Battersea Power Station to Donate a Further £125,000 to local charities to help address the Impact of COVID-19

Battersea Power StationFoundation has today pledged a further £125,000 to Wandsworth and Lambeth charities that focus on digital poverty, access to food, tackling mental health, domestic violence and supporting the elderly.

The Foundation is the charitable body established by the shareholders of Battersea Power Station.

Volunteers picking up laptops as part of the ‘Power to Connect’ campaign which has been set up to address the issue of digital exclusion and help the local community stay connected during the COVID-19 outbreak, and beyond.The Battersea Power Station Foundation has funded this initiative and is donating a further £125,000to local charities and organisations in Wandsworth and Lambeth

The BPS Foundationisannouncing today that it has pledged a further £125,000to the local community to help those who are being directly impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Local charities and organisations which focus on vitally important areas such as combatting digital poverty, access to food, tackling mental health, domestic violence and supporting the elderly during isolation will be able to apply for funding. A partnership has been formed with the London Community Response Fund, which supports groups impacted by COVID-19 across the capital.

The BPS Foundation has already contributed £25,000 to a number of charities throughout this lockdown period. These include Age UK Wandsworth, which provides support to the elderly, especially to those who have underlying health conditions and have been asked to self-isolate for three months, St George’s Hospital Charitytohelpsupport the hospital’s Coronavirus appeal, the Wandsworth Foodbank which helps tackle the ever more prominent food poverty crisis and the Power to Connect Campaign.

In April, Battersea Power Station and Wandsworth Council joined up with local community partners to launch the Power to Connect campaign, to help address the issue of digital exclusion during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Power to Connect campaign aims to support disadvantaged families and NHS patients across the local community who are finding it difficult to stay connected by providing refurbished laptops or tablets that have been donated and top-up data vouchers to access the internet. At a time of school closures, it is vital that children in these families are able to participate in online education.

Launched in 2016, the BPS Foundation aims to invest in effective community-based organisations which are working to make lasting improvements in the lives of people and neighbourhoods in the boroughs of Wandsworth and Lambeth. Since then, the BPS Foundation has donatedover£5 million to local charities and organisations including Carney’s Community, FAST-Battersea and Elays Network.

Datuk WongTuck Wai, Trustee of the BPS Foundation and Chairman of Battersea Power Station Development Company(BPSDC), said: “Supporting local communities sits at the heart of our core values and we continue to explore innovative and resourceful ways in which to do so. We hope this additional funding will help ensure the most vulnerable are supported as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses.“In addition to this funding, I am also very proud of our staff members who are volunteering to support charities in many ways across the community at this difficult time.”

Lord Strathclyde, Chairman of the Battersea Power Station Foundation said: “We are delighted that the Foundation is able to support these causes and reach out to our neighbours. For us, it’s important that at such a difficult time, in particular, we stand alongside the local causes doing so much amazing work for those in need.”

Amerjit Chohan, CEO of St George’s Hospital Charity, said: “Although this is an extremely challenging time for everyone at the hospital, we are joined in this effort by individuals and companies who show their support every day in different ways. Words cannot express how grateful we are to the Battersea Power Station Foundation for their generous donation of £5,000. The funds will be used to help buy much needed medical equipment and supplies, providing mental health support and welfare initiatives to support staff and more.”

For more information on the Battersea Power Station Foundation, please visit http://bpsfoundation.org.uk/

To discover more about the Power to Connect campaign, please visit https://www.powertoconnect.co.uk/