 or 2:1 support, giving them a more regular break.”

Engage has received £4,764 which it will use to provide socialisation opportunities for rural older and vulnerable people through the TN22 club and TN22 dementia Plus club, offering carers' respite in the Wealden Area. Funding will be used to cover staff, volunteer, venue hire and activities costs.

People Matter Trust benefited from £6,494 to support its work in offering career information, advice and guidance to jobseekers alongside practical support to help them progress into sustained work or accredited training. Money will be used for its jobseekers’ programme in Heathfield.

Ann Gillard, CEO at People Matter Trust, said: "Unemployment is a major life event which can have a devastating impact on people’s lives, affecting not just the individual but also family members and the wider community. The impact of unemployment can be long-lasting and far reaching, often affecting living standards in retirement and having a negative impact on physical health and mental well-being.”

To find out more about the Gatwick Foundation Fund, which is administered by the Sussex Community Foundation visit: https://sussexgiving.org.uk/

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Editors notes

About Gatwick Foundation Fund

The 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 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.

The Gatwick Foundation Fund was suspended in April 2020 due to the pandemic. 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/.