Runnymede Community Fund
Two community groups are the delighted first beneficiaries of grants thanks to the Runnymede Community Fund. Home-Start Runnymede and Recrodis Social Club in Chertsey have both benefited from recent grant awards to support their activities for people in the local area.
The Runnymede Community Fund is a partnership between RAVS (Runnymede Association of Voluntary Services), Runnymede Borough Council and the Community Foundation for Surrey, a charitable trust which aims to inspire more giving in Surrey. By working together, and with a very generous donation from Procter and Gamble as our lead corporate sponsor, they have created a permanent fund that people who care about Runnymede can support. The long term objective is to build a capital fund of at least £250,000 that will be available in perpetuity to help make a significant contribution to meeting the needs of voluntary, community and charitable groups in the area.
Chairman of RAVS, Arthur Birkby, says, “The benefits of this Fund are that it provides an easy way for local residents to support vulnerable people and local communities in Runnymede. Importantly, it also provides a regular source of funds for communities in Runnymede at a time when it is difficult to sustain services.”
Home-Start Runnymede provides an essential support network for stressed parents with children under the age of 5 years old. Their £2,000 grant award will go towards supporting core costs and the training of their volunteers.
Scheme Manager, Sian Mccoy says, “I can’t express how important it is to have money like this coming in to the group. With funding cuts we rely on grants and donations such as this to keep us going. Our volunteers make a tremendous impact helping local families and this grant will help us recruit and train more so that more families will benefit.”