MORE than £33,000 has been distributed by the Wiltshire Community Foundation to small charities and voluntary groups across Wiltshire thanks to a new partnership with Anchor Butter.
Anchor Butter has joined forces with UK Community Foundations, the umbrella organisation of which Wiltshire Community Foundation is a member, and donated £100,000 to establish the Anchor Community Connection Fund.

Alongside two other foundations, Wiltshire has been selected to distribute these funds to support groups who use food to bring people together and strengthen local connections.
Among the groups helped is The Pantry Partnership in Salisbury, which has been awarded £5,000 to support families struggling with the cost of living crisis.
Director Fiona Ollerhead said the money will help support several projects – these include regular shared meals for Ukrainian refugees to help keep them connected with their culture, enabling volunteers to cook meals using donated food to be shared with families, and ‘Cook and Eat sessions’ which are a GP referral service for older, isolated or recently bereaved people, which helps them make new friends and learn useful skills.
In thanking the foundation for the grant, Ms Ollerhead said: “As well as those receiving support, we have 35 volunteers, many of whom are older people who benefit from the social interaction and opportunity to contribute to their local community.”

St Michael’s Community Centre in Bemerton Heath, Salisbury has been awarded £3,00 to upgrade its kitchens so that it can help meet the demand for the low cost meals it serves in its increasingly busy Community Café.
“We see the growing need in the community for families which consist of many single-parent families who can’t work and exist on benefits,” said fundraising coordinator Howard Tranter.
“Given the rising cost of living and especially increased food prices we know there is a need for affordable healthy meals to help those in poverty.”
The grant will help towards installing new, more hygienic, kitchen surfaces and buying a commercial dishwasher for the kitchen, which also provides affordable meals for a lunch club every Thursday for older people. Centre volunteers also operate a community fridge, which supplies fresh fruit and vegetables donated
by supermarkets and community gardens.
Anchor spokesman, Stuart Ibberson, said: “Food has always been at the heart of community life in Britain and cooking and enjoying food should be accessible for everyone.
“This is why we’ve partnered with the UK Community Foundation to connect local communities and ensure that as many people as possible have access to cooking skills, food education and friendship.
“Through the partnership, we aim to spread a bit of food positivity in neighbourhoods across the nation.”
Wiltshire Community Foundation joint chief executive Fiona Oliver said: “We are delighted to be a member of this partnership and proud that Anchor is entrusting us to use its money where it will make the most impact.
“In the midst of the current crisis, access to healthy food as well as support, advice and companionship have never been more important so we are thankful that Anchor has chosen to do this.”
To find out more about Wiltshire Community Foundation’s work and how you can help, visit:
wiltshirecf.org.uk