The Heathrow Community Trust grants £95k in rapid emergency funding for local community groups responding to COVID-19

• £95,000 in rapid emergency COVID-19 funding is set to be released by the Heathrow Community Trust (HCT), an independent charity funded by Heathrow Airport and supported by its colleagues and partners
• Funding has been released from HCT reserves to help keep vital community services running, including food banks and support services for the isolated and vulnerable
• Heathrow continues to provide educational resources to local schools and has redeployed Heathrow Community Rangers to assist with delivering donations to local food banks

LONDON, UK, 2020-Apr-21 — /Travel PR News/ — The Heathrow Community Trust (HCT) is granting £95,000 in rapid emergency funding for local community groups responding to COVID-19. Funding from HCT reserves – generated by fundraising efforts from Heathrow colleagues in 2019 – will be used to support projects including transitioning support services online and equipping the elderly with technology to help stay connected with friends and family.

Support will be issued to organisations who have a current active HCT-funded project and are providing vital care to the most vulnerable.

Round 1 funding has been deployed to the following projects:

• Thames Hospice, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire – £5,000 to fund emergency PPE equipment for an emergency isolation ward treating COVID-19 patients.
• The Manor Friends Care Home, Windsor – £2,050 for the purchase of android tables for use by elderly patients to communicate with relatives and loved ones.
• ​Business Education Events, Ealing £960.00 to help purchase new computers and equipment to develop online programmes for young people stuck at home.
• The Baby Bank, Berkshire and surrounds – £2,500 to purchase care essentials including nappies, formula, baby food and wipes.
• East to West, Runnymede – £2,500 to provide care and support for vulnerable children, young people and families via phone and online.
• Education & Skills Development Group,  Southall – £3,000 to support elderly and isolated members of the community such as Somali refugees, and other asylum seekers.
• Our Lady of Sorrows and St Bridget of Sweden,  Isleworth – £2,500 to provide help, advice and emotional support via telephone, conference calls, social media briefings; including support for those with loved ones in hospital and those needing funeral arrangements.
• Vineyard Community Centre, Richmond – £2,500 to deliver food parcels to vulnerable people in their homes.
• Beat Routes, Slough – £1,000 to move music workshops for young people to online.
• Engineering Development Trust, across all nine boroughs neighbouring Heathrow – £2,500 for developing STEM engagement activities for use in schools for children of key workers, and online for home schooling.

Commenting on the release of funding support, Director of the Heathrow Community Trust Beccy Bowden, said:

“This funding is providing much-needed support to our neighbouring community groups who are working tirelessly to keep local people safe and healthy. The only way to get through this challenging time is by maintaining our strong community spirit and offering as much support as we can to one another. I am incredibly proud of the fundraising efforts of employees of Heathrow and Team Heathrow companies which have meant that when support is most needed, the Trust has been able to move incredibly quickly to release emergency funding.”

Thanking the HCT, Thames Hospice Fundraiser Frances Greany, said:

“We really appreciate the Trust’s support at this very difficult time. It will make such a difference to our doctors and nurses as they support patients in the coming weeks and months.”

Manor Friends Care Home Treasurer Sue Litton, said:

“An immense thank you to the review panel for granting us the funds. We’ve experienced a greatly increased number of phone calls coming from relatives anxious to speak with their loved ones. This tied up the phone lines significantly and limited staff’s ability to attend to essential care matters. Having the android tablets means multiple contact can be made simultaneously, free up the main phone lines for administrative calls and ease up demand on staff for non-care tasks.”

The HCT’s COVID-19 emergency response funding will continue to be awarded on a weekly basis while the reserve funds are available.

Emergency funding from the Trust is in addition to a number of initiatives exercised by Heathrow and its partners, to support the local community through the global COVID-19 outbreak, including a donation of 6,000 FFP3 respiratory face masks to NHS teams working at Thames Valley Air Ambulance and Hillingdon Hospital. Heathrow Community Rangers have also been redeployed to support some of Heathrow’s local communities, including delivering donations to local food banks, while online educational resources have been made available to schools and parents via the Heathrow website.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About Heathrow Community Trust (HCT)

The HCT was set up in 1996 to improve the quality of life for communities near the airport through education and community projects focused on enhancing people’s skills, aspiration, resilience and employability, as well as improving community green spaces and projects bringing communities together.

Heathrow Community Trust receives an annual donation from Heathrow as well as donations from other companies involved in the airport. Income is raised from sponsored events involving Team Heathrow colleagues such as the Midnight Marathon (pictured above). All money raised by departure noise infringements in accordance with the airport’s Noise Action Plan is also distributed to community projects in the Heathrow area. Current COVID-19 emergency funding arises from donations received in 2019.

Contact:

Press Office
0208 745 7224

Source: Heathrow Airport

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