The Julia and Hans Rausing Trust is to donate a combined total of £2.5 million to support efforts dealing with the fallout from COVID 19.
The gift has been distributed to selected charities and organisations that are dealing with the immediate healthcare needs across the UK.
The donations include £500,000 to CW+, the charity of the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – money which will go towards their Response Fund, to provide equipment, technology, staff relief and volunteer recruitment for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, the Trust is pleased to announce a £500,000 gift to Helpforce, a charity which works with hospitals and health services to provide volunteers and enable people to volunteer in this vital sector.
Julia and Hans Rausing commented: “This is an extraordinarily tough time for everyone across the country, particularly for the most vulnerable in society. There are a number of charities and organisations that are at the forefront of this pandemic, and we hope these donations can help them continue their excellent work when it has never been more needed.”
Chris Chaney, Chief Executive of CW+, the charity of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust commented: “Staff across our hospitals are already working incredibly hard to care for people affected by the COVID 19 outbreak. This phenomenal commitment from Julia and Hans Rausing will not only help us provide the additional intensive care support and capacity we urgently need but will also enable us to look after our dedicated teams and provide a huge boost to morale across our organisation.”
Mark Lever, CEO of Helpforce, commented: “We are inspired by the many people, up and down our country, willing to help our front-line staff in the NHS during this national emergency. Volunteers have been part of our health care since its inception, bringing valuable support to doctors and nurses, and helping patients through a difficult time.
With this extremely generous gift from Julia and Hans Rausing, we will harness the energy so many are now showing and look forward to a future in which more people can come together and provide a helping hand when we need it most.”
The Trust is also donating £725,000 to FareShare, a network of charitable food redistributors which will be providing food parcels for direct delivery to those in need across the country. FareShare aims to provide an additional 8 million meals to vulnerable people in the coming year.
Lindsay Boswell, CEO, FareShare, commented: “FareShare provides food to vulnerable communities with one million meals a week going to 11,000 front line community groups. Our work is going to be under greater pressure than ever before as we seek ways to get food to vulnerable people in isolation during the coronavirus. This hugely generous grant from Julia and Hans Rausing will support us to access more food and to get it to where it is most needed and could not come at a more optimal time.”
Since its formation, the Julia and Hans Rausing Trust has provided over 220 grants totalling more than £200 million. Funding is given to organisations working within three main areas: Health and Wellbeing; Welfare and Education; and Arts and Culture.
Further information on the selected charities.
London
The Kensington and Chelsea Foundation: The donation will provide Emergency support for small, local charities in the Borough which are providing vital services to those in need. https://thekandcfoundation.com/
CW+: This is the charitable arm of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust including its hospitals and clinics. Their COVID-19 Response Fund has been established to provide equipment, technology, staff relief and volunteer recruitment. https://www.cwplus.org.uk/
Age UK Kensington and Chelsea: Age UK Kensington & Chelsea is an independent, local charity working at the heart of the community to make sure that older people’s voices are heard, their needs are met and their independence is supported. It provides a wide range of services including befriending, practical help, information and advice and a variety of social and leisure activities. It will provide a food hub and food parcels for the elderly who are house-bound in the coming weeks and months. https://www.ageuk.org.uk/kensingtonandchelsea/
St Mary’s Bourne Street: The Church near Sloane Square is providing emergency support for local people. The donation will also help fund a community hall project later in the year. https://www.stmarysbournest.com/
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire Community Foundation: The foundation provides support to different causes and communities across Gloucestershire. The donation will go towards providing emergency funds for small, local charities. https://www.gloucestershirecf.org.uk/
Cheltenham and Gloucester Hospitals Charity: The Cheltenham and Gloucester Hospitals Charity raises funds to support patients, their families and the staff who treat them and work in Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General Hospitals. The donation will help provide relief packages for staff and volunteers and emergency funds for rapid response to arising challenges. https://www.gloshospitals.nhs.uk/charity/
Age UK Gloucestershire: Age UK Gloucestershire is an independent, local charity working in the community to support older people, their families and carers. The grant will help go towards providing a dedicated support line and friendship projects for isolated elderly people. https://www.ageuk.org.uk/gloucestershire/
The Long Table: The Long Table is a local community kitchen group that provides food parcel deliveries for those in need, including funding for free meals for the poorest. https://www.thelongtableonline.com/
General UK/ London benefit
The Big Give: The Big Give is the UK’s largest match funding platform. It specialises in bringing individuals, charities and philanthropists together to multiply their impact. The Julia and Hans Rausing Trust has donated money to the National Emergencies Trust to distribute through community foundations across UK. https://donate.thebiggive.org.uk/
FareShare: FareShare is the UK’s national network of charitable food redistributors, made up of 17 independent organisations. It takes good quality surplus food from right across the food industry and get it to almost 11,000 frontline charities and community groups. During the coronavirus outbreak, FareShare will be changing its model to food parcels for direct delivery and providing an additional 8 million meals over the coming year to vulnerable and needy people through fund to help smaller suppliers, farmers give surplus food at no cost to themselves. https://fareshare.org.uk/
Mayor of London fund: The Mayor of London fund, powered by London funders, is an emergency fund for charities and community groups dealing with the Covid 19 outbreak. https://londonfunders.org.uk/
Helpforce: Helpforce are at the forefront of a national movement to improve the lives of NHS staff, patients and our communities through the power of volunteering. Using healthcare, it aims to make community-integrated healthcare the norm across the UK. https://helpforce.community/
