HCF is delighted to be working with SEGRO to deliver the SEGRO Centenary Fund.
SEGRO, a leading owner, manager and developer of warehousing and industrial space, has launched a new £10 million Centenary Fund which will be used over the next decade to make a positive impact within communities in the UK and Continental Europe, including in Hertford-shire. The majority of the first year’s funding of more than £1 million will be allocated to projects which provide emergency relief and which will help address the longer-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
HCF will be one of the partners working with SEGRO to deliver this funding in Hertfordshire through their generous contribution of £20,000 to HCF's Coronavirus Disaster Recovery Fund.
David Sleath, Chief Executive of SEGRO, said: “The SEGRO Centenary Fund is one way of recognising the vital role our communities have played in our success over the last 100 years and making sure we give something back by helping thousands of people now and over the next decade.
“Many of the areas where we invest are characterised by high levels of unemployment and social deprivation. We understand the long term need to ensure people from all backgrounds have the skills, training and opportunities to secure meaningful employment. These are the areas where we are focusing the SEGRO Centenary Fund and where we feel we can make a significant difference to people’s lives.
“However, in the near term, we cannot ignore the potentially devastating and long-lasting socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, we are accelerating the launch of the Centenary Fund and broadening its purpose to help address urgent needs in our communities during this time of crisis.”
Helen Gray, Foundation Director, Hertfordshire Community Foundation, said:
“I am delighted to be working with SEGRO as it supports the local voluntary sector during this pandemic. The voluntary sector has always provided a lifeline to some of our county's most vulnerable people. It has once again stepped up to meet the rising tide of social need caused as a direct result of Coronavirus - despite facing unprecedented demand for services and a dramatic loss in income. Loneliness, isolation, food poverty, domestic abuse, homelessness are just some of the issues being addressed by our incredible local voluntary sector. Thanks to the support of SEGRO we will be able to provide grant support to help even more groups as they provide front line support to local residents.”
The SEGRO Centenary Fund will build on and extend the company’s long-standing and well-established approach to community engagement and support, representing a 10-year commitment to help improve the lives of tens of thousands of people.
It was originally intended to be launched on 19 May to coincide with the 100th anniversary of SEGRO’s establishment, however the plans have been revised to provide urgent support to members of the community who are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first year, funds will be used to help a variety of charities to provide basic necessities, such as food, medicines and household essentials, and to support other initiatives which will help alleviate the im-pact of the crisis.
In the longer term, the fund will focus on community projects which help young and disadvantaged people into employment and will create community spaces to support people’s training, health and wellbeing. In Hertfordshire, one in ten people living in the county resides in an area classed as an ar-ea of deprivation, with an estimated 20,000 children living in poverty.
Charities which provide support to those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and are interested in applying for funding can
CLICK HERE