The UK’s leading volunteering charity has received £135k of funding for a project helping young disabled Londoners to volunteer.

The City of London Corporation’s charitable funder, City Bridge Trust, gave the grant to Volunteering Matters, based in Hackney, to run the new project for young people with learning disabilities.

Through this grant, the charity aims to give 125 young people with physical and learning disabilities volunteering placements, provide 225 young people with skills workshops, offer 15 work experience placements, and help 100 organisations to provide accessible volunteering opportunities.

The project will run in several London boroughs including Hackney, Haringey, Barnet and Tower Hamlets.

Volunteering Matters estimates that each year around 35,000 volunteers take part in its programmes, many of whom benefit from improved confidence, skills and resilience.

City Bridge Trust currently funds around 420 charitable organisations which collectively work with thousands of volunteers across London and the UK.

Alison Gowman, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s City Bridge Trust committee, said:

“It’s great to be able to announce the grant to Volunteering Matters during Volunteer week, showing our support for the amazing work of volunteers across the country.

“Volunteering provides huge benefits not only to the host organisation but to the individual volunteer. It is an opportunity to learn new skills, meet new people and boost confidence.

“City Bridge Trust is committed to tackling disadvantage across the capital and making London a fairer and better place to live.”

Emma Thomas-Hancock, Director of Delivery at Volunteering Matters, added:

“We are absolutely thrilled to have been chosen to receive funding from City Bridge Trust to deliver the Futures project in East London.

“Futures, which is already successfully running in the East of England, increases the confidence and raises the aspirations of young people aged 15 – 25 with special educational needs and disabilities.

“These vital funds will enable us to recruit and manage volunteer mentors who provide support to young people, identifying and exploring post-education activities for leisure, learning, employment and volunteering in their community.” 

City Bridge Trust is London’s biggest independent grant giver, making grants of £20 million a year to tackle disadvantage across the capital. The Trust has awarded around 7,500 grants totalling over £360 million since it first began in 1995. It helps achieve the Corporation’s aim of changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of Londoners.

The City of London Corporation aims to encourage, support and celebrate responsible City businesses, residents and workers to change the lives of hundreds of thousands of Londoners.

It supports businesses to recruit inclusively, procure responsibly, and encourage employee volunteering, including through the Heart of the City network and through City Philanthropy which aims to encourage a new generation of city workers to give their money, time and talent.

ENDS

Media Enquiries

Kristina Drake

Media Officer, City of London Corporation

Kristina.Drake@cityoflondon.gov.uk

07710860884 / 020 7332 1125