A £250,000 fundraising drive has been launched by the Leicester Mercury and LeicestershireLive to support communities and vulnerable people suffering extreme hardship due to the coronavirus lockdown.

The LeicestershireLive There With You Fund has been established by LeicestershireLive and the Leicester Mercury, Charity Link, and the Randal Charitable Foundation.

It aims to help support those in Leicestershire whose lives have been derailed by the Covid-19 lockdown, by offering small grants in the form of vouchers and household goods to pay for everyday items.

George Oliver, editor of the Leicester Mercury and LeicestershireLive, said: “The remarkable generosity of the Randal Charitable Foundation means that some of Leicestershire’s most isolated, vulnerable and at-risk people will not be forgotten during coronavirus.

“It also means that those who do not have neighbours or family to look out for them are not left behind, and that those working within our already stretched public and charity sectors have another tool with which to help those most in need.

“But this is not the end of the matter. Rather it is merely the beginning. Our goal now is to continue building momentum with this fund to ensure our city and county’s most vulnerable people have support.”

The fund was launched on the back of a grant from the Randal Charitable Foundation which will see £96,000 made available for grants immediately. It means the fund is already nearly 40% of the way to its target.

Anyone wishing to donate to the campaign can do so by logging on to its Just Giving page, or become a business donor by calling Charity Link’s director of marketing and fundraising.

The campaign is being administered by Leicester-based Charity Link, which specialises in finding essential funding for people in need. Small grants of up to £300 will be mostly provided in the form of essential items or vouchers to help Leicestershire people through the crisis.