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Severn Trent’s Community Fund is open for applications after being refocused to help vulnerable communities during coronavirus.

The company has awarded nearly £700,000 from its Community Fund to 39 projects across its region since March, as part of its goal to donate more than £10 million over the next five years to projects that will bring benefits to local communities and the environment, across the Midlands.

Daisy Powell, Community Fund Manager, said: “It was really important to us that we were able to directly support everyone affected by the coronavirus crisis through our emergency funding but we thought now was a great time to try and get things to back to something approaching normality.

“Community spirit and wellbeing are as important as ever right now, so we wanted to get back to supporting those amazing groups which are supporting the most vulnerable people in our region or which have great projects they need to get off the ground to help loads of people.”

The company has donated almost £700,000 so far from the Community Fund, and some of the groups that have benefitted from grants include a volunteer coding project where children can programme plants to water themselves, a Food Farmacy incentive delivering healthy organic food to doorsteps, and a Family First project, that offers advice and support to parents and families on areas including food and nutrition, physical and mental health.

“We know that there are lots of amazing groups out there itching to apply as they have amazing ideas that will bring loads of benefits to people living in the local community,” said Daisy. “And we’d urge them to apply so we can see if we can help.”

The Community Fund is open to any non-profit organisation or local charity, but the team is specifically looking for projects that show a clear link to community wellbeing, such as:

• People: Projects that help people to lead a healthier life and gain new skills;

• Place: Ideas that help create better places to live in and use; and

• Environment: Schemes that will help look after the natural environment, give people greater access to that environment or help look after water.

Applications are then put to an Independent Panel made up of Severn Trent customers, who ultimately decide which projects are successful.

For more information on the Community Fund, and how to apply, visit stwater.co.uk/communityfund.

Families First are a community based project in Worcestershire, that offers advice and support to parents and families on a whole range of topics. The support ranges  food and nutrition, physical and mental health, and dealing with anxiety and stress. They received £18,169 from the Community Fund, and have been able to deliver their services to families across Worcestershire, despite of the coronavirus. They’ve started running Parenting Peer Support groups online, and have adapted and changed how they work, moving their support online. They’ve been able to use video and phone calls to stay connected and continue to support many families that are in struggling, getting them vital help and support.