Charities get grants to help them stay afloat
- Leicester Mercury
- 10 Aug 2020
TWO charities, which give disabled and disadvantaged people the chance to enjoy narrowboat cruises and other experiences on the water, have been awarded grants.
The Baldwin Trust and Somali Community Parents Association (Socopa) are each to receive a grant from the the Canal and River Trust.
The Leicester charities are among 43 charities based on inland waterways in England and Wales that have shared in £31,500 in grants awarded by the trust.
Sue Wilkinson, Canal and River Trust trustee and chairman of the grants panel, said: “These charities do invaluable work, providing people with opportunities in life where and when it is needed the most – from helping tackle loneliness and dementia, to supporting disadvantaged children and young people in some of the most deprived parts of the country.
“We are very grateful to everyone who has contributed to the Waterways Charity Appeal.
“It is thanks to you that we have been able to give some support to a number of small charities at this very difficult time.
“The trust is pleased to be able to match the personal contributions made by supporters.”
Abdikayf Farah, chief executive of Socopa, said: “We are delighted to work with Canal and River Trust and are very grateful for the grant support it has provided in a time of need.”
Mick Mcloughlin, chairman and trustee of the Baldwin Trust, said: “We would like to thank everyone who donated to the appeal and to the Canal & River Trust for their support in awarding the grant funding to us.
“We have not been able to operate our relaxing wheelchair-adapted narrowboat day cruises and all the fundraising events we usually attend have not been able to happen either, yet we still have maintenance and overhead costs to pay.
“We are very grateful for the donations and the grant funding awarded, as this will help us to cover some of these costs, so we will be able to stay afloat.
“We look forward to being able to welcome our wonderful volunteers and passengers onboard again as soon as it is safe for us to do so.”
