Funding allows The Princess Project to help more mums

A £5,000 grant from Kent Community Foundation will enable The Princess Project to expand its services into Tonbridge.

The Princess Project has been successfully working with and supporting disadvantaged mums and their families in Kent for the last 11 years. A Kent Community Foundation grant of £5,000 will enable them to help more mums by establishing a new hub in Tonbridge, to complement their existing services in Maidstone town centre, Park Wood and Gillingham. 

The new Tonbridge hub will provide a safe, welcoming space where vulnerable mothers who are experiencing challenges, will find support and community and be signposted to other resources. The hubs give disadvantaged mums an opportunity to get out and meet other people and interact over free drinks and snacks with members of the volunteer team and other mums to build their networks. At the hubs, the mums have access to, a Totcycle service, which is a bank of good quality second-hand baby and toddler clothing, toys, books, and equipment which are available without charge and a Mum2Mum befriending service which provides consistent, long-term one to one support for isolated young mums aged 16-30, by matching them with trained volunteers.

Emma Tanner, Founder and CEO, of The Princess Project, said:

“We are very grateful to Kent Community Foundation for their grant to allow us to open a new hub in Tonbridge. Social isolation among mothers is a huge problem and many of the families we meet are experiencing severe financial hardship, which compounds the situation. Our hubs give mums the opportunity to meet regularly in a safe space, make new friends, learn about other resources that are available to help them and access free second-hand baby and toddler clothing, toys, books, and equipment, making a real difference to their lives.”   

Josephine McCartney, Chief Executive, of Kent Community Foundation said:

“The Princess Project has been working with disadvantaged mums and their families in Kent for the last 11 years. The Needs Analysis we commissioned last year demonstrates that although Tonbridge and Malling are perceived as an affluent area there are pockets of relative deprivation within the district that contrast starkly with more affluent neighbourhoods. This project fits perfectly into one of the five Kent Community Foundation funding priorities, ‘children, young people and families’, and we were very happy to support their application for a grant to extend their resources into Tonbridge.” 

To contact Kent Community Foundation about funding for charities and community groups call 01303 814500, email admin@kentcf.org.uk or visit: www.kentcf.org.uk/funding.