Newcastle charities benefit from £50,000 Citylife Line grants
Over £50,000 has been raised through our Citylife Line appeal and grants have been awarded to local organisations in Newcastle who have been working tirelessly to support the most vulnerable people and communities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Citylife Line fundraiser was launched in April (17th) to enable people to contribute to the Citylife line initiative – which was something we developed jointly with Newcastle City Council to ensure there was a place where people could access support if they weren’t already connected to one of the voluntary and community groups who were helping across the City.
More than 100 organisations and individuals have donated funds and given their backing to the appeal.
More than 2500 residents have contacted Citylife Line since it was established, receiving emergency food support, shopping & errands and befriending services.
Lisa Goodwin, our Chief Executive, said: ‘The response of local VCSE organisations has been absolutely humbling throughout the pandemic. They are best placed to support those most in need because they have the reach, and they have people’s trust. But we knew that some people may not know who to reach out to, so Citylife Line has helped to fill that gap and make sure people who didn’t know where to turn to for support had somewhere to go.
Organisations who were already very busy developing their own responses signed up to ensure that the Council could match them with people in their areas. We knew that many organisations were struggling to meet demand for food and essential items, so we used our fundraising page to set up a Citylife Line fundraiser. Within a few weeks we had smashed the initial target of £30,000, and got the money out quickly to those organisations who needed it. A huge thank you to the individuals who have donated to the appeal. As many people face an uncertain future, it’s a credit to our city that such generosity is displayed.’
Mark Gowland from the Fenham Association of Residents said: ‘On behalf of our charity, volunteers and the community that we support, I’d like to say a big thank you, this grant will make a huge difference to people in need.’
Citylife Line grants have been awarded to the following organisations to fund a range of initiatives such as hot meal delivery for people with addictions, activity packs for refugee families, food parcels and fresh soup delivery.
Life Vineyard (Byker Pantry)
The Road to Recovery Trust (George Street Social)
The St Bernadette Club
FoodCycle
Sporting Chance
Silverline Memories CIO
Newcastle West End Food Bank
Magic Hat Cafe
West End Refugee Service
Food Nation CIC
West End Women and Girls Centre
Fenham Association of Residents
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Benwell Christian Shop Project (Cornerstone)