London Gatwick lends helping hand to good causes in Sussex, Surrey and Kent
- Community groups in Sussex, Surrey and Kent were celebrating this week as London Gatwick announced the recipients of nearly £100,000 of funding from the first round of the London Gatwick Foundation Fund of 2024.
A total of 17 groups across the region benefitted from a financial boost from the fund as they continue to battle the cost-of-living crisis.
In Sussex, the five good causes to receive funding were Wealden Volunteering (£8,000), Autism Support Crawley (£7,000), Bentswood Hub in Haywards Heath (£5,000), The Good Company People in Wealden (£5,000) and the Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group in Crawley (£5,000).
Surrey groups which benefitted were Always Learning Developing and Growing (ALDAG) in Mole Valley (£8,000), Prospero Theatre CIC in Tandridge, I Choose Freedom in Surrey and Young Epilepsy in Tandridge, which all received £5,000, Menshare Listening Group in Horley (£4,364) and Leatherhead Youth Project (£3,500).
In Kent, the good causes included Nourish Community Foodbank in Tunbridge Wells (£9,000), Bridges Centre in Sevenoaks (£7,500), Friends Together in Tonbridge (£4,500), Tunbridge Wells Sea Cadets (£4,000), Scotts Project Trust in Tonbridge (£3,750) and Tunbridge Wells and District Volunteer Bureau and Community Car Service (£1,250).
Anna Sharkey, Bentswood Hub director and CEO, said: “This money will allow us to deliver another year of work experience and support to young people from special needs and alternative provision schools, and young people at risk of becoming not in education, employment, or training, in our safe and friendly community café with community larder.
“The young people receive inhouse barista training from our very own coffee specialist followed by four consecutive weeks of work experience to embed the barista skills they have learnt along with customer service skills and learning how the community larder works.”
Melanie Wrightson, stakeholder engagement manager at London Gatwick, said: “We love supporting community groups through the London Gatwick Foundation Fund. Hearing how the money we donate makes a difference to people’s lives is a constant source of joy.
“Sadly, we’re still reading headlines about how the acute cost-of-living crisis is impacting the UK and we know grassroots organisations and voluntary projects will be feeling the financial pressure.
“The London Gatwick Foundation Fund has supported hundreds of good causes over the years. We would like to urge local charities and community groups to apply for the next round of funding and allow us to help them too.”
The London Gatwick Foundation Fund was set up in 2016 to award funding to local groups that work to fight social isolation and tackle disadvantage, raise aspirations and develop skills, improve health and wellbeing, and support children and young people.
Each year there are three rounds of grants, totalling £300,000, which are made available to beneficiaries in Sussex across Crawley, Horsham, Mid Sussex and Wealden, in Surrey across Reigate and Banstead, Tandridge and Mole Valley, and in Kent across Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks.
The London Gatwick Foundation Fund is managed on behalf of London Gatwick by individual Community Foundations for Kent, Sussex and Surrey.
In Sussex, the deadline to apply for the next round of funding is 6 September. In Surrey, the deadline to express an interest in funding is 14 October. In Kent, applications will open on 1 June and the deadline to apply for the next round of funding is 27 September.
To find out more please visit the Gatwick Foundation Fund https://www.gatwickairport.com/company/community/funding.html
London Gatwick is the UK’s second largest airport and is a vital piece of national infrastructure that helps drive both the regional and national economy. More than 40 airlines fly from the airport to over 150 short-haul and more than 45 long-haul destinations. The airport is focused on rebuilding and growing sustainably in the long term. It has ambitious plans to be a net zero airport by 2030 and increase capacity by bringing its Northern runway into routine use. Vinci Airports owns a 50.01% stake in the airport, with Global Infrastructure Partners managing the remaining 49.99% interest.
The world’s leading private airport operator, VINCI Airports operates more than 70 airports in 13 countries. Thanks to its expertise as a global integrator, VINCI Airports develops, finances, builds and manages airports by providing its investment capacity and its know-how in optimizing operational performance, modernizing infrastructure and managing their operations and environmental transition. VINCI Airports is the first airport operator to have committed to an international environmental strategy in 2016, to achieve the goal of net zero emissions across its entire network by 2050.
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Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) is a leading infrastructure investor that specializes in investing in, owning and operating some of the largest and most complex assets across the energy, transport, digital infrastructure and water and waste management sectors. With decarbonization central to our investment thesis, we are well positioned to support the global energy transition. Headquartered in New York, GIP has offices in Brisbane, Dallas, Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, Mumbai, Singapore, Stamford and Sydney.
GIP has approximately $106 billion in assets under management. Our portfolio companies have combined annual revenues of approximately $75 billion and employ over 115,000 people. We believe that our focus on real infrastructure assets, combined with our deep proprietary origination network and comprehensive operational expertise, enables us to be responsible stewards of our investors' capital and to create positive economic impact for communities. For more information, visit www.global-infra.com.
The London Gatwick Foundation Fund is managed by individual Community Foundations for Kent, Sussex and Surrey on behalf of London Gatwick, which oversees the programme and assesses all applications.
Each year, there are three rounds of grants, which are split equally between Sussex, Surrey and Kent.
Since it was founded in 2016, the London Gatwick Foundation Fund has made more than £1.5m in donations, which support local grassroots community and voluntary projects that make a difference to people’s lives and meet local need.
It operates in Sussex across Crawley, Horsham, Mid Sussex and Wealden, in Surrey across Reigate and Banstead, Tandridge and Mole Valley, and in Kent across Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks.
For more information visit: https://www.gatwickairport.com/company/community/funding.html
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London, UK, 12 April 2024
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