Regeneration trust awarded £1m in match-funding scheme

The Coalfields Regeneration Trust, which supports the UK’s former mining towns and villages, has been awarded £1 million of funding from the Government’s Community Match Challenge Scheme.

Matching the award pound for pound, the Coalfields Regeneration Trust has created a £2m fund. This will be used to support its Covid-19 Recovery and Resilience Fund and its Coalfields Food Insecurity Fund.

A new Regional Impact Fund is also being created to provide higher value grant support for exemplar projects.

Over the lifespan of the fund, 200 small-to-medium voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations will benefit, helping them respond to emerging needs caused by the pandemic.

Andy Lock, head of operations (England) for the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, said: “When lockdown hit, we knew that our communities would once again be disproportionately impacted, bearing the brunt of the economic and social challenges.

“Forty two per cent of coalfield neighbourhoods are in the most deprived thirty per cent in Britain and still face significant social, economic and health challenges.

“Recognising that important and urgent support was desperately needed, we quickly established our Covid-19 Recovery and Resilience Fund and the Coalfields Food Insecurity Fund.

“While both have been a huge success in providing much-needed financial support, we simply haven’t been able to meet demand.

“The Community Match Challenge Scheme from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has presented a lifeline; not only will it help our support go further, but it will address the longer term challenges our communities face in light of the ongoing pandemic.”

The funds will be distributed through an application process and submissions will be welcomed from projects that support individuals from across the Yorkshire area.

Minister for Civil Society, Baroness Barran, said: “It’s a privilege to be working with the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to double their fundraising efforts and get £2m to front-line charities that need it.

“I know this funding will make a huge difference, from supporting people’s mental health to tackling food insecurity.

“The Community Match Challenge is part of the £750 million government investment to back charities during the pandemic so they can continue to do their vital work helping vulnerable people.”