Support community organisations
During this time, we need more than ever to support the many organisations, charities and societies across the borough which are struggling as a result of coronavirus.
We are asking you to help your community by donating to these organisations that need you.
Many are facing reduced income and resources, meaning the wonderful services they provide are becoming harder to deliver each day. Most of these organisations are run by volunteers, putting themselves on the frontline to help the elderly, disabled, vulnerable, young carers and children across the borough.
Any donation can help in so many ways, please help us help them.
The good news is you can do this from the comfort of your own home, this page shows you who you can help and how…
The TW Lotto is a local lottery which helps over 70 good causes across the borough. For every £1 ticket you buy 60% goes straight to the good causes. You can buy your tickets and select the cause you want to help on their Find a good cause page.
Or if you know anyone looking to raise funds do pass this link on for them to sign up today: twlotto.co.uk/good-causes
Plus you could win some great prizes along the way!
Follow the TW Lotto on Twitter @TWLottery or find us on Facebook @TWLottoUK.
You can also support charities directly and below we have listed a number of local good causes with information about how to support them.
We are in the process of refurbishing a house to add to our capacity to help homeless people in our region. Due to the current crisis, all work has stopped and we now won’t be able to open until at least July. This delay will cost The Bridge Trust around £10,000 in lost income as well as not being there to get another 5 people out of homelessness.
Support The Bridge Trust
The NHS is facing its biggest challenge in 72 years. Staff at our sites including Tunbridge Wells Hospital are on the front line in the fight against coronavirus (COVID-19). They're going the extra mile, every day, to take care of us and our loved ones despite being under extreme pressure. They need our support more than ever.
Support Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Charitable Fund
The school is remaining open throughout the coronavirus crisis, so that it can cater for the children of key workers and for vulnerable children. We are also lending out all our science goggles to local hospitals and medical centres, and our minibus for healthcare journeys
Support The Skinners' School
We are a thriving community hub with over 4,000 visits a month. Our focus is on older people, young children and groups who are on the margins of society, providing practical help support and offering a safe refuge. Social Isolation has meant we have been forced to close all activities and place our staff on furlough. All income from the cafe and hall hire has stopped. Average monthly income has gone from £8,000 per month to £200.
Support Number One Community Trust
St Peters church in Pembury has planning permission to build a community hall at the back of the church. We are ready to launch a fundraising campaign with the local community but the coronavirus has put that on hold. The congregation has raised over £100,000 and we need to raise another £500,000. This is a set back because we only have three years to raise all the money and start building.
Support Pembury Church
The TW Forum Music and Arts Venue is in the process of cancelling and rearranging its spring creative programme of gigs, community events and free festival. We really appreciate how the TW community has supported us by buying our merchandise and donating so we can keep the venue sustainable during these difficult times for everyone.
Support The Forum
Compaid is still working hard to help disabled, elderly and other vulnerable people through this difficult time. Our transport team continue to provide home to school transport for children with special educational needs, however, passenger numbers have fallen considerably. Our Kent Karrier shopping and dial a ride services continue for those able to still travel to buy essential supplies, albeit again with reduced passenger numbers. Your support at this time is more important than ever as we need to ensure we can keep our vital services running through these difficult times and into the future.
Support Compaid
Even with coronavirus having a considerable impact on the lives of people across Kent, our team remain on standby 24/7 to search for vulnerable and missing people.
Support Kent Search and Rescue
Regrettably we have had to close Sherwood Men's Shed temporarily because of the current Social Distancing advice. The major effect of the closure is the loss of opportunity to carry out revenue earning projects for the local community and schools.
Support Sherwood Men's Shed
Citizens Advice Tunbridge Wells and District has experienced a huge increase in demand as the impact of coronavirus has led people to seek advice on employment rights, redundancy, entitlement to benefits and debt. Our team has worked hard to get staff and volunteers set up with phones to enable everyone to work safely from home. We are fundraising to enable us to increase the hours of our experienced paid staff so that we can continue to respond to this increased demand for advice and support the community, especially the most vulnerable.
Support Citizens Advice Tunbridge Wells and District
The Covid-19 outbreak has led to the curtailment of our Puppets and Pastries club for the over 65s and is also impacting on our planning of community projects for 2020. Any donation will be gratefully received and help us get back on our feet and continue our services when we can.
Support Tunbridge Wells Puppetry Festival
We have shifted our service to enable us to better support older people in their own homes, with shopping, a hot meal delivery service, telephone befriending, welfare calls, information and advice, thank you to everyone who is supporting us to do this, older people who are struggling should give us a call.
Support Age UK Tunbridge Wells
After an initial increase in referrals we are already seeing a downturn in donations due to the lack of schools and organisations donating, plus fewer people shopping and making donations in supermarkets. We are already running low on stock and experiencing difficulties in being able to purchase items to fill the gaps. All of this is against a backdrop of fewer volunteers (some of whom are in at risk groups and are unable to volunteer at this time) and limitations on the number of volunteers we can have in the unit because of social distancing.
Support Nourish Community Foodbank
Social distancing and self-isolation measures that we have had to implement to ensure the safety of our service users and staff are resulting in high levels of anxiety within all our services. Aspens are committed in continuing to provide much needed care and support to some of the most vulnerable people within our communities. As we move through these devastating and unchartered times, we are asking for financial support to help us maintain the high level of care our service users deserve, whilst being able to invest in additional resources to counter the adverse effect the above measures have taken on the individuals that we care for and support throughout Kent.
Support Aspens
With the advent of coronavirus we have had to move all our counselling sessions to telephone-based system, however the impact on people's mental health is going to be far reaching. More than ever we will need to try to help those who are vulnerable with their mental health in these challenging and uncertain times.
Support The Counselling Centre
Hypo Hounds has had all its fundraising events cancelled for 2020. This is our only source of major income for the charity as well as fundraising by our clients which have all ceased. We continue to offer our services and in fact demand has doubled in the last two weeks, but we need to sustain a regular income to provide this. Any donations would be most gratefully received so that we can continue to provide our services to vulnerable high-risk members of your community.
Support Hypo Hounds
We normally provide a very busy transport service that generates a large percentage of our running costs, this has now all stopped. Our shop drop and prescription collection service are now in demand more than ever, and our lovely drivers are doing their best to support those that need us now more than ever. We are desperately trying to get enough support to be able to continue to provide the vital services that the most vulnerable in the community need
Support Community Car Service
Coronavirus is having a huge impact on Mental Health Resource and our clients. We support over 1,000 people every year who suffer with enduring, complex mental health conditions and Covid-19 has deeply heightened feelings of anxiety for many of them. We sadly cannot provide face to face support at this time and although we have adapted our services to provide telephone and online support, many of our clients, particularly elderly clients who don't have access to the internet, are now at an increased risk of social isolation, and or developing a mental health crisis. We urgently need the support of our community to either donate or fundraise on our behalf. Any donation, no matter how big or small, will help us continue to reach those suffering with mental health problems in Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding areas. Thank you.
Support Mental Health Resource
Trinity is more than a theatre. Our community outreach programme includes: ‘Trinity Encore,' a choir for those living with dementia; ‘Senior Cinema Social’, aimed at breaking the cycle of elderly loneliness in Tunbridge Wells; and initiatives run by our Youth and Learning team. The suspension of our Spring programme will impact us in many ways. We are doing everything we can to secure our future, but we need your help to get through this global crisis. Your donation WILL make a difference and could be intrinsic to our mid-term survival. Thank you!
Support Trinity Theatre
We are facing a reduced income due to our charity shop having to close for now, fundraising events being cancelled and people not able to pop coins in our collection tins. There are 26,000 people who look to Imago for support, they include Young Carers, children with disabilities, adults with complex needs or isolated older adults
Support Imago
The current COVID-19 pandemic is having a massive impact on our charity, which has resulted in our entire donation support drying up overnight. Unfortunately, this has not affected melanoma, which is still on the increase and with the hot and sunny weather coming we are going to be hard pushed to be able to get our message through to people. We will resume once the time is right but obviously need your help. Any donations would be appreciated.
Support Melanoma Fund
As a fully registered conservation charity, The Big Cat Sanctuary relies on personal big cat experiences, overnight stays and donations to fund its Welfare, Breeding, Education and Conservation work. The COVID-19 virus is already placing a huge amount of pressure on our small team to find funding and continue to provide the best of care for our animals, so we are asking you to please consider donating to our Big Cat Support Fund.
Support The Big Cat Sanctuary
Our volunteers and staff are working from home to continue to support victims of domestic abuse in the West Kent area and DAVSS has extended its Helpline hours to cope. We are still helping in nearly all areas of support, e.g. liaising with other agencies or where court paperwork is needed. Victims of abuse who now have to isolate or work from home are then trapped with their abuser. Although we mainly comprise volunteers we still have a small staff of managers who are working flat out and we need to cover our overheads, despite various fundraising events now being cancelled. Receiving your support at this time is vital to us as we need to ensure we can keep our services running through the crisis and into the future.
Support DAVSS
St John's PFA is a small group of parents raising much needed funds for the largest school in Tunbridge Wells. When we are able to run fairs, discos and other fun filled family events we usually raise in the region of £25,000 per year. This money all goes back to the children of St John's School in the form of much needed IT equipment, library books, play and sensory equipment, mental health provision and a well used hardship fund. Sadly, due to Covid19, this year we have had to cancel all of our events, so this money will not be available for the school or indeed for the children. If anyone could spare even a tiny amount to bolster our funds, it would be very much appreciated.
Support St John's PFA
Fegans is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year and has been based in Tunbridge Wells for many years. We offer counselling for children and support for vulnerable families. Like many organisations we are seeing the effects of the coronavirus lockdown. During this uniquely difficult time, Fegans is asking for help to ensure that we can provide mental health support for the children and families who need us most.
Support Fegans
Tunbridge Wells Football Club isn’t immune from the knock-on effects of the virus and unfortunately this has only exacerbated what was already a difficult situation. An extended period of inclement weather has meant that the football club hasn’t played a Saturday home fixture in 2020. We are incredibly fortunate to be a well-supported club. From the hundreds who watch us on a Saturday, to the thousands who cheered us on at Wembley, it is to you that we turn for help in securing the future of the club until the beginning of the new season and beyond. Any donation, large or small, would be gratefully received.
Support Tunbridge Wells Football Club
As a result of the coronavirus outbreak, Paddock Wood Community Advice Centre has experienced an increased number of enquiries about employment rights, relationship issues and welfare benefits. We anticipate that when the situation starts to return to normal, there will be an unprecedented demand for our service as the DWP starts to review disability benefits such as ESA and PIP again and as banks and lenders start to think about recovery of debts. Please consider donating to us for two reasons; in the short term, so that we can purchase additional equipment to improve access to remote advice and in the longer term; so that we can increase volunteer numbers and provide sufficient training and support to allow them to meet an increased need for debt and welfare benefit advice.
Support Paddock Wood Community Advice Centre
Covid-19 has had a tremendous effect on our organisation – we no longer have volunteer support and our small staff base is working tirelessly to care for the injured and orphaned wildlife in our care. Fundraising has been cancelled and donations are down significantly. We are running a restricted service but are thankful that we are still open and can continue to support the local community and help wildlife.
Support Folly Wildlife Rescue
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army in Tunbridge Wells has been active for over 140 years and during this time has sought to help vulnerable people within the community. Whilst our church building is currently closed due to the government's social distancing guidelines, we are still active as a church accepting referrals from statutory bodies and local charities for assistance. So far this has included food parcels, practical support for household items, and utility top ups. We have also supported the local NHS testing hub as their work develops, and local hospitals as our emergency vehicle travels around Kent providing refreshments for NHS staff.
Support The Salvation Army