Four charities in Richmond and Kingston have been given a totalof £395,500 by the City Bridge Trust to help elderly and sociallyisolated people live independently in their local communities.

The grant-making trust, which is managed by the City of LondonCorporation in the 'Square Mile", has announced the grants forKingston Voluntary Action; Crossroads Care Richmond and Kingstonupon Thames; Age Concern Richmond upon Thames; and South WestLondon Stroke Club " Moving On.

Richmond upon Thames has the highest statistic in London ofolder people living alone. Of its elderly population of 220,802, 44% live on their own. The grants will respond to the needs ofsocially isolated older people in south-west London.

Billy Dove MBE, Chairman of the City of London"s City BridgeTrust Committee said:"Richmond and Kingston are often viewed as wealthy areas ofLondon, but in reality, as with other London boroughs, they haveareas of isolation and deprivation. These charities in Richmond andKingston fit the City Bridge Trust"s aims to provide assistance toelderly Londoners and other vulnerable people. The Trust wants tocontribute to a London where the over-75s can still enjoy active,independent and healthy lives and crucially, have a choice abouthow they live."Kingston Voluntary Action has been awarded £140,000 to pay forsalaries and associated running costs to develop and support thevoluntary and community sector in Kingston. The money will helprecruit a project manager to provide advice, information onfinancial management and alternative funding sources, as well assupport local voluntary and community organisations withdevelopment issues.

Crossroads Care Richmond and Kingston upon Thames has beenawarded £133,000 to provide services and support to people withdementia, particularly via respite care for their, often elderly,carers. The grant will provide individual home-based respite to anadditional 20 older people affected by dementia, as well as thepeople who look after them.

Age Concern Richmond upon Thames will receive £95,000 to help itdeliver a range of preventative healthcare services, socialactivities and lifelong learning opportunities. An outreachco-ordinator will recruit extra volunteers and work towards makingactivities more accessible to those people in greatest need.

South West London Stroke Club " Moving On, which is the onlysocial club in the Richmond and Roehampton areas for peopleaffected by strokes, will receive £16,500 to fund the on-goingprogramme of regular meetings, outings, events and talks for strokesurvivors.

The grants underpin two of the City Bridge Trust"s programmes:to fund projects for positive transitions to independent living;and to support older people in London.

The City Bridge Trust is the grant-making arm of Bridge HouseEstates and was set up in 1995. The Trust uses funds surplus to thebridges" requirements to award grants for charitable activity thatbenefits people in London. Every year, up to £15m per annum may beavailable for charitable aims, depending on resources required forthe maintenance of the bridges.