MORE than 165 organisations have been helped by the Cumbria Covid-19 Response Fund in the first six months of the crisis, a report has said.

Cumbria Community Foundation, an independent charity, said it raised £1,753,275 which has, in turn, helped about 58,000 people – 10 per cent of the county’s population – cope with the impact of the virus through the fund since it was launched in March.

According to the review of the scheme’s first six months, it has made 219 grants to organisations like Carlisle and District Credit Union, totalling £1,452,083.

In the report Kevin Walsh, chair of the panel running the fund, said: “We launched the fund with £100,000 of our own funds and then invited others to donate.

“We started to get donations right away and so had money to spend right from day one.

“That has just kept going both from local and national sources.

“Typically, the panel was assessing applications and awarding grants to successful groups within a week.”

For more information on the fund, go online to: www.cumbriafoundation.org