Dorset Cancer Care Foundation receives funding ‘lifeline’
Dorset Cancer Care Foundation (DCCF), which gives financial help to families experiencing cancer, has received a £10k ‘lifeline’ from the Talbot Village Trust COVID-19 Support Fund.
The donation will enable DCCF to continue to support families with cancer during the coronavirus crisis.
DCCF gives grants to help cancer patients meet the cost of anything from transport to and from hospital appointments, to housing costs and bills.
However, the charity was forced to cancel or postpone the majority of its fundraising events due to the virus outbreak.
Chairman Chris Thomas explained: “The last four weeks have been deeply troubling as we look for ways to continue to help people, against the necessary constraints of lockdown.
“Our events programme is our life’s blood and without it we were facing the prospect of seriously reducing or even freezing the help we offer families. So, finding out we are one of the charities to benefit from the Talbot Village Trust COVID-19 Support Fund has been a huge relief for the trustees and supporters of DCCF.”
Talbot Village Trust launched the COVID-19 Support Fund on April 6 to give emergency funding to struggling charities and community organisations in the Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, East Dorset and Purbeck areas.
So far, nearly £600,000 in grants has already been issued to 47 Dorset charities, community groups and others in the first round of funding.
Chris continued: “The £10k donation from the Fund will enable us to continue to help families with cancer in the coming weeks, until lockdown is lifted and we are cleared to begin our own fundraising events again.
“This money will be going straight to families who most need it. Some of whom are in truly dark places, fighting the challenges of cancer alongside the added worry of this dreadful virus.
“We cannot thank the trustees of Talbot Village Trust enough for their generosity and help.”
Sir Christopher Lees, Chair of Talbot Village Trust, said: “Dorset Cancer Care Foundation is a charity that does amazing work in the community. Unfortunately, we all know someone either directly or indirectly who has been impacted by cancer. We are very pleased that our donation will allow the charity to keep helping many families across Dorset.”
A second round of Talbot Village Covid-19 Support Fund applications are now being considered, which will take the total fund allocation to £1m.
For more information on Talbot Village Trust, please go to www.talbotvillagetrust.org.
To find out more about the work of Dorset Cancer Care Foundation, how to apply for a DCCF grant, or how you can donate or become involved, please click here.