Local grant-making charity, Hampton Fund, has awarded grants worth £3.76 million in 18 months helping local residents cope with the challenges of financial, emotional and physical hardship.

The charity, which is based in Hampton, has published its first Impact Report to illustrate how its grants programme supports individuals and families, directly and through support of a range of local charities.

The report details grants totalling £3.76 million made between July 2023 and December 2024, which were awarded to 2,386 local households and 53 local charities and community groups.

Hampton Fund, founded in 1811, manages a significant endowment fund which is invested to maintain an annual grants programme.

It directly helps individual households with the costs of gas and electricity, and fuel grants are awarded at an average of £538/household/year to residents on a low income. 

Grants are also provided for some essential household items, such as cookers, fridges, washing machines and beds, along with grants to support the costs of school uniforms and residential trips arranged as part of the transition from primary to secondary school.

The charity also made grants worth over £2m to local community groups and charities focussed on helping those living in hardship.

The activities funded include work to improve financial resilience; offering mental health and trauma support; creating social connections or providing physical support for people either living with a long-term health condition or a disability.

Hampton Fund awarded grants worth £3.76m in 18 months to help local residents (credit: Hampton Fund/iStock)

Publishing this report is part of Hampton Fund's commitment to maximising local impact, and to demonstrating openness about how it uses the funds it manages on behalf of the local community.

Richard Barron, CEO of Hampton Fund said: "The effects of the cost of living crisis are still being felt, and with increasing pressure across all local services, this is a very challenging time for those on low incomes, facing health problems, living in isolation or with a disability.

"It is more important than ever that we are being as imaginative, efficient and collaborative as we can in how we use the precious resources that we manage. "Publishing this report is part of our commitment to demonstrating that this important legacy is being used effectively in service of the local community."

The report shows that between July 2023 and December 2024:

• Of those receiving support with their energy costs, 83% reported that the grant had helped them in keeping their home warm through the coldest months, while 77% said that it helped in having enough money to cover all essential items (food, heating, clothing and toiletries).
• The groups most frequently funded were children and young people (19%), those with disabilities (13%), older people and carers (11% each).
• The funds distributed paid for a total of 38,460 separate interventions of support for residents across Hampton, Hampton Hill, Hampton Wick, Twickenham, Teddington and Whitton. (An individual intervention of support is counted when a grant is either directly awarded to an individual/family, or when someone accesses a service provided by a charity that has been funded by Hampton Fund).

When asked about the value of a grant from Hampton Fund, one local resident said: "It takes the stress out from deciding to put the heating on or just wrap up. I don't have to let my child know it's an issue and we can enjoy it and relax."

Another local resident reported: "If it was not for Hampton Fund helping us in the ways they do, we would still be on one meal a day.

"We would not be able to have our heating on, on the coldest days of the year, which in turn would mean our health would suffer."

Ana Cavilla, Co-ordinator of Whitton Network, a local charity that was awarded a grant to fund their work with elderly, disabled, and isolated residents, said the support "has been essential in us being able to drive the charity forward and open our doors to as many people as possible and not to have to turn people away." 

The Hampton Fund Impact Report 2025 is available on its website or via this link.