Like many organisations, we have been working out our response to the coronavirus and how to manage in light of the social distancing guidelines put in place by the government.

1. Our immediate priority has been the welfare of our staff. I can confirm that the church is completely closed and charity staff will be working remotely. The post will only be collected on a weekly basis so please only send information by email. 
2. Our second priority is to provide reassurance and set up practical measures to support the older ladies living at the St Giles Almshouses. 
3. As a funder, we want to be flexible and enable our grant recipients to continue supporting their staff and beneficiaries in the best way possible. We have signed up to the funder commitment to support civil society at this time –  https://londonfunders.org.uk/our-blog/we-stand-sector-funder-response-covid-19  

We understand that many charities are trying to sort out their own responses to Covid 19 – ensuring the safety of staff and volunteers, and working out how best to continue to provide services for beneficiaries. 

Obviously this is very difficult as there has been so much uncertainty. As I write this, the government have finally announced the closure of schools from this Friday for the foreseeable future. It also seems as though London will be going into lockdown at some point soon, with even more restrictions on movement. The government are signalling their intentions to provide financial support but it is not yet clear what this will entail. 

We aim to talk with all grant beneficiaries over the next few weeks to determine how our grant can help.

Stay safe and best wishes