Barclays Awards Aberlour £100k To Feed Hundreds of Children Living In Poverty

Hundreds of children across Scotland who are living in poverty will receive food, clothing and other essentials in life thanks to Barclays, which has awarded £100,000 from its COVID-19 UK Community Relief Funding to Aberlour Children’s Charity.

In April 2020, Barclays announced a £100m Community Aid Package to support charities that are helping people and communities most impacted by COVID-19. £10m of this funding has been donated through their 100×100 UK COVID-19 Community Relief Programme, with Aberlour being one of 100 UK charities each receiving a donation of £100k.

Aberlour was chosen by a selection committee for the meaningful work they are doing through their Urgent Assistance Fund which makes crisis grants to families with children who are in financial hardship.

Before COVID-19 around 1 in 4 Scottish children lived in poverty. The pandemic has pushed more families into desperate need and Aberlour has received over 3,403 applications for support since the first lockdown started in March 2020. In response the charity launched its biggest ever fundraising campaign which has raised over £1m from individuals, organisations and the Scottish Government.

SallyAnn Kelly, CEO of Aberlour, said: “Every day Aberlour receives applications for support from families who have been pushed to the brink by the impact of COVID-19. We are so grateful to Barclays for this very generous investment in our Urgent Assistance Fund which will enable us to continue to help children who are hungry, need adequate clothing or may not even have a bed to sleep in.”

Scott Stewart, Head of Barclays Scotland, said: “This crisis has had a significant impact across Scotland and we know this is an incredibly challenging time for many. Aberlour has played a vital role through its Urgent Assistance Fund supporting families and children who need help most at a critical time. I am delighted that through the donations we are making to local charities they can amplify their support to help more people as we lift out of this pandemic.”

Each application must be submitted by a professional sponsor, e.g. a teacher or Health Visitor. Information on how to apply can be viewed on our website>>