A royal charity that specialises in supporting good causes in the Royal Borough is raiding its savings so it can help people most affected by Coronavirus.

An extraordinary 'virtual' board meeting of The Prince Philip Trust Fund chaired by the Earl of Wessex saw trustees decide to suspend the normal application and grant approval process - prioritising financial support for those organisations supporting local residents coping with the coronavirus crisis.

Despite the cancellation of a key fundraising event for the trust fund in 2020 due to the pandemic, the trustees have made the unprecedented step of drawing on capital reserves in order to dispense much needed funds to support the community at this time.

Chris Aitken, secretary and trustee of the charity said: “The impact of the Covid-19 crisis upon all of our lives is truly immense. But while we are all in the same storm together, we are by no means all in the same boat. Many people across our communities will be disproportionately affected, many will be suffering from isolation and a lack of access to services, many will be worried about their health, feeding their families, their children’s schooling and their livelihoods.

“But our community is strong and is rising to the challenges before us and The Prince Philip Trust Fund is ready to stand behind those community organisations and projects that are making a difference to those who are most in need at this time.

“My fellow Trustees and I would like to sincerely apologise to those who have submitted funding applications in good faith over the past few months but we do hope they will understand that we have a duty to support the most vulnerable and isolated in our community and those who are working to relieve suffering."

Local charities, projects or community groups that are specifically working to support local residents dealing with the fall out from the Covid-19 crisis can apply through the website https://theprincephiliptrustfund.org/.

Applications should include specific details about what the funding is for and should be marked “Covid-19 Emergency” and submitted as soon as possible up until the middle of next month.