We are delighted to announce that our charity has been awarded a £40,000 community grant by Nationwide Building Society. The grants focus on local solutions to the housing crisis and are awarded to organisations who can support one of three aims – helping people into a home, preventing them from losing their home or supporting them to thrive at home.
Through the funding, Water Lily Project is focusing on helping prevent vulnerable women from losing their home through a new initiative called Home Safe. Treasurer of Water Lily Project Jan Crawford, who applied for the community grant and was presented with the cheque for £40,000 said: “Supporting women at risk of losing their homes through domestic abuse, financial difficulties and poor mental health is the focus of our Home Safe project. We are very thankful for the grant from Nationwide which will enable us to support more women from losing their homes and develop our work in this area. “
Liz Carter, manager for Water Lily Project added: “We support women in need on the long journey, however there are times when they experience crisis and may be forced to flee their home because of domestic abuse, an acrimonious divorce or financial issues.
“We know a safe and secure place is the key foundation to getting many of these women to rebuild their lives and establish their independence once more.”
A beneficiary of the project who prefers to remain anonymous sums up the support having a roof over her head can bring: “Water Lily Project supported me to move on from having very little income, no home, suffering from historic abuse and feeling life was not worth living, to now feeling life is good and there is always hope. I have a beautiful flat, a good income and the tools to never get into bad relationships ever again.”
The charity will also benefit from being matched to a local Nationwide Building Society branch in Christchurch who will provide support with fundraising and volunteering initiatives.
Kirsty Williams, branch manager at the Christchurch Nationwide Building Society said: “Nationwide Christchurch feels honoured to support the Water Lily Project moving forward and ecstatic to hear they have been given the £40 000 towards the charity. We will be supporting further with future fundraising and volunteering over the coming months and can’t wait to get involved. “
Jan Crawford added: “It was such a pleasure to meet the team at Nationwide Christchurch who are so enthusiastic about fundraising for us and volunteering in practical ways to improve our facilities in our community café, training and IT rooms on Barrack Road in Christchurch. A huge thank you from everyone at Water Lily Project to Nationwide for this financial and practical support.”
