On Wednesday 13th March a new fund for Warrington was launched by CCF at Parr’s Bank Hotel in Warrington. The event was kindly sponsored by Watsons Solicitors and was attended by the founding donors, local stakeholders and business leaders from across the town.
Visit the web page for the Warrington Fund here.
Photo Gallery: Launch Event
Photography by Clicked by Kate
Warrington Fund Press Release
First-of-its-type fund launched to raise vital cash for Warrington charities – after town revealed as one of UK’s most deprived
Cheshire Community Foundation has launched a first-of-its-type fund for Warrington to address issues such as poverty, mental health, illiteracy, and hidden homelessness.
The aim is to raise £500,000 within the next five years to help charities across the borough plug gaps in local provision.
A first-of-its-type fund aiming to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for good causes across Warrington will be launched next week after statistics from Census revealed one in two households in the town are ‘deprived’. *
The ‘Warrington Fund’ has been created by the Cheshire Community Foundation and will aim to pool resources to achieve the greatest impact possible for families and communities in the town.
The fund, which will be opened at a special event at the Parrs Bank Hotel, will aim to address pressing issues such as poverty, illiteracy, mental health, and hidden homelessness.
It’s been launched following an increasing number of Warrington charities dissolving – and applications rising for funding from charities to plug some of the gaps in provision that now exist.
It will work by prioritising the most pressing issues or needs across the town, as well as campaigning for more funding for good causes. The launch comes after it was revealed there has been a 280% year-on-year increase in people visiting Warrington Food Bank, and that one in five residents have no qualifications.
Ahead of the launch, Melanie Sproston, CEO of Cheshire Community Foundation said: “Over the past few years, we have recognised more needs to be done to support Warrington communities and families. One of the most economically successful towns should not have some of the worst poverty statistics in the UK so we need to act on this now.
“Our purpose is to support local charities by providing them with the necessary funds to enable them to carry out essential projects to help families facing significant challenges. The Warrington Fund will play a crucial role in empowering these charities, allowing them to reach even more families in need – doing more with less.
“We look forward to officially launching the fund and sharing further insight with our key stakeholders about our ambitions for the fund and establishing our shared goals for Warrington over the next five years.”
Over the last four years, Cheshire Community Foundation (CCF) has played an important role by contributing more than £1.1million to various charities across the town. These grants have enabled life-changing, and in some cases life-saving, projects from vital local charities, but there is still much to be done,
In light of new research, the charity has recognised more needs to be done to address the persistent growth in poverty statistics. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation asserts Warrington families have one of the lowest household incomes in the northwest. Oxford Consultants for Local Inclusion states 22% of Warrington residents have no qualifications; and, according to the Centre for Social Justice, one in five of the town’s children are persistently absent from school.
On March 13, CCF will hold a launch event for the Warrington Fund at Parrs Bank Hotel in Warrington, with the initial aim to raise more than £500,000 over the next five years.
Sponsored by Watsons Solicitors, the launch event will share further research and insight into the need across Warrington, achievements to date and the ambitions for the fund with key stakeholders.
Charities will be eligible to access the fund from April. To find out more, visit the CCF website here.
ENDS
Notes:
About Cheshire Community Foundation:
Cheshire community foundation was established in 2011 to help some of the most deprived places across Cheshire. CCF support hundreds of amazing charities and voluntary groups across the whole of Cheshire and Warrington.
Sources:
⦁ * One in two households in the town are ‘deprived’ – https://shorturl.at/acrwV
⦁ 280% increase in number of people supported by Warrington Food Bank – 2022, Warrington Food Network Coordinator
⦁ 22% of residents in the most deprived areas have no qualifications – Oxford Consultants for Local Inclusion 2022
⦁ 1 in 5 children persistently absent from school – Centre for Social Justice 2023