A MELKSHAM youth group working to keep youngsters off the streets is one of the latest organisations to be boosted by the Wiltshire and Swindon Coronavirus Response Fund.

The Wiltshire Community Foundation fund, which was set up to help voluntary groups provide immediate relief from the coronavirus crisis, has broken the half million pound barrier in just five weeks.

It now stands at £543,415 and has already distributed more than £280,000 to almost 80 groups across the county.

Among the beneficiaries has been the youth group Young Melksham, which has had a £4,320 grant to help keep children as young as 11 off the streets at night.

The group, based at the Canberra Centre, became concerned at the number of youngsters defying the lockdown and set up regular outreach teams to talk to them. Chairman of trustees Jon Hubbard said: “The team are conscious they have no legal power to order young people to go back home and instead concentrate on educating them. “If we come across a group, it is very much a soft enforcement, it is not our job to tell people to do anything.

“We try and come to an understanding about why being out is inappropriate, what we want is for them to go home and stay home. We try and explain that they might be a carrier and not displaying symptoms and that if they could go home and infect their mother and father or a grandparent who is vulnerable. We show them how this could have quite catastrophic implications and talk about their social responsibility issues.”

He said the initiative is being supported by Wiltshire Police. “We’ve been working with the Youth and Early Intervention Team and once we’d spoken to them, we were leaning on an open door. We have been wanting to do this since the lockdown started so we are very grateful for the money from the Wiltshire Community Foundation.” he said.

Wiltshire People First, a Semington-based support group for adults with mental disability or autism, is unable to hold its regular meetings and has been given £1,200 to set up a telephone service to ensure its 50 members are safe and well.

Director Angie Carmichael said the calls help combat stress and the anxiety of isolation for members who live all over north and west Wiltshire.

“One of the biggest issues for people with learning difficulties is social isolation and it is really difficult for them at the best of times. Many of our members will be living independently and they have minimal support. They will often be on their own for many hours of the day. Normally they would be able to manage on their own but in circumstances like this it is very stressful for them,” she said.

“This Wiltshire Community Foundation grant has made a huge difference because we have been able to check up on how they are and let them know we are there if they are anxious or fed up.”

The community foundation’s interim co-chief executive Fiona Oliver said staff are working flat out to deal with applications for help as they flood in. “It’s been an incredible effort by a small team,” she said, “but that only matches the amazing energy and achievements of the groups we are funding. It has been truly humbling to see how so many people have stepped up to meet the demands of the pandemic and help keep their communities stay safe.

“We’ve been very fortunate to have had such wonderful generosity from individual donors, charitable trusts, companies and the National Emergencies Trust and we are very, very grateful to have been able to pass that money on to where it is most desperately needed.

“These groups are showing how resilient the voluntary sector has been in the face of this crisis. We know there are many, many of them out there who are struggling with increased demand and greatly reduced fundraising capacity, so our support is going to be more important than ever in the coming months.”

To donate to the fund, or to apply for a grant, go to wiltshirecf.org.uk.