NFU Mutual Agents and their staff at the New Forest, Isle of Wight and Bournemouth agency recently nominated local charity Independent Arts, to receive a donation of £6,443.00 from NFU Mutual’s national £1.92million ‘Agency Giving Fund’.
The leading rural insurer has launched this fund, now in its fourth year, to help local frontline charities across the country. The Agency Giving Fund forms part of NFU Mutual’s £3.25m funding pledge for both local and national charities in 2023, to assist with recovery from the pandemic and to help tackle the impact of the rising cost of living.
To ensure these donations reach all corners of the UK and are directed where they’re needed most, all NFU Mutual Agencies, with more than 295 offices nationwide, have been given the opportunity to nominate local charities to receive a share of the fund.
The charity runs arts-based activities to tackle social isolation and improve wellbeing across the Isle of Wight, and NFU Mutual’s donation has enabled Independent Arts to continue its very popular dance projects for older people and individuals with reduced mobility. More than 60 people currently benefit from the four different weekly dance groups in Newport and Sandown. The existing funding for the project runs out at the end of September, so the support from the NFU Mutual Agency Giving Fund has come at a crucial time and means that the initiative can continue until the end of March 2024.
John Heather, Senior Agent at NFU Mutual New Forest, Isle of Wight and Bournemouth Agency, said: “We are delighted to be able to support Independent Arts with a donation of £6,443 through our Isle of Wight office. We have chosen to support a charity that directly helps the local community by using the Arts to focus on education, support, and wellbeing of the elderly in the community.”
Lisa Gagliani, Chief Executive at Independent Arts, commented: “We’re so grateful to the Isle of Wight Agency of NFU Mutual for nominating our charity to receive a donation from the NFU Mutual Agency Giving Fund. The money has gone a long way to helping us continue to offer our popular dance-based workshops for older people at a time of continuing financial pressures on our small charity.”
