The Duke of Cornwall’s Benevolent Fund has donated to the Cornwall Community Foundation’s Build Back Better Fund, to support vulnerable families affected by the recent pandemic.
As Patron of the Cornwall Community Foundation, The Duchess of Cornwall hosted a socially distanced tea at Clarence House for representatives of the Cornwall Community Foundation and The Duke of Cornwall’s Benevolent Fund, to mark the occasion.
Alastair Martin, the Duchy of Cornwall’s Secretary and Keeper of the Records attended the event, saying:
“I was delighted to meet with Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall and representatives from the Cornwall Community Foundation at Clarence House. Now more than ever it is important for us to protect our communities at a local level and we at the Duchy are very happy to support the Foundation’s continuing work in this endeavour through the Duke of Cornwall's Benevolent Fund.”
The results of the Coronavirus crisis are likely to have a significant and long-lasting impact on businesses and communities, particularly in the South West where the economy is so reliant on tourism. The Cornwall Community Foundation started to award grants from its Emergency Fund on 13th March (ten days before lockdown started).
In the first phase of the Cornwall Community Foundation’s emergency response, they made sure that elderly and vulnerable people received the support and help that they needed. The aim of the Build Back Better Fund is to help people and communities to flourish and emerge from this crisis stronger, with new skills and regained confidence.
The Cornwall Community Foundation
Since March 2020, the foundation has distributed 321 grants to 154 groups. During the last six months, the Coronavirus Emergency Appeal has raised £1,640,359. The Foundation has made a tremendous difference in supporting the communities of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The awarded organisations include foodbanks, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, community centres, youth projects, mental health and bereavement services and groups that help victims of violence and abuse.
Their Royal Highnesses recently visited Treverbyn Community Hall, one of the supported community projects during their annual visit to the South West in July of this year.
The Duke of Cornwall Benevolent Fund
The Duke of Cornwall Benevolent Fund was set up by The Duke of Cornwall (The Prince of Wales) in 1975. In Cornwall, when an individual dies with no will or surviving relatives their property (or ‘estate’) passes to The Duke of Cornwall. The same is true on the dissolution of a company registered in Cornwall where any remaining assets pass to the Duke of Cornwall. This is known as bona vacantia. After efforts are made to locate any remaining relatives and any discretionary payments have been made, His Royal Highness chooses to donate all monies from bona vacantia to the Duke of Cornwall’s Benevolent Fund, which he established in 1975 to benefit local communities in the South West of England.
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