THE Wiltshire Community Foundation’s Coronavirus Response Appeal has raised £200,000 in the last two weeks thanks to the generosity of the public and an array of corporate and individual donors.

The Wiltshire and Swindon Coronavirus Response Fund opened on 1st April and has already made £83,000 worth of grants to voluntary groups across Wiltshire and Swindon. The foundation is working hard to quickly assess and deliver the grants where they will make the most difference.

In the first week of the fund being open, the foundation awarded grants that are providing hot meals, food parcels, counselling, equipment and staff to help vulnerable and isolated elderly people, rough sleepers, young families living in poverty and those suffering stress and anxiety.

Among the latest supporters of the fund is the Zurich Community Trust, which has donated £25,000.

Steve Grimmett, head of the Swindon-based Zurich Community Trust, said: “Zurich and the Zurich Community Trust has a long tradition of supporting the charitable sector in the UK. At this time of national crisis, we are committed to playing our part.

“The voluntary sector is at the heart of our communities providing an invaluable lifeline to so many, yet those same organisations are experiencing an extremely worrying time currently as demand increases whilst fundraising is falling sharply. Wiltshire and Swindon as a location are very important to both Zurich Community Trust and Zurich and we are very pleased we can help support the work of the Wiltshire Community Foundation to ease the strain on so many wonderful organisations across the county.”

Wiltshire Community Foundation Interim Co-Chief Executive Fiona Oliver said: “We have been absolutely bowled over by the response from the public and from the support of companies like Zurich. Their generosity and community spirit mean that groups who feared for how they would cope with this crisis are getting much-needed funds and morale-boosting support to continue their work supporting vulnerable people.

“I’m very proud of the way our team has responded so quickly to raise this money and then get it out to where it is needed. But we know the job is nowhere near done yet. The need is only going to increase in the coming weeks, and we urgently need the support of the county more than ever to help our vital community groups navigate this unprecedented challenge.”

She said an important part of raising the money has been the partnership with the National Emergencies Trust, whose £20 million Coronavirus Fund has been channelled through the UK’s 46 community foundations.

“We are very proud to be working with the National Emergencies Trust,” said Mrs Oliver. “The public support for its appeal has been phenomenal and we are making sure that the money distributed through us in Wiltshire and Swindon is providing immediate relief.”

To donate to Wiltshire Community Foundation’s Wiltshire and Swindon Coronavirus Response Fund or find out how to apply for a grant, go to wiltshirecf.org.uk.