HIWCF is delighted to announce that grants worth over £288,000 are benefiting 55 charities, community groups and voluntary organisations, helping vulnerable local people whose lives have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The grants from the ‘We’re All Together’ Fund will help family support groups, mental health and wellbeing organisations, homeless charities and groups tackling loneliness and isolation across the Hampshire and the Isle of Wight region. Seven larger strategic grants will also enable local organisations to focus on digital inclusion, financial awareness and black and minority ethnic community needs.
A grant to Youth Options is providing outdoor learning activity days for children and young people across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight who have suffered bereavement and care leavers whose lives have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The project gets young people outside, investigating nature, building friendships with others who have shared experiences and forming supportive relationships with staff.
Youth Options photo credit to Lee Davey
Carly Redwood, Fundraising & Communications Manager at Youth Options said, “The pandemic has made a huge impact on children and young people. Many are facing loss; whether that is the loss of opportunities or, very sadly, the premature loss of a loved one. We are incredibly grateful to HIWCF for allowing us the opportunity to support those that need us most, allowing them to build relationships, spend positive time outdoors, and build up coping strategies to support their mental wellbeing.”
The Vine Centre supports vulnerable adults, families, older people, veterans, and the Nepalese community in Rushmoor, providing support across a range of services including specialist mental health and addiction support, homelessness prevention, general support and counselling. The grant will enable the Centre to extend their current services, as during the pandemic, demand has risen by a third, meaning access to help and services for more people on the waiting list.
One client to benefit from support from the Vine Centre said, “I wanted to say thank you for the help you continue to give me, I may seem like I’m not getting anywhere but in my head I’m slowly becoming someone I don’t mind being.”
A grant to Jane Scarth House, Romsey Cancer Support Centre will provide counselling services and complementary therapies offering emotional and practical support to people living with cancer, their family members, friends and carers.
Romsey Cancer Support Centre Manager, Rachel Tucker, said, “We are so glad that we can help people who are feeling very alone as the impact of cancer affects people both physically and mentally. Our counsellors are able to offer counselling by telephone, zoom call or in person, all of which are free of charge and usually within a week of initial contact with the centre. In addition, our therapists have been able to offer reflexology, aromatherapy and manual lymphatic drainage therapies at a time when these services have been significantly reduced or stopped by other providers. Thank you HIWCF, the impact of this grant will be felt by so many people who are in need in Hampshire.”
Photo: Jane Scarth House Therapists, Michele and Mandy
A grant to Spark Community Space in Southsea is providing a safe place for older people who are struggling with feelings of isolation and loneliness to get together, either face to face or online, depending on their wishes and needs.
Becki Simmons, Founder of Spark Community Space said, “Thank you to HIWCF for supporting us with a grant, this helps us to continue our ‘pay what you can afford cuppa and a cake space’ getting people out of their homes and helping them spark back into life, avoiding the effects of social exclusion that can have such a detrimental impact on their health and wellbeing.”
Kate Shurety, Interim Chief Executive at HIWCF, said “We would like to thank our donors for their goodwill and generosity for our ‘We’re All Together’ Fund, enabling us to support the health and wellbeing of those who are most vulnerable in our local communities. There are huge social needs resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic and we urge families and businesses to partner with us to focus on helping those less fortunate as we know the crisis is far from over. Our new Recovery Fund will be launching soon, to help communities to recover from what has been an incredibly difficult time, please do join us and help us to make a difference to the lives of local people.”
Since 2006, HIWCF has distributed £13 million in grant funding to support local communities and last year provided emergency grants worth £2.3 million to provide groceries, hot meals, medication, laptops and befriending services for those needing help during the pandemic. The team are keen to talk to local businesses, families and individuals who would like to get involved and help the local charitable sector to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Find out more on www.hiwcf.com/
The groups to receive grant funding from the ‘We’re All Together’ Fund are as follows:
| Organisation | Area in which Organisation is Based | Project Area |
| Test Valley Men’s Shed | Basingstoke and Deane | Laverstoke, Overton, Whitchurch |
| Citizens Advice Bureau Basingstoke | Basingstoke and Deane | Basingstoke and surrounding areas |
| Basingstoke & District Young Carers | Basingstoke and Deane | Basingstoke and Deane |
| Home-Start North West Hampshire | Basingstoke and Deane | Basingstoke and Deane |
| Community Furniture Project | Basingstoke and Deane | Basingstoke |
| ARK Eastleigh | Eastleigh | Eastleigh |
| New Life Domestic | Eastleigh | Hampshire and surrounding area |
| Youth Options | Eastleigh | Hampshire, Southampton, Eastleigh and surrounding areas. |
| Solent Youth Action | Eastleigh | Eastleigh |
| Young Peoples Wellbeing Service Ltd | Eastleigh | Eastleigh Borough and southern parishes |
| Blue Lamp Trust | Eastleigh | Hampshire and the Isle of Wight |
| Elizabeth Foundation | Fareham | Across Hampshire. |
| Motiv8 | Gosport | Gosport, Fareham, Havant and Portsmouth |
| Brendoncare Clubs | Gosport | Gosport |
| Vine Day Centre Trust | Guildford | Rushmoor |
| Jigsaw Family Support | Havant | Havant and surrounding area |
| Home-Start Hampshire | Havant | Hampshire |
| Aspire Ryde | Isle of Wight | Ryde, Binstead, Wootton, Bembridge, Brading, Fishbourne |
| Ryde Methodist Church | Isle of Wight | Ryde |
| Home-Start IOW | Isle of Wight | Newport |
| Suicide Prevention & Intervention (SPIIOW) | Isle of Wight | Isle of Wight |
| People Matter IW | Isle of Wight | Isle of Wight |
| Storeroom2010 | Isle of Wight | Isle of Wight |
| Isorropia | Isle of Wight | Ryde and Newport |
| Isle of Wight Youth Trust | Isle of Wight | Across the Isle of Wight |
| SPUD | New Forest | New Forest, Sway and Lymington |
| Sandleheath Village Hall | New Forest | Sandleheath |
| Compass Counselling Service | New Forest | New Forest |
| Youth and Families Matter | New Forest | Totton |
| Hampshire Fostering Network | New Forest | Across Hampshire. |
| It’s Your Choice | New Forest | New Forest area |
| New Forest Mencap | New Forest | New Forest |
| Brunel Monday Carers Group | Portsmouth | Portsmouth |
| Spark Community Space | Portsmouth | Southsea |
| St Simon’s Church | Portsmouth | Portsmouth, Southsea, Leigh Park, |
| Headway Portsmouth and SE Hampshire | Portsmouth | Portsmouth |
| Mustard Seed Autism Trust | Rushmoor | Farnborough, Fleet, Aldershot (Hart and Rushmoor) |
| Rushmoor Healthy Living (RHL) | Rushmoor | Aldershot |
| Baby Necessities Southampton | Southampton | Southampton City, Test Valley, Eastleigh and Totton |
| Friends of Polygon School Association | Southampton | Southampton |
| Southampton City and Region Action to Combat Hardship (SCRATCH) | Southampton | Southampton |
| Safe New Futures | Southampton | Hampshire |
| Cruse Bereavement Care, South Hampshire Branch | Southampton | Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton |
| Re Minds | Southampton | Southampton and Hampshire |
| No Limits | Southampton | Southampton |
| Southampton Voluntary Services | Southampton | Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| Greenbuttercup CIC | Test Valley | Romsey and District |
| Romsey Cancer Support Centre – Jane Scarth House | Test Valley | Romsey |
| Andover & District Mencap | Test Valley | Andover |
| Unity | Test Valley | Rural areas in Test Valley |
| Alabare Christian Care and Support | Wiltshire | Andover |
| Swanmore Voluntary Care Group Lunch Club | Winchester | Swanmore |
| Wickham Community Association | Winchester | Wickham |
| MHA Communities Winchester | Winchester | Winchester, Alresford and surrounding villages |
| Key Changes Music Therapy Ltd | Winchester | Winchester |
