£20k donation to Peterborough charity which supports city’s rough sleepers

A local charity in Peterborough has received a generous donation of £19,380 from the Asda Foundation which will go towards a minibus which is vital for helping the homeless community through its winter project shelter.
The cheque presentation at Garden House, Peterborough. From left: Steven Pettican (Light Project Peterborough), Diane Munns (Asda community champion) and Brian Bell (Asda Peterborough fresh section manager)The cheque presentation at Garden House, Peterborough. From left: Steven Pettican (Light Project Peterborough), Diane Munns (Asda community champion) and Brian Bell (Asda Peterborough fresh section manager)
The cheque presentation at Garden House, Peterborough. From left: Steven Pettican (Light Project Peterborough), Diane Munns (Asda community champion) and Brian Bell (Asda Peterborough fresh section manager)

Founded by Sue and Annie Henbsy in response to the troubling homeless problem in Peterborough, Light Project Peterborough encourages churches across the region to offer a Winter Night Shelter to provide shelter for those living on the streets.

For one night each wee, seven churches across Peterborough each provide an evening meal, safe bed and breakfast the following morning for up to eight homeless guests.

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With the aim to move guests from the streets into community living comfortably, the Winter Night Shelter project will use the Asda funding to purchase a minibus to transport people to the numerous churches involved. Since October 2018 the project has helped more than 65 homeless people in a variety of different ways, in some cases transforming the lives of individuals.

Set up in 1988, the Asda Foundation is a registered charity that aims to have a positive impact on local communities, making independent grants to provide support to a range of local good causes, chosen by Asda’s community life colleagues throughout the UK.

It funds charitable projects and activities which have the ability and potential to achieve change for the better, with the aim of making a significant difference to local communities and the people who live there, both now and in the future.

The Asda Foundation is celebrating its 30th birthday over the next year with a number of surprise grants to previously supported projects totalling £300,000.

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The application to the Asda Foundation by Light Project Peterborough was supported by colleagues at the Rivergate store.

Steven Pettican from Light Project Peterborough said: “Light Project Peterborough has been serving and supporting those on the streets in Peterborough since 2015. With a dedicated team and hundreds of volunteers, many people who have lost hope are able to find accommodation and look forward to a brighter future.

“With the amazing support from the Asda Community Foundation we will be able to go to another level, transporting the homeless to access night shelter provision across the city, supporting engagement in community projects and assisting those who have new homes to move in with furniture and all the special touches that make life brighter. Once again, a very big thank you.”

Diane Munns, Asda Peterborough’s community colleague, said: “We see the foundation as one of the many ways to give something back to the communities that support us. That’s why we lend a hand to the wide range of good causes with which our colleagues are involved.

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“Supporting smaller, local applications such as Light Project is really important to us – and we hope it will make a real difference within the local community in Peterborough.”

To find out more about the Asda Foundation, including eligibility for submitting a funding application, either contact the community colleague at Asda in Rivergate, or go to: www.asdafoundation.org.