The other successful charities are: Nepalese Himalayan Association Scotland; Northsound Cash for Kids; Community Food Initiatives North East; Denis Law Legacy Trust; Middlefield Community Project; Aberdeen Women’s Alliance; Tillydrone Community Flat; Pathways; Aberdeen Foyer; Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) and We Too!.  

In less than three months since its launch at the start of May, the COVID-19 Hardship Fund has raised an amazing quarter of a million pounds (£251,513) thanks to donations from members of the public, business people and donations of £100,000 from the Seven Incorporated Trades Widows’ Charity and £100,000 from Aberdeen City Council via the Common Good Fund.

Trustees met on July 7 to consider 23 applications and were delighted to award funding to 12 locally registered charities. The third round of funding will support a further 582 individuals, 820 families and 580 children and young people.

In total 39 charities have received £251,070, supporting 5,088 individuals, 3,626 families, 1,835 children and young people, and 23,920 meals, 5,806 food parcels and 15,000 fruit packs.

At the meeting, the Trustees decided to end the Emergency COVID-19 Appeal on Crowdfunder, however the Trust recognises the desire of the people of Aberdeen to continue to help people in need and will be announcing alternative means of making financial contributions soon.

Meantime any organisation or individual that would like to make a donation to the COVID-19 Appeal can email here marking it for the attention of Garry Watson, Clerk to The Lord Provost’s Charitable Trust.

The Lord Provost of Aberdeen, Barney Crockett, said: “By working in partnership, the Lord Provost’s Charitable Trust, The Seven Incorporated Trades and Aberdeen City Council established the special Covid-19 Hardship Fund in order to help our citizens most in need during these unprecedented times.

“Thanks to the generosity of individuals, businesses, The Seven Incorporated Trades Widows’ Fund Charity and Aberdeen City Council we have been able to help a great many people with over a quarter of a million pounds being awarded to local charities in under three months. That is incredible.

“The Trust will now take time out to look at how best it can help citizens in the recovery phase of COVID-19.”

Mervyn Donald, deacon convenor, The Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen, added: “The collaboration with the Lord Provost and Aberdeen City Council in creating The Emergency COVID-19 Appeal has been fantastic. We hope we have managed to impact many lives in the local Aberdeen area, and we are inspired by the help of local businesses and individuals, we are very thankful to them for their donations and support.

“We have witnessed first-hand, the wonderful job that all these very deserving charities do and have been overwhelmed by their kindness during such a difficult time. We will continue to support our local community as best as we can moving forward.”

Lynda Reid-Fowler, community services lead, Aberdeen Cyrenians, said: “The £10,000 we have received from the Lord Provost’s Charitable Trust will allow us to source white goods and household utensils for our vulnerable service users who are moving into new homes during this difficult and challenging time. 

“We’ve all had that moment of sitting in an empty flat, eating dinner off a cardboard box table, it’s fun temporarily, but that situation has been a reality for many of the people we’ve been working with during this crisis as other agencies and funders have become over-subscribed or closed their doors. 

“We’d like to thank the LPCT for their generous funding which will allow those living in temporary accommodation and moving into new flats during this pandemic the chance to leave an often very chaotic and challenging situation behind, and begin to build a new, safe home.”

Mark Williams, chief operating officer, Denis Law Legacy Trust, commented: “The support from the Lord Provost’s fund has been fantastic for us as a small charity, its enabled us to quickly adapt during this current time and support our Streetsport community in ways we had not previously been able to.

“We received funding that enabled us to purchase food vouchers for families that needed them the most in Aberdeen during this crises and also support for us that enabled us to plan ahead and ensure our Streetsport programme can return as soon as possible in a safe and effective way.

“This has been via funding to purchase the correct PPE and cleaning materials to help ensure our Streetsport environments are safe and clean for all staff, volunteers and participants. We have also received additional sports kit that will help young people enjoy physical activity and wellbeing activities whist taking in consideration the distancing guidance currently in place.”

Leona McDermid, chief executive, Aberdeen Foyer, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded funding through the Lord Provost’s Hardship Fund - this will go a long way to supporting people going through very tough times at present.”

Malcolm Pritchard, manager, Pathways, added: “Pathways is delighted to have been awarded funding through the Lord Provosts Hardship Fund. The funding will enable us to buy a number of tablets so that people can attend online training classes to improve their employability. At this time of great uncertainty, the funding will mean that disadvantaged people living in Aberdeen have access to support they need to help them get back to work.”

The special hardship fund was a partnership between The Lord Provost’s Charitable Trust, The Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen and Aberdeen City Council. It was created following a request to the Lord Provost of Aberdeen Barney Crockett, from The Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen and a local businessman, for the Charitable Trust, to be used as a vehicle to create a hardship fund for those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.