A funding pledge totalling £6,000 has been made by Cotswold District Council to the Cotswold Friends charity’s 2022 crowdfunding campaign for its ‘Connecting Community’ project.

As part of Cotswold District Council’s Crowdfund Cotswold initiative, which raises money for hyper-local community projects, the Council have made the pledge to Cotswold Friends to help support older and vulnerable people.

If the campaign is successful, the charity will be able to provide volunteer-led practical IT help for people in their communities, enabling them to live independently at home for longer.

£4,000 of the pledged funding will come from Cotswold District Council’s Cotswold Community Fund and £2,000 will come from the Council’s Covid Community Resilience Fund.

But Cotswold Friends needs to reach its full crowdfunding campaign target by 13th December to release all the funds pledged.

Councillor Jenny Forde, Cotswold District Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said:

“It’s fantastic to see Cotswold Friends embracing the opportunity Crowdfund Cotswold presents.

“We all know how much our use of IT can widen our worlds and help us to connect with others and it’s great to see a project that will help our older residents do the same!

“A pledge is about more than the money - it’s a way of showing your support and letting people know that we care about one another.”

Jo Hammond, Chief Executive of Cotswold Friends, said:

“On behalf of all the older and vulnerable residents that we’ll be able to assist with IT support, to alleviate their loneliness and help them access the practical support they need to stay independent, healthy, and well in these challenging times, I want to thank Cotswold District Council for such generous pledges to our Connecting Community crowdfunding campaign.

“It really will make a difference to many local people’s lives if we can reach our target of £16,353 by 13th December. Every donation, however big or small, helps us towards our target so we can access all the funds that have been pledged.”

Cotswold Friends’ work is increasingly important, as the cost of living crisis has made many of the charity’s vulnerable and older clients even more reliant on support.

If the charity reaches its crowdfunding target, those individuals will be able to receive assistance with IT from knowledgeable, trained volunteers, who will provide practical support for things like keeping in contact with friends and family online, doing online shopping, having online GP appointments, and so on.

The charity’s first crowdfunding campaign last summer was successful, and, thanks to 50 backers, Cotswold Friends raised their target.

So far this year, the campaign has had over 30 backers with over £13,500 raised so far – meaning the charity is over 80% towards achieving its target. Donations can be as little as £2, and this year’s project will help at least 50 older and vulnerable people.

For more information, contact Louise Lapworth, Marketing Manager, email [email protected].

To find out more about the ‘Connecting Community’ project and donate by 13th December, visit https://www.spacehive.com/cotswold-friends-connecting-community.