Ten charities have received grants to help them cope with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Giving Back Project is a scheme introduced by Brent Cross Shopping Centre, which will see a total of £20,000 donated to local groups across London that have been hit hard by COVID-19.

Hammerson, which owns Brent Cross, has launched the scheme across its nine flagship destinations in the UK, meaning charities across the country will receive £180,000 to help them overcome the impact of the pandemic.

Brent Cross will award ten £2,000 grants to the following charities and organisations with connections to Barnet and the surrounding north London area

  • Aidexcel Support Services - AidExcel works is a parent led organisation staffed by volunteers who are trained to provide information and advice on a range of issues faced by families with disabled children
  • Bread n Butter - Their mission is to create a fair solution for people in poverty and our long-term aim is to address the premiums that people in poverty pay for food, loans, energy and other everyday essentials simply because of their personal circumstances
  • Community Network Group - Providing information and advice about welfare, immigration, housing, education, employment and cultural issues, and offering education and training for adults and young people
  • The John Trotter Trust - The trust aims to further the advancement of the christian religion for the benefit of the public by such charitable activities as the directors deem fit
  • Living Way Ministries - Befriending people to relieve hardship & prevent poverty by providing training, advice, counsel, advocacy, CVs & reference supports
  • Middle Eastern Women's Organisation - Supporting Middle Eastern, North African and Asian women in London to rebuild their lives
  • Wild About Our Woods - Wild about our woods CIO is a small team of freelance Forest School practitioners, Outdoor Cookery Leaders and Youth Workers
  • African Refugee Community - African Refugee Community (ARC) was established in 2007 and exists to provide specialised services to French speaking asylum seekers and refugees based in Barnet in particular and in London in general
  • The Flower Bank - The Flower Bank is about bringing joy and beauty into the lives of people who can least afford it, whilst working with flower suppliers and retailers to reduce flower waste
  • Our Yard - Our Yard reduces food waste by rescuing food from surplus and shares it with those most in need locally via community cafes and surplus food markets on a free or pay as you feel basis

The cheme was developed in partnership with Community Barnet, who worked with the destination to allocate the grants to those in greatest need.

Local organisations were invited to apply to the foundation and each submission was carefully reviewed to identify those that made a significant impact in the community and would benefit from further support.

Chris Barnes, general manager at Brent Cross said: "This has been a really challenging year for everyone, and we know that charities and other organisations across London have really gone the extra mile.

"This project is all about giving something back to those groups that have pulled out all the stops over the past few months, and need a helping hand to ensure they can continue to carry out their valuable work. We are so grateful for everything they have done."