'Absolutely delighted' - Sum of £20,000 donated to Boston charity supporting homeless and vulnerable people

Centrepoint Outreach, in Red Lion Street, has received the grant through the Asda Foundation’s Local Community Spaces Fund.

The foundation is an independent charity funded by the supermarket chain Asda.

The funding was awarded following a competitive application process, with 73 projects selected from 749 submitted by organisations across the UK.

All told, more than £1.1m is being awarded for improvements, repairs and accessibility projects through the fund.

The £20,000 grant to Centrepoint Outreach will be used to support work to the building’s entrance and exterior, including widening the main doorway, installing a new access ramp, and upgrading accessibility systems.

The organisation provides daily practical support, including food, clothing and hygiene essentials, alongside one-to-one casework, wellbeing activities and long-term support designed to help people move away from homelessness and improve their quality of life.

Working six days a week, the charity supports people experiencing rough sleeping, insecure housing, poor mental health and complex personal challenges.

In the last year alone, it supported 387 individuals, including 268 people experiencing homelessness.

Liz Hopkins, chief executive officer, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this funding from the Asda Foundation. The grant will enable us to make our building more accessible and welcoming. This investment will make a real difference to homeless and vulnerable people using our services and help us continue supporting our local community for years to come.”

Stephen Bromby, Community Champion at Boston’s Asda supermarket, said: “We're incredibly proud to see Centrepoint Outreach receive this funding through the Asda Foundation's Local Community Spaces Fund. The organisation does fantastic work in our community, and this investment will help ensure even more local people can benefit from their services and facilities.”

The Lister Way supermarket has also revealed the recipients of its Better Together Fund, which aimed to help reduce loneliness and isolation, particularly for older people, and vulnerable and low-income households:

• Centrepoint Outreach will receive a further £500 to go towards purchasing daily essentials, such as food, clothing, household essentials and toiletries for the vulnerable people using their services.
• Inspire Lincs, an Old Leake-based day provision, offering lifelong learning for adults with learning disabilities, has been awarded £500 to support a Christmas luncheon for the residents of Old Leake and the surrounding areas.
• Fishtoft 400, a friendship group for the people of Fishtoft that meets every Tuesday morning, has secured a £500 grant to purchase a set of indoor curling stones – lightweight alternatives to traditional ice-curling granite rocks that allow the game to be played on any smooth, flat indoor surface.

For more information about the Asda Foundation, visit www.asdafoundation.org.