The covid-19 Equine Emergency Fund – established by Petplan Charitable Trust and the National Equine Welfare Council with the support of World Horse Welfare to help small charities during the pandemic – has awarded its first seven grants totalling £20,350.
The fund’s committee stressed the need to provide immediate help to those organisations whose cash flow had been most impacted by the covid-19 pandemic.
The committee also recognised that there was often less financial pressure on organisations over the summer months and that the full financial impact of the pandemic was yet to be felt. This could also be magnified by the uncertainty surrounding how soon volunteer support and income from events will resume.
Hence, there are two further scheduled rounds closing on July 24 and October 16, with the possibility of extending a further funding round in December.
David Simpson of the Petplan Charitable Trust said “We received a number of applications where charities were holding everything together now, but there was obviously great uncertainty as to how long their funds would last. It was good to be able to offer emergency support to those organisations that most need it now and to be in a position to provide further funding to eligible organisations who may need help in the coming months.”
Financial support for the fund, set up in May, has been given by World Horse Welfare, the RSPCA, The Donkey Sanctuary, Redwings and the British Horse Society. The maximum grant will be £5,000, with the expectation that the average grant will be around £2,500-£3,000.
