Are you part of a local community group in Coventry that would benefit from £20,000?
Monday 13th November 2023
Severn Trent’s Community Fund has created a unique fund of £150,000 to specifically help cover running costs for community groups, charities and non-profit organisations, prioritising groups in Henley and Foleshill.
The company has ringfenced the money to offer ‘core cost grants’ ranging from £5,000 to £20,000 for each community group, charity or organisation, as the company looks to go further to help cover daily costs and expenses to help keep the essential groups running.
It comes after Severn Trent has announced its bringing plans to help 100,000 people living in the Midlands to Coventry by helping with employability skills and training, with Henley Green and Foleshill its first areas of focus.
The Community Fund recently announced it will support more local charities this winter by providing £500,000 of core costs funding, which the £150,000 is a part of, in response to research from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations which highlighted the worrying scale of many groups and charities facing extremely tough times – which they called a ‘Cost of Giving’ crisis.
The research shares that one in five charities say they will be forced to ‘disappear’ this winter if they are not given urgent support, leaving the people and communities they serve at risk.
They also share that ‘A staggering 85% of charities predict that this winter will be as tough, or even tougher, than the last. And as many as 27% said they already believe they won’t be able to meet the increasing demand for their services.’
Now, teams from the Community Fund are hosting an event at Moat House Leisure Centre on Friday 17th November, and inviting anyone involved in community groups in Henley Green or Foleshill to pop in and find out more about their group could apply and benefit from the fund.
Sue Heyes, Community Fund Officer for Coventry from Severn Trent said: “We know that local groups and organisations can be a real lifeline, and play such a huge role in offering support, guidance or are a place of comfort for those living in our communities. We also know that community groups are facing challenges with rising costs that impact them, making it harder for them to continue delivering the support to their community.
“That’s why we want to provide unique funding for these community projects and help cover the essential costs so they can continue to do the amazing work they do. We’re focussing this in Henley and Foleshill first to coincide with our wider work in the city helping people into work, so we can really help support these groups to continue to make a difference.
“We’re prioritising this in Henley and Foleshill first as we know these are areas that could do with our support and supports our wider community work where we’re looking to bring skills and training to help more people with finding work in Coventry.”
Sue from Severn Trent will be at the Moat House Leisure Centre in Henley on Friday 17th November between 9.30am and 12pm hosting a Community Fund workshop, for people to find out more how to apply.
“I know there’s some exceptional groups in this area, who everyday go above and beyond to provide support for the community,” adds Sue. “I’d love to meet as many of them as possible to talk about how we can help provide funding to make sure they can continue with the great work they do.
“We hope that this funding, alongside our wider employability work will really support the local community and help the areas to thrive and continue to do the amazing work they do for our customers living in them.”
Information and register your interest on the event can be found here:
To find out more about the Fund, eligibility and how to apply visit www.stwater.co.uk/corefunding