THOUSANDS of pounds has been donated to Bradford projects working with vulnerable women.

The Two Ridings Community Foundation has awarded cash grants between £3,000 and £10,000 to community groups working with victims of rape and sexual abuse in Bradford, Keighley and Skipton.

The money has come from the Tampon Tax Community Fund, which has allocated money generated from the VAT on sanitary products to projects helping vulnerable women and girls since it was first introduced in 2016.

The Foundation has distributed more than £8 million to over 3,000 projects across this area and has raised an endowment of over £4.3m million for the long term benefit of local communities.

Bradford Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Survivors Service, based in Sunbridge Road, is one of the district’s projects to be awarded the cash boost.

It received £9,598 to run mindfulness courses to support female survivors of sexual violence.

In 2017, West Yorkshire Police brought 307 rape cases to court, and 65 resulted in convictions - a rate of 21 per cent.

In 2016, the conviction rate was 25 per cent, a year when the number of rapes in Bradford almost doubled compared to the previous 12 months.

Keighley Healthy Living Network was handed £3,469 to deliver workshops for expectant and new mums.

Skipton Extended Learning for All was also given £5,000 for their ‘Girls Rock’ project, which supports young girls living in rurally isolated areas.

This project builds the girls self-esteem through music, creation and performance and is designed to give them the opportunity to have their voice heard.

Jan Garrill, Chief Executive of Two Ridings said: "Two Ridings Community Foundation works with grassroots groups who are running vital services on a shoestring and supporting some of the most marginalised people in our society.

“This funding will enable them to run some amazing projects that make a difference on the ground to the women and girls who need it most.”

The projects all help women and girl survivors of sexual violence, new mums at risk of isolation, female refugees struggling to cope with mental health issues or lack of confidence, disadvantaged girls in rural communities and positive lifestyle activities for young girls, including sports.

As one of the UK’s largest grant-giving organisations, UK Community Foundations was asked by the Government to distribute £3.4m, the largest share of the funding raised through the levy on sanitary products in 2017/18 to small, local projects, working with its network of Community Foundations across the country.

The grants are extremely popular and only 18 of the 101 applications could be supported during this round of funding.

Two Ridings Community Foundation will be holding a lunch on International Women’s Day - March 8, 2019 - at the Garden Rooms, in Leyburn, North Yorkshire to celebrate the extraordinary achievement of women and to raise funds to support more grassroots charities.

Tickets are £37.50 each or £340 per table of ten.

Book your tickets at www.tennantsgardenrooms.com or contact 01904 929500 or e-mail events@tworidingscf.org.uk