Bechange has received £5,000 to fund support for families in Aylesham and the surrounding areas to develop their financial skills. Bechange is a Dover-based charity which provides communities with support in areas including skills development, finance and housing. The funding will enable Bechange to reach more people who are struggling with managing their finances and help prevent further families from slipping into financial difficulty.
The donation was provided by the Santander Foundation, which offers Discovery Grants to UK registered charities for projects that help disadvantaged people in local communities.
The grant will enable Bechange to deliver regular drop-in services where people can receive guidance and support on a range of financial matters including budgeting skills, understanding benefits, reducing debt, maximising income and understanding the financial services which are available to them. Individual follow up support will ensure that families are able to tackle financial issues and develop skills so that they can access and navigate various financial services in the future.
Angela Doggett, Chief Executive at Bechange, said: “We have seen a sharp increase in the number of families who are in financial crisis. This award will help us to reach out to more local people who are really struggling and will allow us to assist them in taking control of their finances.”
David Waterfield, Branch Manager at Santander’s Dover branch, said: “The Santander Foundation makes hundreds of donations every year to good causes throughout the UK. We are committed to playing a key part in the community and we are delighted to be supporting Bechange, and hope the donation makes a real difference to local people.”
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Notes to Editors
Media Contact
Leonora Burtenshaw at Santander
Email: leonora.burtenshaw@santander.co.uk Tel: 020 7756 4543
About Bechange
Bechange works with families who need support to make lasting change to reach positive futures. For more information please visit: www.bechange.org.uk
Santander Foundation
The Santander Foundation is at the heart of the Bank’s community activities, providing grants to small charities and social enterprises working with disadvantaged people to fund skills, knowledge and innovation projects across the UK. Discovery Grants of up to £5,000 are available to support three types of activity:
- Explorer: improving people’s knowledge
- Transformer: supporting skills and experience
- Changemaker: innovative solutions to social challenges
Over the last five years, the Santander Foundation has provided £26 million in funding to 13,914 UK charities through Discovery Grants and Staff Matched Donations. For more information please visit: www.santanderfoundation.org.uk
Santander UK is a financial services provider in the UK that offers a wide range of personal and commercial financial products and services. It has brought real competition to the UK, through its innovative products for retail customers and relationship banking model for UK SMEs. At 31 March 2018, the bank has c19,500 employees. It serves around 14 million active customers, via a nationwide branch network, telephone, mobile and online banking; and 64 regional Corporate Business Centres. Santander UK is subject to the full supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in the UK. Santander UK plc customers are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in the UK.