When the first cases of Covid-19 in the UK were reported last January, few could have predicted how the pandemic would unfurl, both here and across the globe. But once lockdown was implemented, it brought with it a wave of social and economic pressures.
Almost 700,000 jobs have been lost since March, causing unemployment to rise at its fastest rate since the financial crisis of 2008-09. It could be said that the economic impact of the pandemic has brought to the surface inequalities that have long existed. In many ways, coronavirus has had an unequal impact on an already unequal society.
For charities trying to respond to the extraordinary demand the crisis has placed on their services, things have been made all the more difficult because income has been slashed due to charity shop closures and fundraising cancellations. With a recent survey suggesting that the charity sector expects a £12.4bn loss of income in 2020, the pandemic has created a perfect storm of increased demand at a time when resources are limited.
Amid the bleak outlook, and as part of a £100m community aid package, Barclays launched the 100x100 UK Covid-19 Community Relief Fund to support the work being carried out by charity organisations that are helping vulnerable communities which have been hard hit.
Charities from across the UK were invited to apply for one of 100 donations of £100,000, and the response, says Barclays chairman Nigel Higgins, was staggering.
“The charity sector in this country is critical to so many communities,” says Higgins. “We knew that if our support was to reach the most needy, then we had to partner with community-based charities that have on-the-ground expertise.”
The breadth of the successful applications means that funding is being put to work in a diverse range of causes, from caring for the elderly and tackling food insecurity to improving resilience in the lives of people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and many more.
For Higgins, Barclays’ response to Covid-19 has been born out of a sense of commitment to the communities the bank is part of. Higgins says: “The 100x100 programme is about us joining with society to be part of the solution to this crisis. We have a responsibility to look after our communities. By working with charities who tirelessly deliver impactful support to vulnerable communities, we feel we can help do that during these incredibly challenging times.”
While the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been horrendous on so many levels, it has also created opportunities. Not just for individuals, communities and organisations to show the very best of themselves, but opportunities for change, better ways of working and for a rekindled sense of community.
“This pandemic has really driven the need for successful partnerships,” says Higgins. “In a time of crisis people need to come together and everyone has a role to play, whether that’s charities, corporates or government. Covid-19 has highlighted both the fragility and the strength of society. Tackling problems and driving change is only going to be effective when it’s done together.”
Collaboration is central to the Barclays 100x100 programme – not just between Barclays and the charities it supports, but in the work of the charities to support vulnerable people with a range of problems that are often interwoven. Whether that’s a lack of food because of rising debts, homelessness because of domestic abuse, or addiction as a result of mental health issues.
“If there’s to be a positive legacy of Covid,” says Higgins, “then it’s got to be that we’ve learned how to work together much more effectively. But I’d also like to think that the pandemic will make a meaningful contribution to the equality debate in this country and create a sense of social cohesion that we may have been in danger of losing.”
Although hope surrounds the recent rollout of a vaccine for Covid-19, it is still too early to picture what a post-Covid world might look like. But with the impact of the pandemic likely to be felt for years to come, it will take the continued efforts of the charity sector working in partnership with businesses and governments to ensure that communities are to thrive.
Inspired by what you’ve read?
In these uncertain times, charities across the UK could use your support more than ever. If you’d like to find out how to volunteer and give your time to help others,
visit: gov.uk/government/get-involved/take-part/volunteer. To find out more about how Barclays is supporting communities, visit: home.barclays/communityaidpackage
