Since the Covid19 pandemic and as our communities respond to the cost of living crisis, W3RT is proud to work in partnership with Watford Borough Council, Three Rivers District Council and other key donors to distribute vital funding to enable our local community to thrive during challenging times.

Recently, W3RT CVS managed £40,000 on behalf of Watford Borough Council with funding they received as part of the Household Support Fund. The Household Support Fund allows local councils to provide funding to anyone who is vulnerable or cannot pay for essentials. In Watford, this funding is provided to local organisations providing food support to residents in Watford by providing food or food vouchers to them.

In the most recent tranche of the Household Support Fund, we received 17 applications with a total amount required being £76,900. As a result we were unable to fully fund all the applications that met the criteria, however, 13 organisations received funding with organisations on average receiving just over £3,000.

In response to receiving funding from the Household Support Fund, Joe Meehan, Fundraising & Communications Officer for New Hope thanked W3RT CVS for funding which would allow them to purchase food for the Haven in Watford and said that ‘this couldn’t come at a better time as, due to our largest corporate supplier of food donations closing, we are likely to incur a lot of extra costs to maintain a good quality food service for people accessing the Haven.’

In addition, Lynne Misner, founder of Small Acts of Kindness added her thanks and said that ‘this is incredibly timely and much appreciated’. The funded received by Small Acts of Kindness will allow them tp purchase hot drinks as well as soup and porridge for their Warm in Winter bags, provided to residents in Watford to allow them to keep warm this winter. 

As organisations report back on how they have used this fund, we will be able to better show the impact of this funding in Watford. W3RT manages a range of funding streams in consultation with our partners that local charitable groups can apply for, under the umbrella of the W3RT Community Funds. You can find further details by clicking here. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected] or call or text 07908 209 908.