The Helping Hand is providing vital cost-of-living support to UK charities

As the cost of living crisis continues to see many people carefully choosing where to spend their hard-earned money, the financial impact of the current economic climate has sent shockwaves across all walks of life.

With many businesses struggling to keep afloat, charities are among the hardest hit by lack of funds with smaller, more regional organisations often being overlooked by those with the power to help out.

Refusing to ignore the cries for help from those who need it most, NatWest has made it its mission to support charities and partners during the cost of living.

On January 11, 2023, the banking group announced new cost of living support, part of which is a further £5.7 million hardship fund to help charities and partners through these difficult times.

Aiming to engage colleagues and communities and harness the power of human connections, £1 million of this funding has been allocated to NatWest Regional Boards to disburse to more local charities, with £160K going to each region.

A helping hand

Appropriately named, the Helping Hand fund provides direct financial support to struggling communities and allows NatWest in England, NatWest Cymru in Wales, Royal Bank of Scotland in Scotland and Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland to provide tailored support to charities and organisations across the country.

Aiming to make sure that those most in need were given the opportunity to access this vital funding, bank colleagues who live and work in each region were invited to put forward charitable groups that are making a difference in their community.

Not only does this help ensure that local funding gets to where it is needed most, but it also allows the Regional Boards (who allocate the money) to bring in colleagues from all areas of NatWest Group together to help deliver purpose-led work in their regions.

Speaking about the importance of NatWest introducing this project, Raghu Narula, NatWest’s managing director and head of customer engagement and distribution, said: “The continued rise in the cost of living is impacting people, families, and businesses in the UK. As a bank, whether through our direct work or via channels such as colleague volunteering, we are always keen to make life better for our communities.

“Our colleagues are your neighbours and can see first-hand the help that people want and need, and we wanted to give them the opportunity to make a difference. With that in mind and following consultation with strategic partners, The Power of a Helping Hand and our wider Cost of Living programme became a reality.”

The NatWest funding aims to help people and communities from a range of backgrounds, circumstances and regions by supporting the local charities and organisations that provide important care and support to those who need it most.

Raghu Narula continued: “We are hoping to reach the people who need it most – from foodbanks to friends’ networks. It is crucial that no one feels isolated. From breakfast clubs in Dorset to cancer care programmes in Stornoway, there’s a wide variety of projects being supported but they have a common thread – they are improving the lives of others.”

There are several regional boards in operation across the UK helping deliver the bank’s purpose-led strategy at a local level, including Scotland, Northern Ireland, Midlands, Wales, London and the South East and the South West.

One fantastic charity that has benefitted from the funding is Dundee Bairns. Dedicated to helping children living in poverty in Dundee through the provision of food, clothing, activities and other essentials, the charity’s mission is to ensure that every child has access to basic necessities regardless of their circumstances.

Royal Bank of Scotland’s collaboration with Dundee Bairns began after the bank told staff to pick a charity to benefit from its Cost of Living Fund.

Katie, who also manages both Dundee Chief Office and Dundee Kingsway branches, said: “Dundee Bairns’ Project Manager, Genna Miller came out and did a presentation for us and had us all crying, telling us about all the work that they do. As soon she left, we all agreed this is the charity for us.”

The collaboration has seen Royal Bank donate £10,000 to the charity. But, just as importantly, colleagues have themselves become heavily involved in its work. In total around 30 employees have pitched in, helping to deliver 27,000 meals over the summer holidays and raising an extra £8,000.

Katie said: “It’s such an easy thing to do to help, but without the volunteers, they can’t deliver that programme. To some kids that might be the only meal that they get that day.”

Supporting communities

According to the latest analysis from NatWest, customer spending on critical items such as utilities is up just over 30% year on year – and fuel is up by almost 20%. NatWest also found that 67% of customers on the lowest incomes are now spending more than 10% of their monthly incomings on energy. The cost of living is having an impact on everyone.

Whether they are struggling due to rising costs or other forms of hardship, Love, Amelia is a charity based in Sunderland that supports children and families through tough times. Speaking about why these kinds of charities are essential means of support, Steph, chief executive at Love, Amelia said: “One of the families we’re helping at the minute have a four-year-old child so we’ve been able to give them a doll and a pram and some blocks so that they can learn and play and just be a kid.

“Kids should be able to just have fun and not have to worry about not even having a pair of shoes on their feet. When we find out the reasons of why people are coming in, you see the challenges that families are facing.”

When asked if other banks should offer similar programmes if they don’t already, Raghu Narula said: “Over the last year, the bank has provided £40 million worth of financial support to help customers and community partners with the increasing costs of everyday living via partner organisations including the Federation of Small Business, the Trussell Trust and Responsible Finance. It is clear that banks, like so many institutions, are trying to help.

“Education is crucial too. We’ve launched a new cost of living hub on our NatWest website and many of the projects we are supporting via Helping Hand include educational programmes.”

With the £1 million Helping Hand fund forming part of a wider commitment to help local communities and organisations, Provision House (formerly Loaves ‘N’ Fishes) is a charity based in Dudley in the heart of the Black Country in the West Midlands and has also benefitted from the NatWest funding.

Providing furniture, household essentials, clothing, food, advice and training to families and individuals who are in need, the funding from NatWest has enabled the charity to continue helping those whose lives are a daily struggle due to the hardship that they face.

Another charity that has benefitted from the NatWest Helping Hand fund is Street Friends. Looking after the people who spend time on the streets of Aberdeen in search of food, Abi, project leader at Street Friends said: “Street Friends are also involved in a project called Homewards Aberdeen.

“We know it’s going to take a lot of work and a lot of time, but hopefully we’ll start seeing results in the next year or two and by 2028 there shouldn’t be any homeless in Aberdeen.”

From providing food for families and funding mental health support to helping people develop skills and experience for work and social opportunities for those who would otherwise be isolated, more than 100 organisations from across the UK have benefitted from the grants so far.

To find out more about the Helping Hand fund, and to see other ways in which NatWest is helping businesses, charities and partner organisations through the cost of living crisis, visit the website here