During the pandemic, local volunteers and staff across the not-for-profit sector rose to the occasion to support the most vulnerable people in our community with a wide range of needs from food provision, medical prescription collections, mental health support and keeping active during lockdown.
Through a collaborative effort between Watford Borough Council, Three Rivers District Council, Camelot and Watford & Three Rivers Trust (W3RT) over £750,000 in funding was made available to local groups from March 2020 to March 2022. Of this figure, £150,000 was a generous donation from Camelot and the remaining £600,000 was secured through both Councils from central government funds Additional Restrictions Grants and Health Protection Board grants.
These funds were critical to bolstering local groups resources so they could respond to the needs of the local community effectively during the peak of the pandemic, and to help groups with recovery as many of their usual fundraising events and activities had to be cancelled during lockdown.
On Wednesday 13th July over 30 local charitable groups gathered at the Metropolitan Club venue with Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor, Freddy Chester Partnerships Officer at Three Rivers District Council and representatives from Camelot Corporate Social Responsibility team to celebrate the impressive impact of this funding.
Five local groups delivered inspiring spotlight talks about the impact of their work and shared moving stories of people they supported through the darkest days of the pandemic. The Bobath Centre shared a video of a little girl with cerebral palsy getting to grips with a new tricycle funded by the programme strengthening her legs through specialist therapy. Herts Mind Network shared the impact of a yoga programme for survivors of domestic abuse, Gokula food bank and Food for All shared mouth-watering images of food created in their new ovens secured through this funding. Impactful Governance shared research into mental health support available for LGBTQ+ communities with one older participant who had tried to commit suicide multiple times due to stigma they had faced due to their sexuality. Ngorli shared the varied work they’re doing to support young people from of West African heritage, many of whom use English as a second language, with education programmes and developing confidence.
Mayor of Watford Peter Taylor thanked the groups for their hard work and Watford & Three Rivers Trust for management of these funds, saying seeing the impact of the funding made him “Proud to be Mayor of Watford.”
Watford & Three Rivers Trust is a registered charity that delivers the local Community and Voluntary Service (CVS) supporting local not-for-profit groups with fundraising, volunteer recruitment and governance. Find out more about support and funding available for local voluntary groups by contacting [email protected] or by calling 07908 209 908.
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