NINE organisations working with some of society’s most vulnerable women and girls have received a much-needed funding boost.

The Tampon Tax Community Fund, money generated from the VAT on sanitary products, has issued grants between £5,000 and £10,000 to projects that improve the lives of disadvantaged women and girls.

The projects that received funding in Sussex include those that will help women and girls get into or back to work, raise awareness about health and mental health issues, and support those who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing domestic abuse and violence.

Brighton Women’s Centre in Richmond Place is receiving about £7,000 from the funding which will support the redevelopment of the centre’s counselling service.

Lisa Dando, director of Brighton Women’s Centre said: “We are aiming to put his funding towards restoring our counselling service which we have already been working hard to raise money for. Our counselling service, which is invaluable for the women here, lost its funding at the beginning of last year. It was the only counselling service in the city specifically for women. There is a huge need for it.”

The centre will be celebrating its 45th birthday this year and Lisa said coupled with the funding will make it a very special year.

She said: “To be able to reinstate this core service back into the centre during our 45th year running would be just really good for us.

“But also it would be bringing back a service that is so essential and core to women’s health when nationally, we know that women’s mental health needs a lot of focus.”

Emma Jacquest, chief executive of Tarner Community Project, an organisation that offers a range of services to children and young people, said the funding will make a huge difference to the quality of their activities on offer. The grant will support a female-only group with a range of activities, plus holiday activities and outings.

She said: “To have a bit more funding to be able to take the youngsters out and about will mean we can offer a much richer experience for those that benefit from our project.

“It will also mean that we can employ specialists to come along and help with advice and work with the young people. It will really help make a difference.”

The Tampon Tax Community Fund is money generated from the VAT on sanitary products to projects that improve the lives of disadvantaged women and girls.

Other groups that will receive the funding include: The As You Are Centre, Safety Net, Safe in Sussex, Counselling Plus Community, Women’s Voice, My Sisters’ House CIC and Sussex Prisoners Families.

As one of the UK’s largest grant-giving organisations, UK Community Foundations has been asked by the Government to distribute £3.4 million of funding raised through the levy on sanitary products to small, local projects supporting women and girls.