Community boost from Veolia Water

40 groups to receive share of Community Investment Fund

Crossroads Care Hertfordshire North is one of 150 local groups who applied for a slice of the Community Investment Fund for 2011. All applications were carefully considered and more than 40 groups will receive a share of the Fund, with grants ranging from £500 to £2,500.

The Crossroads charity, which covers the county north of the M25, provides respite breaks for unpaid carers of people who are ill, frail or disabled. Crossroads works with more than 600 carers, acting as a lifeline with practical and emotional support.

Chief Executive Sheelagh Taylor, explained: "This donation is brilliant as it is becoming increasingly hard for us to offer such specialist training, for example dementia and end-of-life care. We will establish a training bursary to support the development of new and existing care staff, which should reduce our waiting list."

Veolia Water Central Managing Director, Richard Bienfait, said: "Veolia Water is delighted to support local groups through our Community Investment Fund. We increased the fund from £30,000 in 2010 to £50,000 this year as we had so many worthy applications.

"Veolia Water cares for its local community and we hope the Community Investment Fund will make a difference to the groups that have been selected this year," he added.

A committee of Veolia Water staff - many of whom live locally - allocated the money and will be visiting some of the successful projects to see for themselves how the money will benefit the organisations.

Four other Stevenage groups benefitted from the Community Investment Fund. They are: Stevenage Crucial Crew received £800; Grace's Space received £957, British Sign Language Practice Club received £500 and Home-Start Stevenage received £640.

Funds have also been awarded in the north of the county: £1,000 to the Hertfordshire Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre; £1,000 to the North Herts Disability Sports Association and £500 for K-Entertainers from Henlow.

Further information about the beneficiaries of the 2011 Community Investment Fund can be found www.veoliawater.co.uk/communityfund.

Photo caption

Veolia Water's Bruce Goulding, a Community Investment Fund committee member,meets Sheelagh Taylor, Chief Executive of Crossroads Care Hertfordshire North, to find out about the organisation.

Notes to Editors:

For further information please contact Sue Pavey on: Tel. 01707 277110, email: [email protected], website:www.veoliawater.co.uk/news

About us

Veolia Water Central is the UK's largest water supply only company and is part of Veolia Water UK. We are committed to delivering a high quality water service to all our customers. We provide 870 million litres of water each day to a population of 3 million people, in parts of Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Surrey, the London Boroughs of Harrow and Hillingdon and parts of the London Boroughs of Barnet, Brent, Ealing, and Enfield. Our supply area covers a total of 3,700 square kilometres, stretching from Luton and Royston in the north to Guildford in the south, and from Berkhamsted in the west to Dunmow in the east.

For more information visit www.veoliawater.co.uk/central or follow us on www.twitter.com/veoliawateruk.