'Animal shelters, education and disability charities have seen their funding drop by more than half.'

MP for Wrexham

Whilst we are all aware that the pandemic has been challenging for individuals and businesses, what often goes unnoticed is the impact of the pandemic on the charity and volunteer sector. Many in this sector have, sadly, struggled.

Incredibly, though, this is not because of people tightening their belts – during 2020 we as a nation gave more to charity than ever before – a fact that shows a lot about the continued community-mindedness of this nation. Indeed, as I witnessed during the recently-held Marjorie Dykins OBE Volunteer Memorial Awards, this year has brought out the best in people and the community in Wrexham.

Instead, the struggles have come because of the nature of fundraising and the impacts of the pandemic. Focused on the pandemic, people generously donated to health charities and food banks last year, but small and local groups who normally rely on village fetes, fundraising evenings or sponsorship from sporting events, such as the London Marathon, to raise funds saw their incomes completely dry up. For example, animal shelters, education and disability charities have seen their funding drop by more than half.

As a result of this situation, over the past few months local charities and community groups have lobbied me to make sure that they are being considered in policy decisions and I have worked with many of them to secure alternative funding streams that perhaps they had not previously considered. Over the last quarter alone my office has managed to secure funding for some local groups from places such as the Postcode Lottery, the National Lottery, Wales & West Utilities, the Moondance Foundation, and the Village Bakery Fund from right here in Wrexham. A good example is the Holt Gardens Project which benefited from a £1986 grant from the Postcode Lottery. From subsequent conversations with the organisations, charities, or groups that my team and I have helped I know that these funding streams have been a lifeline.

In the UK eight out of ten charities have an income of less than £100,000 per year and so any support they can access is often the difference between sinking and swimming. I hope, therefore, that if there are any groups out there whose funding has been affected and who are not sure where to turn to next, they do approach me and I will do all that I can to find out what options are out there.

As always if you are resident in Wrexham and need my assistance with any local or national issue, please make contact with me by emailing sarah.atherton.mp@parliament.uk