BOROUGH residents experiencing hardship can approach a Wokingham organisation for help to buy an essential item they cannot afford.
Wokingham United Charities has been serving the borough since 1451, when John Westende gifted eight Peach Street cottages for poor and needy people in Wokingham.
More than 500 years later, the organisation is still going strong, its mission to help people in the borough experiencing poverty, hardship or distress.
Today it provides almshouse accommodation for older people at Westende, and manages a relief In Need fund.
This endowment enables it to award Essential Item grants to individuals and families, and to give Relief In Need grants to charities and community groups serving Wokingham Borough residents.
Essential Item grants are designed to help someone who cannot afford to replace a broken cooker, or who has moved into new accommodation without a fridge.
They might help to fund an educational assessment, buy a mobility scooter, or help with debt-related fees, a school trip, or counselling.
Each request, one per year from UK residents living in the borough, is considered on its merits.
Families and individuals wishing to apply for help to buy an item should contact Citizens Advice Wokingham, who can make a referral.
People may also complete an application form via the Wokingham CAB website.
Relief In Need grants are awarded to charities and projects that can help with the relief and prevention of poverty and its sources.
Eligible projects and organisations may be assisting people to access employment and training, helping them with money management and debt advice, or improving their mental health and wellbeing.
Substantial grants have already been awarded to: Young People With Dementia, Berkshire Women’s Aid, The Cowshed, Berkshire Vision, Camp Mohawk, Life Education, Berkshire Lowland Search, Wokingham Foodbank, and Citizens Advice Wokingham.
For more information, and to find out who can apply for either of these WUC grants, visit: www.wokinghamunitedcharities.org.uk
Organisations should contact WUC for Relief In Need grants, while families and individuals seeking an Essential Item grant should call Citizens Advice Wokingham for help with an application, on: 0808 278 7958, or complete a referral form on their website, at: www.citizensadvicewokingham.org.uk
