Shrewsbury charity receives £3,000 to help caregivers

A Shrewsbury charity that is supporting vulnerable people through the coronavirus crisis has been awarded a £3,000 grant to provide support to isolated or bereaved caregivers during lockdown.

Omega, The National Association for End-Of-Life Care, applied for the grant from the ‘In This Together – Community Matters’ fund set up by Western Power Distribution, the electricity network operator for Shropshire.

The fund, which has now closed, was launched to help community groups and organisations deliver urgent care and support to thousands of families across the region through these challenging times.

It invited applications from charities, hospitals, community groups, parish councils and local authorities for grants of up to £10,000 to help those directly affected by the pandemic.

Thomas Memery, charity director, said: “We are trying hard to support clients and many of our own colleagues. More than 50 Omega colleagues and former colleagues either have serious underlying health conditions or are living with someone who has.

"We are immensely grateful to Western Power Distribution who have helped us to meet increased costs of working. This much needed extra help has enabled us to quickly boost our delivery capacity at such an important time.”

In response to an urgent need for direct support, WPD has donated more than £11,000 to a range of community organisations and charities across Shropshire, enabling vital support and care to be delivered to people impacted by the coronavirus.

Alison Sleightholm, WPD’s resources & external affairs director, said: “Our team has worked tirelessly to get our fund running and active. I’m delighted that we‘ve been able to move quickly and support some fantastic organisations which are making a real difference to thousands of vulnerable people during the pandemic.”