TEN Southampton community groups, charities and foundations will receive a £2,000 funding boost from Westquay, the city's retail and restaurant giant.

The £20,000 donation will go to groups hit hard by Covid-19 but who have gone the extra mile during the pandemic.

They are City Life Church, Gems (Guidance Empowerment Motivation & Safeguarding), Northam Community Link, Parklife Community Café, Saint Mary’s Church PCC, Saints Foundation, Society of St James , Somali Women and Children Community Development Group, Southampton Magna Rotary Club and WSX Enterprise Limited.

Each of the ten organisations was chosen based on their food bank support and attempts to tackle food poverty, providing support to people affected by domestic violence, support for the homeless and provision of employment opportunities, enterprise or skills development.

The donations, by Westquay's parent group Hammerson, aim to assist the communities, charities and foundations in the area that have been impacted the most by COVID-19.

Laura Read, General Manager at Westquay, said: “This has been a really challenging year for everyone, and we know that charities and other organisations across Southampton have really gone the extra mile. This project is all about giving something back to those groups that have pulled out all the stops over the past few months, and need a helping hand to ensure they can continue to carry out their valuable work. We are so grateful for everything they have done."

Hammerson, which owns Westquay, has launched the scheme across its nine flagship destinations across the UK, meaning charities nationwide will receive £180,000 to help them overcome the impact of the pandemic.