The Good Shepherd are delighted to have received an £11,000 donation from NatWest Group to help support its essential work through the cost-of-living crisis.
The donation was handed over to Tom Hayden, CEO of the Good Shepherd, by NatWest Group’s Chief Executive Alison Rose DBE, during a recent visit to Wolverhampton to launch the bank’s first Regional Growth Conference in the city.
The Good Shepherd supports people experiencing homelessness and people at risk of homelessness, providing a regular food service, day centre, activities, education and training, as well as offering support for people to find housing that meets their needs.
Alison Rose was accompanied on her visit by the MP for Wolverhampton South East, Pat McFadden, with them both spending time at the charity’s headquarters on Waterloo Road, meeting staff and learning about the organisation’s support for the community.
In addition to the donation, NatWest staff will also deliver financial education events and volunteering to best suit the needs of the charity.
Tom Hayden said: “We were delighted to receive this donation from NatWest, which was totally unexpected and will make a huge difference to the work we can do supporting people in our community who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
“With the cost of living crisis affecting us all, it is so important that we can continue to support those who are most vulnerable. It was brilliant to be able to host Alison and Pat and show them first-hand how the donation from the bank will benefit members of the local community.”
MP for Wolverhampton South East, Pat McFadden, said: “I want to thank Alison Rose and the NatWest Group for the donation of £11,000 to the Good Shepherd Wolverhampton, which will make a huge difference to the work they do. The Good Shepherd has supported the local community for over 50 years and continues to provide a vital lifeline to many of the most vulnerable residents in our city. This donation will continue to help the Good Shepherd with their work in providing a range of support services in the community.”
The donation to the Good Shepherd is part of £1million fund providing direct financial support to communities affected by the rising cost of living, which was announced by NatWest Group at the start of the year.
Bank staff that live and work in the West Midlands were invited to put forward charitable groups that are making a difference in their community to benefit from the funding, with the Good Shepherd being nominated for its work to support communities in Wolverhampton through the cost of living crisis.
Over the last year, the bank has provided £40 million worth of financial support to help customers and community partners with the increasing costs of everyday living and the £1 million charity pot forms part of a wider £5.7 million commitment from NatWest Group to support communities throughout the UK via partner organisations including the Federation of Small Business, the Trussell Trust and Responsible Finance.
Dipesh Mistry, Chair of the NatWest Midlands & East Regional Board, said: “We are a bank driven by our purpose and values and we want to help our customers, colleagues and the communities they live in during the current cost of living crisis.
“There is a real risk that local charities that rely on community support could suffer during the cost of living crisis as many people are forced to cut back on their outgoings, so this regional funding is an opportunity for us to target our support to the local organisations in the West Midlands who we know are working hard every day to deliver vital support to our communities.”