LeicestershireLive launches £250k Covid-19 hardship fund

A £250,000 fundraising drive has been launched to support communities and vulnerable people suffering extreme hardship due to the coronavirus lockdown.

The LeicestershireLive There With You Fund has been established by the Leicester Mercury, Charity Link and the Randal Charitable Foundation.

Its aim is to help support those in Leicestershire whose lives have been derailed by the Covid-19 lockdown, by offering small grants, in the form of vouchers and household goods, to provide everyday items that most of us take for granted.

The Fund was launched on the back of a grant from the Randal Charitable Foundation which will see £96,000 made available for grants immediately.

The Foundation has an unwavering vision that is to ‘save lives, help the socially disadvantaged and improve the quality of life for those in need in the UK and around the world’.

A Trustee of the Foundation said: “The speed at which the Covid-19 pandemic has spread is something that has taken everyone by surprise, and has turned all of our lives upside down.

“This has inevitably affected some people in our communities more than others, which is why the There With You Fund is such a great idea.”

To help support people in need immediately, as well as after the peak of the pandemic has passed, a funding model has been set up, whereby people can become individual donors by logging on to its Just Giving page, or become a business donor by calling Charity Link’s director of marketing and fundraising, Susan McEniff, on 0116 222 2212.

George Oliver, Editor of the Leicester Mercury and LeicestershireLive, said: “The remarkable generosity of the Randal Charitable Foundation means that some of Leicestershire’s most isolated, vulnerable and at-risk people will not be forgotten during coronavirus.

“It also means that those who do not have neighbours or family to look out for them are not left behind, and that those working within our already stretched public and charity sectors have another tool with which to help those most in need.

“But this is not the end of the matter. Rather it is merely the beginning. Our goal now is to continue building momentum with this fund to ensure our city and county’s most vulnerable people have support.”

The LeicestershireLive There With You Fund is being administered by Leicester-based Charity Link, which specialises in finding essential funding for people in need. Small grants of up to £300 will be mostly provided in the form of essential items or vouchers to help Leicestershire people through the crisis.

Charity Link will do this by acting on referrals from recognised public and charitable organisations in the county. These are the bodies working directly with individuals and families in need. The new grants will offer an additional tool for frontline officials working to support Leicestershire’s most vulnerable.

The funding model keeps overheads to a minimum while ensuring referrals are acted upon swiftly. All applications are assessed on an individual basis and urgent cases are prioritised for rapid support.

Charity Link has been providing funding for people in need since 1876. It distributes small grants and everyday items that most of us take for granted. These are typically beds, cookers, school uniforms, fridges and food vouchers.

Charity Link’s director of marketing and fundraising, Susan McEniff, added: “We are delighted to be working with LeicestershireLive and the Randal Charitable Foundation, along with the support of the people of Leicestershire to ensure that we are able to meet the need of the most vulnerable people in our communities at this unprecedented time”.