In 2022, W3RT CVS managed various funding opportunities on behalf of Watford Borough Council. One such fund was the Charitable Support Grant, funding secured by Watford Borough Council which provided support to charitable organisations that have either closed or have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

It was clear that the Covid19 pandemic would have a significant impact on organisations’ abilities to fundraise for support their operational needs with many major funders solely providing funding for service delivery and traditional methods of raising unrestricted funding being limited by social distancing rules. As a result, the Charitable Support Grant providing the opportunity for organisations to apply for up to £7,500 for these kinds of costs.  

One organisation that applied for funding was Companion Voices, a Community Interest Company founded in 2019 (having operated informally since 2014) which provides training to individuals so that they can sing at the bedside of people who are at the end of their life. In their application, Companion Voices explained that, if successful, they would seek to work with one or more consultants to develop their business model with the aim of making them a more sustainable organisation and as a result being able to support more people in the community.  

Together with Watford Borough Council, we were delighted to provide Companion Voices a grant of £4,000 and just over a year since receiving the funding they have been able to work with two consultants looking at a range of different aspects of their organisation including: 

- Communications and branding: how Companion Voices and its benefits are communicated to the community 

- Auditing their social media and website to help develop engagement on the platforms 

- Development of a new payment and budgeting system making the organisation more sustainable going forward.  

Additionally, the funding provided the opportunity for Judith Silver, founder and CEO, to undertake mentoring on a regular basis. On receipt of the grant and the impact that it has had on the organisation, Judith said ‘the grant has brought our organisation to a very much more established point and, again, we'd like to express our appreciation for your support of and faith in our work.’ 

We look forward to working with Companion Voices over the coming months, continuing to support them as they support those in the community at the end of their life. You can find out more about Companion Voices by visiting their website here.   

W3RT CVS provides a range of free support to voluntary and community organisations in the Watford and Three Rivers area thanks to funding from Watford Borough Council and Three Rivers District Council. You can find out more about our services by clicking here and if you or your organisation would like support, get in touch by emailing [email protected]