Crispin Blunt MP fully endorses the decision by the new Mayor of Reigate and Banstead, Cllr Rosemary Absalom, to nominate The Community Fund for Reigate and Banstead as her chosen charity for her one-year term of office which commenced on the 27th of May.

Commenting on the announcement Crispin Blunt said, “The Mayor’s decision is extremely welcome, especially as her term will undoubtedly see local hardship increase as the economic fall out of the Coronavirus crisis unfolds. It is extremely generous of her to donate 75% of her mayoral allowance to the Fund until such time as normal mayoral activities can resume after lock-down. Despite being one of the wealthiest boroughs in England, Reigate and Banstead already has unseen pockets of hardship and need in areas such as mental health, care for the elderly, poverty, homelessness, and domestic abuse. The borough also contains the most deprived ward in Surrey and many, often underfunded, sports and community clubs. I am delighted that charity funds raised by the Mayor over the next twelve months will be dedicated to help these issues, and hope that this year will see the Community Fund for Reigate and Banstead grow exponentially through local giving both directly and through the Mayor’s charitable fund raising programme.”

The Community Fund for Reigate and Banstead is a new and growing philanthropic fund that provides support specifically to local projects which tackle need, disadvantage, and community participation across the borough of Reigate and Banstead. The Community Fund is run by a panel of volunteers and administered by the Community Foundation for Surrey (CFS).

The Fund, comprising donations from individual residents and local companies, currently comprises i) a long-term endowment fund for future growth (now standing at over £120,000), and ii) a grants fund from which disbursements are made to local charities and good causes on a regular basis. The emphasis is on supporting small to medium sized local charities that need funding to help deliver their work for the benefit of residents in Reigate and Banstead.

At present, the entire focus of the Fund, as with so many other things, has been overtaken by the Coronavirus epidemic, which has become its priority above everything else. It has have temporarily converted its Grants Fund into a local ‘Reigate and Banstead Coronavirus Emergency Fund’ and increased the number and volume of grants from this fund for emergency support to local charities working to assist in the local Coronavirus social and welfare response.

Since 27th March it has authorised the emergency grants to the value of £27,500 from the Grants Fund

Thanks to the emergency appeal for donations to help address the high level of local need caused by the epidemic, there is currently a balance of just around £7,000 on the Grants Fund (after the recent donations of £27,500) which we are now ready to donate.

The public can donate to the fund online here: https://www.cfsurrey.org.uk/fund/rbf/

List of beneficiaries of grants from The Community Fund for Reigate AND Banstead since 27 March 2020

Citizens Advice Bureau - £6,736 -Installation IT systems to enable the CAB to provide more advice to people affected by the crisis

Generation Church - £3,744 -Essential running costs for a Foodbank based in the deprived ward of Preston

Infinity - BLOOM - £2,900 -BLOOM mother and baby classes - remote support for parents in Redhill

Voluntary Action Reigate and Banstead - £2,500 -Contribution towards emergency voluntary sector coordination activities

Family Voice Surrey - £1,620 - Contribution towards the salaries of 11 coordinators, which will assist and train parents and carers of SEND children across Surrey - proportion to support R&B

Active Prospects - £5,000 for Equipment, IT licences and activity packs to address isolation for people with learning disabilities, autism or mental health issues and sensory resources to address emotional ill-health

The Children’s Trust - £5,000 - for PPE and cleaning costs at the charity’s centre which continues to care for vulnerable children during the Coronavirus pandemic