Port of Dover donates second round of Coronavirus Emergency Fund to 11 charities

The Port has announced the organisations that have received a portion of an additional £40,000 of funding made available through its Coronavirus Emergency Fund.

The Fund was introduced by the Kent Community Foundation six months ago in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. An initial £40,000 was released in April 2020 to provide instant support to charities in Dover caring for those in need during the outbreak.

Doug Bannister, CEO of the Port of Dover said:

“The Port of Dover dedicated funding from our Kent Community Fund specifically to the Coronavirus Emergency Fund back in April, so that the local charities working so hard to look after our community could benefit from immediate financial support as we started to navigate through a hugely challenging time.

We are pleased to have recently released an additional £40,000 through our Fund, which I hope will help these organisations begin to prepare for a sustainable and positive future.”

Josephine McCartney, Chief Executive, Kent Community Foundation, added:

“Since April, Kent Community Foundation has distributed £80,000 in emergency grants, on behalf of the Port of Dover Community Fund to groups supporting those affected by the pandemic. This crucial financial support from the Port of Dover Community Fund for local charities and community groups will undoubtedly make a big difference to the local community in Dover.”

Full list of beneficiaries and funding received

Oasis Domestic Abuse Service Ltd – £4,000

The service is constantly evolving in response to the current circumstances and the organisation has been working creatively to support vulnerable people. This grant is allowing them to reach as many young people as possible and work with them in ways they find comfortable.

Emmaus Dover – £3,000

This was a request for core funding to enable the organisation to stay afloat during the Covid-19 crisis and until they could re-open their three shops and start again to raise income to support its core activities.

Dover Outreach Centre – £5,000

Because of Covid-19, the daily Drop-in Service has had to be suspended to comply with Government guidelines. All the rough sleeper clients were offered temporary accommodation by the Local Authority. The organisation is still meeting some clients every week to distribute £30 supermarket food vouchers to those who have no recourse to public funds.

Bechange – £7,000

Bechange has had to adapt it services drastically since the beginning of the crisis. Many people in the community need support with employment, plus the vulnerable people that the organisation was already supporting due to lack money and food supplies. Bechange is cooking and delivering meals for 103 people a day and providing a telephone befriending service.

Samphire – £2,883

The grant was to support the organisation in purchasing a secure and safe access to the Samphire server so that all staff could access files whilst working remotely from home. It also allowed them to purchase two work laptops as not all staff had a suitable device to work from remotely.

Deal Arts Management – £3,500

The grant is for core funding for a period of three months which will mean financial stability until the end of September. The Astor Community Theatre had to suspend all public performances and all classes until further notice in order to avoid contributing to the spread of COVID-19.

Martha Trust – £4,000

For the organisation to purchase much needed PPE, cover the additional costs of food as they had to source it from local shops, as well as additional cleaning services so as to keep the residents safe and healthy.

Dover Deal & District CAB – £5,000

The funding was to support Citizens Advice to set up home workers with equipment and to cover some running costs , in order to provide as close to their full service to all as possible. This service has seen a increased demand due to Covid-19 and is expecting a major surge in the next few months.

Over 50’s Club – £2,000

The grant was to support the organisation to purchase food and medicine and distibute them to 40 vulnerable and isolated older people in Dover as well as providing a befriending service.

Aylesham and Snowdown Social Welfare Scheme – £3,000

This grant was to provide some core funding to cover some of the running costs as the centre has been closed since April and not received any income.

Dover Transport Museum – £1,500

The grant was to help the organisation with costs for utilities, service charges for aspects of operations and administration, insurance, and security. The organisation is wholly dependent upon visitor revenue as it receives no funding other than visitors and the subscriptions of museum society members who also staff the museum.

ENDS