The Bailiff’s Fund was set up at the height of the coronavirus crisis to allow Islanders to make donations in support of the Island’s response to the situation.
A total of £1,201,750 has been raised, with £346,187 being granted to the Health Department for a mental-health project supporting frontline workers and a further £609,000 to pay for the provision of equipment to assist staff caring for patients.
An additional £80,000 has been allocated to St John Ambulance.
The remaining £166,000 will be held in reserve for further applications.
The Bailiff, Timothy Le Cocq, said: ‘I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who donated so generously to the fund, as well as all officers who have played a role in setting it up and administering it.
‘Whilst I believe Jersey is in a very strong position to cope given the new measures in place to address a further wave of Covid-19, it is nonetheless reassuring to see these donations used to provide a support facility for frontline workers in their daily roles.
‘I am delighted to see donations going to two excellent and crucial frontline organisations. And I am particularly pleased to see a sum of money being diverted to a mental-health project – something that is much needed and can often be missed when supporting staff.’
David Le Quesne, chairman of St John Ambulance Jersey, said that the charity had been hit financially and that the funding would help secure their future.
‘We are Jersey’s first port of call for assistance when States emergency services are under extreme pressure due to an emergency such as that caused by Covid-19,’ he said.
‘We have called upon our trained staff and volunteers and we have made our premises and our ambulances and other vehicles available to help the States Ambulance Service.
‘During this pandemic, all our sources of income – first-aid-course fees, fees for attendance at public events, and so on, have dried up. The financial help we have received from the Bailiff’s Fund and other generous donors has kept our charity alive. Without such support we could not have continued our charitable work.’
The funds are expected to be transferred tomorrow.
