Tunbridge Wells charities share £100,000 community fund

One hundred charities in Tunbridge Wells received a portion of a £100,000 community fund that was set up at the end of last year due to a water supply problem in the area.

South East Water and Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark teamed up to distribute the money between the organizations, with sums ranging from £500-£5000.

The organizations that received a portion of the fund, which was set up to thank the community for their patience after a freeze-dry event in December last year, were selected by a judging panel including Mr Clark.

Greg said: “Following the water outages last December my priority was to ensure that individual households were compensated. South East Water listened to my concerns by going beyond the statutory minimum and paying households up to £250 – more than the average bill for a year. This resulted in £1.8 million paid out in compensation to households in my constituency.

“I am delighted that South East Water have gone one step further and recognised the impact that these outages had on the community as a whole, by generously endowing this community fund which will benefit so many good causes.

“Moving forward we must ensure there is good resilience in our local water network and I will continue to work with South East Water to ensure that this is delivered.”

One of the charities that received a grant was the Tunbridge Wells Community Larder, a charity that provides fresh food to those in need.

Spokesperson for Tunbridge Wells Community Larder John Payne said: "The grant will enable us to continue to meet a vital need of supporting those in need in the community. It will also enable us to supplement what we provide through purchasing basic goods we find it difficult to get hold of.”

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