Today marks the first day of Wimbledon, one of the oldest tennis tournaments in the world.
Whilst the world’s best tennis players compete, we are celebrating our partnership with the Wimbledon Foundation, the charity of the All England Lawn Tennis Club and The Championships.
Awarding grants to community organisations in Merton and Wandsworth, the Wimbledon Foundation Community Fund has been benefiting the local community since 2014 and has just reached the milestone of awarding over £500,000 worth of grants. So far, the Fund has benefitted around 18,000 local people through 129 grants.
In the most recent round of funding, £66,437 has been awarded to 15 organisations, including Sound Minds who uses the arts and peer support to improve the lives of people experiencing long term ill health.
Paul Brewer, CEO said:
Many thanks to the Wimbledon Foundation for funding this opportunity for us to develop our services for those who are struggling to gain a start in life. Through music, Sound Minds will engage disadvantaged young people not in employment or training so they can explore their creativity in a supporting space while gaining valuable interpersonal and life skills.
Another organisation, Wandsworth Foodbank who provides emergency food, support and signposting received £5,000 to help support their work with people who are in crisis across Wandsworth.
Dan Frith, Wandsworth Foodbank Manager said:
The funds will enable us to continue to employ a Warehouse Coordinator, who enables our volunteers to sort an average weekly donation of 1 tonne of food! We’re so grateful to the community for donating to help their neighbours; this funding helps to give us the capacity to ensure every household referred to us will receive a good quality, nutritionally-balanced food parcel from one of our five Foodbank Centres.
