MORE than £136,000 has been given by Wiltshire Community Foundation to voluntary groups tackling the fall-out from the coronavirus pandemic.

Its Wiltshire and Swindon Coronavirus Response Fund has raised more than £260,000 in less than three weeks. The money has been given by the public, charity trusts, private donors and by the National Emergencies Trust, which is distributing its £25 million Coronavirus Fund through the UK’s 46 community foundations.

In Wiltshire, the community foundation has already awarded more than 30 groups with money to tackle hunger, isolation, mental health support and home education.

Youth charity Trowbridge Community Area Future is delivering education and wellbeing packs to more than 50 isolated young people living in poverty or in difficult family circumstances, thanks to a £2,000 grant.

Youth and community development manager Meg Leila Aubrey said: “We have been able to continue isolated and vulnerable people within the community. Over the Easter weekend we have been able to deliver educational and wellbeing resources to all the young people who come to our youth clubs.

"We support people in the most disadvantaged areas of Trowbridge - Seymour, Longfield and Studley Green. These young people are particularly vulnerable, so we have been giving them things to do that are fun but also around self-care.”

The packs have details of a mentoring programme for the young people aged between 11 and 18 to get support.

Ms Aubrey said: “The lockdown has been very difficult for them, most of them will be between two homes so there are concerns about the being looked after properly.

“We are offering mentoring support through their youth workers and what we find is that we are supporting children who don’t want to get chucked out of school, so this is a very fearful time for them.

"They are able to talk to youth workers to help them with homework and how to manage that. The grant has made an unbelievable difference, without it we would have had to furlough staff.”

Arts Together, which works with more than 70 older people in west and north Wiltshire, has been given £2,500 to supply art project packs every week to members living in isolation.

The group usually meets every week to work on projects with professional artists, but it has had to adapt to the pandemic and is now sending out the packs instead to stay in touch with members.

Director Karolyne Fudge-Malik said: “The grant has made a huge amount of difference."

"Every week our members get this boost saying ‘what about doing this?’ It keeps them engaged, plus they have got their network of people to call. They know they are part of a community, they know they are doing something they enjoy, and they have got something to look forward to each day – it’s not just an empty day staring into nothing.”

Help Counselling in Trowbridge has been given £1,500 to help with extra training costs for counsellors providing phone and online help to people all over north and west Wiltshire suffering from mental health issues, anxiety and isolation, particularly single mums at home with children, while

the Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust, which works closely with Wiltshire Police to install security devices in the homes of older people or vulnerable adults experiencing crime or domestic violence, has been given £5,000 to fund its three van operators.

Chief executive Jennie Shaw said: “Our fundraising events for the foreseeable future have all been cancelled which has had a severe impact on our income revenue.”

Wiltshire Community Foundation interim co-chief executive Fiona Oliver said: “We continue to be inspired, but not surprised, by the generosity of people in Wiltshire and Swindon. The money that’s been donated is helping groups make an enormous difference in their communities, but we know that need is still growing and is likely to do so for some time.”To find out how to apply for a grant, or donate to the Wiltshire and Swindon Coronavirus Response Fund, go to wiltshirecf.org.uk.