COMMUNITY initiatives in support of the armed forces, families and people with learning disabilities in Warrington are among those to have benefited from National Lottery funding.

Since the start of the coronavirus lockdown, 14 community projects and charities in the town have received a share of more than £870,000.

All have been playing an important role during the Covid-19 pandemic to help people in need, and this funding has gone a long way in enabling them to do so.

Among those to benefit is St Joseph's Family Centre, which received a grant of £50,432 to continue its family support services ranging from counselling to parenting and welfare courses.

This support has been offered remotely during the pandemic, and the funding has ensured that the centre’s IT system can keep up with the increased demand.

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Rosanna Kyme-Wright, centre manager at St Joseph’s, said: “The National Lottery Community Fund has helped to ensure we are able to deliver much needed support services to families living in Warrington.

“The funding is supporting us to improve our IT connectivity to enable better remote working, is extending the delivery of our Family Advocacy Service, providing us with resources to deliver emergency food parcels and helping us to stay afloat during a time where we have not been able to undertake normal fundraising activities.”

Warrington Voluntary Action, which provides training and resources to voluntary, community and faith organisations, was gifted £26,670, while the Armed Forces Community Support Hub on Sankey Street received £9,500 to continue its online activities and buddy system for veterans.

The John Holt Cancer Foundation received a grant of £9,942 to support patients with cancer or family members who were shielding, and MacIntyre Care will use its £2,250 to buy iPads for people with learning disabilities or autism to stay in touch with family.

Warrington Guardian:

Gillian Halliwell, head of funding for the north west at The National Lottery Community Fund, added: “Money raised by National Lottery players has been vital in helping people and communities across Warrington support each other through the pandemic.

“Volunteers and charity workers have played an incredible role in keeping people safe, supported and connected.

“Over the coming months, National Lottery funding will continue to bring people and communities together to build solutions and recover from the crisis.

“We will carry on getting vital funding out to charities and voluntary sector organisations, so they can continue to overcome these obstacles caused by the pandemic and help their community to rebuild and recover.”