Dacorum Community Trust receives funding from National Emergency Trust

An organisation in Hemel Hempstead is one of many organisations in Hertfordshire that will receive funding from the Natioanl Emergency Trust (NET).

Dacroum Community Trust will receive funding to provide support for those most in need in Dacorum during the coronavirus pandemic.

The NET’s Coranavirus Appeal, launched by the British Red Cross and supported by the Duke of Cambridge, is a UK wide appeal raising funds for local charities and grassroots organisations providing support to those affected by the crisis.

Hertfordshire Community Foundation (HCF) has been awarded £50,000 for Hertfordshire in the first round of funding released, the foundation is using the money to distribute to charities and organisations across the county.

Helen Gray, Foundation Director for HCF said: "It is a privilege for HCF to be able to play a role at this time – to give funding support to the local community and voluntary organisations that are doing an incredible job under enormous pressure to adapt their existing services and help even more people.

"We want to make sure these crucial organisations have the funding they need to cope, and also to adapt their services during this crisis.

"We couldn’t do this without the generous support we have seen for both the NET appeal and our own local appeal.”

Dacorum Community Trust has received funding to provide immediate interventions such as fuel top-u[s to those facing increasing financial hardship due to the crisis.

Lydia Flack, from Dacorum Community Trust, said: "Thank you so much HCF - this grant will enable the Trust to continue supporting the residents of Dacorum during this crisis."

The following groups have also received emergency funding as a result of the NET appeal:

- Home-Start Hertfordshire to provide telephone support to families experiencing poor mental health, isolation and financial problems because of coronavirus. Stevenage, North Herts, St Albans, East Herts, Broxbourne, Dacorum.

- Age Concern Stevenage to help older people through delivering essential items such as medicine and food as well as support over the phone

- Youth Talk to enable them to provide remote counselling to people aged 18-25 in the St Albans district

- Electric Umbrella towards their online interactive programme for adults with learning disabilities

- Signpost Counselling Agency to provide phone counselling to 11-25 year olds with complex mental health needs living in South and West Hertfordshire

- Future Living Hertford towards telephone counselling to help a range of vulnerable people not able to attend face to face sessions including those who had been on the domestic abuse programme and those in addiction recover

- Jubilee House Care Trust for an Electrostatic backpack sprayer to sanitise their centres which provide residential care to children and adults with learning disabilities

- Citizens Advice St Albans and District to purchase 32 Advice Handbooks on poverty and disability rights to enable advisors to work from home and provide advice by phone

- Mind in Mid Herts to help frontline workers from charities and the care sector who are faced with extraordinary stress as a result of this outbreak by providing digital wellbeing courses

- Tilehouse Counselling to buy professional headsets to enable telephone counselling in the Hitchin area

- Watford New Hope Trust to provide meals to an increasing number of people experiencing homelessness in the Watford area.

- Headway Hertfordshire to purchase IT equipment so that staff can work from home and continue to support people with head injuries remotely.

- Aldbury Memorial Hall to support a volunteer drive that is helping households in the area who are self-isolating to receive food and other essential items.

- The Living Room to provide online triage and assessments as well as addiction therapy groups online

- Resolve towards the costs for a special isolation centre for 14 homeless people during the crisis.

- Gratitude to collect food from supermarkets and online retailers that would otherwise have gone to landfill and deliver directly to vulnerable families and individuals in need through age, illness or disability.

Helen Gray added: “Our frontline charities are facing unprecedented challenges and there are still many more organisations that need our help. If you would like to support the voluntary sector who are helping those in serious need please consider making a donation to Hertfordshire Community Foundation’s appeal. You can do so by visiting our website www.hertscf.org.uk."

To apply for a grant from the fund visit www.hertscf.org.uk/coronavirus.

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