bibic is delighted to have received a grant from the National Lottery Communities Fund. This will allow the charity to reach many more families and children across the UK via their new digital services and to support those that truly need them most.
Chief Operating Officer, Pip Buckley, said: “This generous grant from The National Lottery means the world to a small charity like us. This has been a very testing time for bibic and a grant like this gives us the welcome security to continue to support children and young people who use our services. Thank You from the whole bibic team!” 
The National lottery Community Fund is making a great difference to a large number of charities across Somerset and rest of the UK.
This funding comes from the new £200m programme launched by The National Lottery Community Fund which is part of the Government’s £750m financial support package for charities and social enterprises announced by the Government in April.
The National Lottery Community Fund is distributing grants to support organisations who continue to deliver services to people and communities affected by COVID-19.
The funding goes a long way to address the severe loss in income bibic has experienced this year due to the pandemic and gives the charity confidence that they can continue to reach children and families who have been deeply affected during the crisis.
bibic is due to open its doors again on July 1 and will start a gradual roll-out by seeing one family at a time face-to-face, backed-up by digital online assessments. The grant, along with fantastic support from other grant and trust providers, businesses, and the general public, has enabled plans to be drawn up for the foreseeable future.
Bookings are already filling July, August, and September with a combination of face-to-face and mostly online digital services.
Pip added: “It has been a very difficult time for bibic and charities like us and I am so grateful for not only all the financial support but the support and dedication of every member of the small bibic staff team and Trustees. Despite working from home or being furloughed they have stuck together to achieve one aim, to keep bibic going.
“We are now looking forward to seeing more families in the coming months, especially serving army personnel and veterans who we are now offering a 10% discount through the Armed Forces Covenant which we signed last year.
“There are exciting ‘new’ times ahead, but we can’t afford to rest, we do not receive any ongoing Government funding, so support remains critical for the years to come.”
More information about bibic is available online at www.bibic.org.uk.
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