Trust gives £300,000 to help poor

 Catholic grant-making body has awarded almost £300,000 to a series of projects that work with the poor.

This year, the Charles Plater Trust, which is chaired by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, broke its record for the amount of money given.

The trust was founded with the proceeds of a £5 million sale of Plater College in 2005 and grants are made from the money generated through the trust’s investments. This year, extra money held in cash reserves was also awarded. An eight-member lay panel assesses applications, which this year numbered 29.

A grant of £32,424 was given to Ace of Clubs, an organisation run by St Mary’s Church in Clapham, south London, which helps the homeless find employment and ­others to manage their benefits with advice given on adapting to welfare reforms. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, broadcast his New Year’s Day message from the charity’s headquarters in the parish’s school building. The Thomas organisation, founded by Fr James McCartney, parish priest of St Anne’s Church, Blackburn, has been awarded £40,000 for its work with drug addicts.

The focus on poverty this year is significant as the cardinal last month spoke out about the welfare safety net having been torn apart, leaving people facing “destitution”.

Other organisations given grants include the Noah Enterprise in Bedford (£29,210), set up by the Daughters of Charity, for its work with rough sleepers and the homeless; St Wilfrid’s in Sheffield (£28,927), founded by the Diocese of Hallam, which supports marginalised adults with mental-health problems; Baytree’s “Peach” programme (£32,000), run by a foundation connected to Opus Dei, which supports girls and women in the inner city; Women at the Well (£34,512), developed by the sisters of the Institute of Our Lady of Mercy, a centre for vulnerable women including prostitutes; Storybook Dads (£40,000), a charity working to help prisoners maintain contact with their children through improving literacy skills of parent and child; and the charity Life which supports pregnant women in distress.