Posted on 03 February 2023
How we’re helping our partners in these difficult times
We’re delighted to announce that since December 2022, we’ve pledged £250,000 in grants to our community partners through the Hyde Charitable Trust’s Booster Fund.
The fund was set up in response to the Cost of Living crisis. Our partners deliver a wide variety of services to our customers and communities, and each requires different support. Some partners need to find funds to pay for their increasing utility bills. Others are experiencing a growing demand for their services and need to find new ways to reach people in need. The majority of our partners need to increase the salaries of their workforce, to help reduce their financial worries.
One of our partners, the AiR community arts and expressions project, has used their grant to not only bring their staff wages up to the London Living Wage, but to also support the completion of a book led by Packington Estate residents. ‘I don’t remember it like that’ is due to be launched on 10 March, and is a compilation of anecdotes, photos and artwork reflecting residents’ memories of an estate which had a bad reputation.
Raising the profile of our residents in a positive way, in a society which can still make assumptions, is part of why we fund the community projects that we do.
In times of financial difficulty, a project like this could end as funds would need to be directed elsewhere. However, thanks to the Booster Fund, the book could be completed, allowing AiR and Packington residents to see the result of all their hard work.
Watch this space, as we’ll be showcasing more of our partners’ work, and highlighting what the Booster Fund is doing to help our communities.