A year of Covid in Cornwall

It was a year ago that the Cornwall Community Foundation started to distribute funding in response to Covid-19. We made the first grant awards on 13 March, 10 days before lockdown started. During this extraordinary year, we raised £2 million thanks to our supporters in and outside of Cornwall. We have distributed £1,773,000 in 523 grant awards to 193 community groups in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. I’m very grateful to our team of staff, trustees and volunteers who all pulled together to meet the increasing need.

We have seen a fantastic range of community projects, including food banks, soup kitchens, community centres, shopping, prescription and book deliveries, children’s activities and support networks. Groups have reached out to the elderly, people with disabilities, single or young parents, victims of violence and those whose lives have been devastated by the impact of the epidemic. We couldn’t have achieved this without the amazing supporters who helped with their generous donations.

The current lockdown has brought more challenges to people. The CCF has helped many people in crisis who had to choose between heating or eating and the dark evenings and cold weather has increased the pressure on mental health. Covid-19 exacerbated the issues that our communities are facing and it is great to see the positive effects of the vaccination programme, the spring weather with longer daylight hours and the continuing selfless determination of the volunteer-led projects. We remain committed to supporting their work to bring positive change for one and all.