MORE than 50 groups across the county have been helped to tackle to coronavirus outbreak with grants from the Wiltshire Community Foundation.

Wiltshire and Swindon Coronavirus Response Fund has now raised £350,000 in just four weeks. Interim co-chief executive Fiona Oliver said: “This is a fantastic total and we are so grateful for the donations. Our grant and finance teams are working flat out to make sure applications are assessed as quickly as possible to make sure the money gets to where it is needed as quickly as possible.”

Almost £200,000 worth of grants have been made to groups tackling hunger, poverty, isolation, mental health issues and home education.

Among the recipients is Chippenham Foodbank, which has been given £5,000 to buy food to help it keep up with increased demand. The foodbank, which is run by the Salvation Army from its base in Foghamshire, has suffered a fall in donations because of the pandemic.

Major Dawn McGarvey and community worker Miriam Dann have been working with a small army of volunteers to deliver food parcels all over Chippenham and beyond to vulnerable pensioners who are being shielded, families who have lost their jobs and people having to self-isolate.

“The demand has really increased; we have families who we help quite regularly but now we are having families who were self-isolating and then people who have lost their jobs or won’t be getting as many shifts. We also have people who are waiting for Universal Credit,” said Major McGarvey.

“At first we just had our regular families but then we were having families who were self-isolating and soon it was people who had lost their jobs or won’t be getting as many shifts. We also have people who are waiting for Universal Credit. It is incredibly busy.”

Last week the group delivered parcels to 24 families, 21 people on their own and three couples. Ms Dann also cooked 72 hot meals for the Unity House homeless hostel in the town.

Carer Support Wiltshire has been given £8,500 to set up a telephone support network for carers who have been left isolated by the pandemic. The group has 11,000 registered carers across the county and a team of up to 50 volunteers will prioritise older members who don’t have email.

To find out more about the fund, go to wiltshirecf.org.uk.