Charitable funds and people affected by floods

In recent months the UK has had more than its fair share of floods with Storms Desmond, Eva, Frank, Gertrude, Henry and Imogen causing havoc. December was the wettest since records began for Scotland and Wales, the fourth-wettest for Northern Ireland and the second-wettest overall for the UK.

If you have been affected by the floods, help may be available to you from charitable funds listed on our Grants Search, depending on your background, circumstances and needs. Some of these, that help occupations or groups of people who are particularly affected, have set up particular services for potential beneficiaries who are affected by flooding. These include GroceryAid, Retail Trust and Foundations Independent Living Fund (FILT).

GroceryAid

In what is the busiest time of the year for the grocery industry, staying open was of vital importance to the areas affected. GroceryAid which helps people who work or have worked in the grocery trade - from factory to store - has been providing support to many stores and individuals affected by the floods.

An example of this is a local store manager in Cumbria whose employees were unable to come into work due to the severe flooding at their homes contacted GroceryAid seeking support for them. After speaking with our welfare team the decision was made to grant the eight employees an immediate one-off crisis grant of £300 each. The grants coming just before Christmas time provided some festive respite in testing times, whilst also allowing them to continue working at the store and provide a vital service to the affected community.

The manager said: “Our entire team is grateful to GroceryAid for its financial support to our eight employees who were severely impacted by the recent flooding. Helping them to replace essential items made life that little bit easier for them, especially during the festive season, when purse strings were already stretched. To receive such goodwill from the charity made a huge difference to everyone’s spirits. The staff are very grateful.”

If you have been affected by flooding and are working, or have worked, in the grocery industry, GroceryAid may be able to help you.

Those looking for support can contact the confidential GroceryAid Helpline which provides expert advice and information. The Helpline is available 24/7, 365 days a year, and can be found online on the GroceryAid website or by calling freephone 08088 021122.

Read the GroceryAid profile on the Turn2us Grants Search

Retail Trust

If you work in retail and are affected by the floods, Retail Trust may be able to help you with:

Legal support: Dealing with the aftermath, insurance claims, losses
Financial support: Assistance dealing with unexpected expenditure and planning for the future
Emotional support: Managing the upheaval and trauma experienced.

They have a Storm Recovery Plan section on their website which explains more.

Read the Retail Trust profile on the Turn2us Grants Search

Foundations Independent Living Fund (FILT)

Foundations Independent Living Trust (FILT) has launched the FILT Floods Fund and Appeal to support people affected by the flooding in North West England at the end of 2015. Up to £200,000 of FILT's £1 million plus programme for this year is being pledged for low income households in the worst hit parts of the North West.

The grants will help vulnerable householders with services to alleviate some of the immediate aftermath of floods and make their homes habitable again. While many people will have insurance or other resources to fall back on, there are a considerable number who won't have the luxury of that protection and may be wholly or partially uninsured.

Stephen Burke, Chair of FILT, said: “By supporting local home improvement agencies in the heart of affected communities, we can respond quickly and with minimal bureaucracy to support those in greatest need. We have excellent relations with a number of national firms and organisations who already generously support our work. We are confident others will want to join them to help vulnerable householders make their homes warm and safe through the FILT Floods Fund.”

Read the Foundations Independent Living Trust (FILT) Floods Fund profile on the Turn2us Grants Search

Other help if you have been affected by flooding

Read our Emergency Assistance page to find out what help may be available to you from benefits and other sources of help.

Turn2us Grants Search database

If you are looking for grants or other help from charitable funds, you can use the Turn2us Grants Search database to search for them.

Use the Turn2us Grants Search database

Local councils

Local councils in affected areas may also be able to provide information, advice or emergency support. You can find links to local council websites on the Gov.UK website.