Drinks Trust raises £400,000 for industry workers

The Drinks Trust charity has launched the Covid-19 Emergency Fund after raising more than £400,000 (US$498,000) to help people in the industry who have been left in financial hardship during the pandemic.

The Drinks Trust has raised more than £400,000 to support industry members during the pandemic

The emergency fund will be used to help people who work on zero-hours contracts or who have been made redundant, despite the UK government’s job retention scheme.

The Drinks Trust said priority would be given to those facing “significant” financial hardship.

To be eligible for help, applicants must have been employed in the drinks industry for at least two years or 20% of their working life.

Help will be offered at a fixed rate of £250 (US$310) and will be made as a single payment to the applicant’s bank account.

The money should be used to help with buying groceries and household items, paying rent and bills. It will not be offered to cover personal debt.

The Drinks Trust said it was expecting high demand for the funding and that the money could run out before all applications have been dealt with.

In order to mitigate the likelihood of this happening, applications will be accepted for a limited period from Monday 6 April until Friday 10 April.

For more information on how to apply, visit drinkstrust.org.uk.

The Drinks Trust was formerly known as The Benevolent and unveiled its rebrand last month.