Council announces fund to help vulnerable people

Orkney Islands Council have announced a new fund, set up to assist vulnerable people during the coronavirus pandemic.

The local authority says the aim of its Community Resilience Fund is to provide support for local voluntary, charitable and not-for-profit organisations working with:

• People aged 70 or older and those aged under 70 with an underlying health condition, including people given the flu vaccination each year on medical grounds.
• Those at increased risk, particularly in relation to poor mental health and wellbeing.
• Vulnerable isolated people and families, particularly those living in remote rural areas, families where a parent or both parents have lost their employment or where children are living in poverty.
• Children and young people – particularly on creative, digital projects to provide a voice for younger members of the community.

Hardship funding provided by the UK Government is being used to establish the fund. It initially stands at £150,000 and can awards grants of up to £2,000. This will be kept under review over the weeks ahead.

Council convener Harvey Johnston said: “These are difficult times for many in Orkney and a range of organisations are working hard to assist vulnerable folk across our community.

“We want to support those efforts and so I am delighted we have been able to establish this fund. We will respond rapidly to applications for grants – our aim is to process these within seven days.”

Applications for funding can be submitted at http://www.orkney.gov.uk/CV-CRF.