Barratt and David Wilson Homes Cambridgeshire has recently donated £1,000 to the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation, an organisation that provides grants to some of the most deserving charities across the county.
The donation was made as part of the Peterborough-based housebuilder’s monthly Community Fund scheme, which aims to support the local community.
The Cambridgeshire Community Foundation aims to address all aspects of local disadvantage by managing a grant-application process for charities across Cambridgeshire. In the aftermath of lockdown, this help is required more than ever to help disenfranchised and vulnerable members of society affected by the isolation and unemployment caused by COVID-19.
Now in its 16th year the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation has helped assist a huge number of charities and individuals in the community.
Michael O’Toole, Chief Executive of the Cambridge Community Foundation, said: “Thank you very much to Barratt and David Wilson Homes for their donation. This will support CCF’s work across their coronavirus support, tackling homelessness, mental health issues, loss of work and disability as well as our ongoing environmental projects.
“The first three or four months of the pandemic saw grants going mostly towards community groups and vulnerable people. These would be organisations or charities devoted to getting support and company to these people. We would help small charities to pay their expenses and buy food for those in poverty stricken areas. Now we are trying to help charities adapt for the longer term as well as dealing with the longer-term problems such as unemployment.”
Since the beginning of the pandemic Barratt and David Wilson Homes has donated thousands of items of PPE to hospitals across the country including Stamford Hospital in Cambridgeshire. The wider initiative also saw 400 defibrillators and £100,000 donated to help fight the virus. As the long-lasting effects of the pandemic continue to drastically inhibit day-to-day life for many organisations and individuals, Barratt and David Wilson Homes is focusing their financial support to help charities get back up and running with maximum efficiency.
Adam Knight, Managing Director at Barratt and David Wilson Homes Cambridgeshire said: “Our Community Fund initiative is designed not just to support a single charity or to help buy an individual piece of equipment, but to benefit our community overall.
“This is why we have selected the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation for their excellent work in highlighting key areas that will help our community the most. They aim to distribute the donation in a way that benefits a range of charities and they work very closely with our community to manage this financial support well.
“We are proud to work with the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation to ensure that during such a difficult year, support will be given to those who need it most.”
Michael added: “We have a strong network of charities across the county. Sometimes these are scouted out, sometimes it’s word of mouth. The idea for us is to keep the support local, when we receive a donation from a particular company they can know that their donation is funding something very local and tackling serious problems right on our doorstep.”
