Community Support Fund grants awarded
Grants will make a difference to residents
The Council has given Community Support Fund grants totalling £100,000 to organisations within the local community that are working hard to support residents. On 30 January 2024 a cross-party committee of councillors agreed five grants of £20,000 for:
- Nourish Community Foodbank
- Age UK Tunbridge Wells
- Home-Start
- West Kent Mind
- Church parish larders (Christ Church, St Mark’s, St Matthew’s, St Paul’s, St Philip’s and The Baptist Church)
The Council's Deputy Leader Nancy Warne said: ‘The Community Support Fund grants have been awarded to organisations that are doing great work across the borough. I am pleased we’ve been able to secure funding for them as so many people are still facing significant financial hardship.’
Nourish will be using their grant to give eligible residents who have pre-payment meters vouchers to help with fuel costs. Age UK Tunbridge Wells will be able to provide more care packages – day-care, meals and transport. Home-Start will provide preventative holistic support for vulnerable families who have very young children and West Kent Mind will be seeing more young people for counselling and will provide mental health training to schools and other charity groups. And finally, the parish larders are already supporting over 1,000 people weekly, the grant will help them continue their work.
The Community Support Fund was established by councillors in 2023 response to the cost-of-living crisis which impacts upon many of the most vulnerable households in the borough.
