Gatwick announces latest round of Gatwick Foundation Fund grants to six Kent-based community projects

• Funding will see food redistributed to school breakfast clubs, hospices, care homes, holiday hunger schemes and homeless shelters in West Kent
• Adults from low family incomes will be supported to attend boxing training sessions while also working on social communication
• Forest Time programme will run for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds

GATWICK, UK, 2018-Nov-09 — /Travel PR News/ — Gatwick today (05/11/2018)  announced the latest round of Gatwick Foundation Fund grants to six projects across Kent that support young people, the elderly or vulnerable and disadvantaged groups.

The Fund distributes a total of £300,000 in grants with the funding split evenly between projects in Sussex, Surrey and Kent, with each receiving £100,000 each year.  To date, 118 organisations and more than 55,000 people have benefited since it was launched late in 2016.

Three funding rounds are announced each year and the Kent-based projects below will receive grants from the latest round:

• Fareshare Kent, Ashford – receives good quality food and redistributes it to school breakfast clubs, hospices, day centres, care homes, luncheon clubs, holiday hunger schemes and homeless shelters – to save them money. Funding will be spent on a van and to fund delivery costs so they can reach charities and community groups in West Kent.

• Kent High Weald Partnership, Tunbridge Wells – helps communities by delivering conservation work with volunteers, education, outreach and projects aimed at improving health and wellbeing in deprived and hard to reach communities. The grant will support a 10-week Forest Time programme for young people from disadvantaged families.

• Olympia Boxing, Tonbridge – helps people to get into the sport where there is no link to an affiliated club. Grant will support adults, who have low family incomes and are experiencing barriers to participation, to attend sessions and get support from professionals, incorporating fitness, while also working on social communication.

• PS Breastfeeding, Sevenoaks – social group support for new families to reduce their isolation and provide specialist mum-to-mum support on breastfeeding. Grant will support an outreach worker to help with baby weaning and feeding for young disadvantaged mothers in their home who are unable or anxious about accessing groups.

• We are Beams, Swanley – local charity providing support services to disabled children and their families in Kent, including respite and advice. The funding will pay for two part time Family Advisors and specialists in dealing with education matters to host one-to-one drop in clinics in the Sevenoaks area.

• Commonwork Trust, Edenbridge – provides community-focussed projects on its organic farm in West Kent to help understanding of the interdependence between people and the natural world. The funding will support a key worker for parents and carers, fund training and provide a venue for monthly support group meetings.

Ian Townsend-Blazier, Business Development Manager, FareShare Kent, said:

“Our grant from the Gatwick Foundation will enable us to expand our service and deliver to West Kent…so we are able to take more good quality surplus food which would have been destined for waste, and redistribute this to local charities and community groups, creating them an average saving of £7,900 on their catering costs which can then be reinvested back to that community.”

Director of Olympia Boxing, Wayne Smith, said:

“This funding has enabled us to break down all barriers and help the community in disadvantaged areas that cannot afford regular gym memberships to give them a fun dynamic programme that will help them lead healthier lives, improve social interaction, reduce isolation and increase sports participation.”

Gatwick’s Foundation Fund is part of the airport’s commitment to share the benefits the airport generates with its local communities. This work remains a priority and the proposals set out in Gatwick’s new draft master plan would see the airport generating even greater benefits for future generations.

Gatwick Airport’s Community Engagement Manager, Melanie Wrightson, said:

“We are delighted to be awarding another round of grants from our Foundation Fund to community projects across Sussex.  Each organisation does incredible work and we have purposely chosen them as they help young people, vulnerable families or the elderly.

“We support community projects as it’s a great way for us to share some of the benefits we generate among local people who, perhaps may not directly benefit from the jobs or other economic contributions we bring to the region.  Our exciting new draft master plan sets out how we might grow so that we can continue to support local communities with this vital investment for generations to come.”

Community Foundations

Kent, Surrey and Sussex Community Foundations manage the programme and assess all applications for their county. These local trusts and foundations raise funds for and make grants to local charities and community groups, and also manage grant funds on behalf of a wide range of donors, including companies, charities and private individuals. To find out how to apply to the Gatwick Foundation Fund, please contact your local Community Foundation.

• Kent Community Foundation, www.kentcf.org.uk 01303 814500
• Community Foundation for Surrey, www.cfsurrey.org.uk 01483 478092
• Sussex Community Foundation, www.sussexgiving.org.uk 01273 409440

About Gatwick Airport

Gatwick’s 2018 draft master plan sets out proposals for the airport’s ongoing development and sustainable growth. It also outlines the airport’s latest thinking on how it can meet the increasing demand for air travel and provide Britain with enhanced global connectivity. A public consultation will run on the draft master plan until 10 January 2019 and will help inform the publication of the final master plan next year.

Gatwick Airport is the UK’s second largest airport. It serves more than 228 destinations in 74 countries for 45 million passengers a year on short and long-haul point-to-point services. It is also a major economic driver and generates around 85,000 jobs nationally, with 24,000 of these located on the airport. The airport is south of Central London with excellent public transport links, including the Gatwick Express, and is part of the Oyster contactless payment network. Gatwick Airport is owned by a group of international investment funds, of which Global Infrastructure Partners is the largest shareholder.

For further information on Gatwick Airport see www.gatwickairport.com or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Gatwick_Airport

Media enquiries to:
GATWICK AIRPORT PRESS OFFICE
+ 44 (0) 1293 505000
gatwickmedia@gatwickairport.com

Source: GATWICK AIRPORT

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