The Big Help Project (Knowsley Foodbank) is celebrating a major new funding partnership this week, with the securing of funding through Barclay’s Community Aid Package
The funding was created to support charities that are helping people and communities most impacted by COVID-19. Alongside a colleague-matched fundraising initiative and the £10m pledged through their 100x100 Programme, Barclays is donating a total of £100million in funding to charity partners across the UK and overseas, representing a truly global response to this international emergency. In the UK, these partners include those who are likely to be most impacted by the economic effects of the pandemic, with The Big Help Project receiving a grant of £100,000 which will fund the recruitment of Welfare Advice, Debt Advice and Employment support staff, and finance Foodbank costs in the coming months.
Announcing the award, Nigel Higgins, Barclays Chairman, said: “COVID-19 has created an unprecedented social and economic impact in the UK, with many experiencing greater hardship due to the crisis. Incredible charities have been playing a vital role in the UK’s response to the pandemic, ensuring urgent help reaches those most in need of support. As a bank we have been doing all we can for our customers, clients and colleagues, and we hope that by partnering with The Big Help Project and many other charities across the UK, collectively we can ensure that as many people as possible in the communities in which we live and work are supported through this crisis.”
Julie Rimmer, Site President at Barclays Liverpool Contact Centre said: “This crisis has had an unprecedented impact across the UK and we know this is an incredibly challenging time for many in the Liverpool City Region. By reaching those most in need of support, local charities, such as The Big Help Project, have played a vital role in this crisis to date, and no doubt they will do going forward. As a proud member of our community, we are doing everything we can for our customers, clients and colleagues, and we hope this partnership will allow many others to access the help they need as this crisis develops.”
Peter Mitchell, Executive Chair at the Big Help Project, said: “The Big Help Project is delighted and honoured to be chosen as a Barclays’ UK charity partner, and we truly appreciate their support. We anticipate that 2021 will see an emerging tsunami of need, with personal debt and unemployment all expected to further rise in the coming months as the economic effects of the pandemic deepen. This award will help us to be ready to meet that situation head-on, and to be able to deliver the exceptional, holistic care for our clients that has become the defining characteristic of the Big Help Project over the last decade. “
Recruitment for the new posts will be announced on the Big Help Projects’ website, and circulated through the DWP network. For more information about the Big Help Project, please contact the office on 0151 482 6089 or go to the homepage at www.bighelpproject.com