Women & Girls Fund Launched by Wiltshire Community Foundation

A new ‘Women and Girls Fund’ has been launched by Wiltshire Community Foundation. The aim of the fund is to help in Wiltshire women’s empowerment, support their growth and ensure their overall advancement.  

The fund went live in October. So far it has received the first corporate sponsorship from Wansbroughs, a law firm worth £10,000.

Life for women in Wiltshire and Swindon is largely safe, however there are some who do not have that luxury. Some of the most commonplace challenges in the area include gender-based violence, harassment and discrimination.

There is also a lack of funding. It was discovered that women and girls’ groups are given less than two percent of UK's net charitable financial support.

The newly launched ‘Women and Girls Fund’ will fill the void and support local charity and community groups that run programs to aid women’s growth in the region. Women will also be supported in educational and vocational ambitions.

Going forward, the WCF will look for corporate sponsors and individual donors to strengthen the fund.

Fiona Oliver, CEO at Wiltshire Community Foundation (WCF), said: “We are overjoyed to announce the launch of the new Women and Girls Fund.

"This nominated fund will be earmarked for women and girls groups, and with the right financial support will make a lasting difference to women and girls' lives across Wiltshire and Swindon.

"We are incredibly grateful to Wansbroughs for their continued support of the Foundation.”

Sarah Alexander, partner at Wansbroughs, said: “As a long-term supporter of WCF, we were delighted to be approached to support the new Women and Girls Fund as the first corporate partner.

" As a firm, with roots firmly in the West Country, we recognise first-hand the amazing work that WCF does across our community, and this fund will further enhance this – ensuring that the right support reaches the right people where needed.”