BAE donate £250 000 to Portsmouth community sector

By Stephen Emerson

21 April 2022

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Portsmouth at dusk

Private funding, from Portsmouth’s largest employer, BAE Systems, is set to establish two voluntary sector hubs in the city.

BAE have donated £250 000 to finance, form and manage the co-operative organisations.

Hubs will be opened both in the north of the city and the city centre. They will be managed by HIVE Portsmouth which co-ordinates the community and voluntary sector in the city.

The hope is that the set up will assist community groups lower expenditure, particularly in rent overheads, pull expertise and ultimately become more robust.

Research for the project which was conducted by HIVE, revealed that 29 community groups ceased operating during the pandemic. This represents 10% of the entire community sector in the region.

In addition to the financial support, BAE Systems employees will also be able to volunteer for projects run from the hubs, in addition to offering professional advice and mentoring to the voluntary sector organisations.

David Mitchard, Managing Director of BAE Systems Maritime Services said: “We’re delighted to be able to support HIVE Portsmouth in creating these essential new voluntary sector hubs for our community. BAE Systems employs more than 3,000 people in Portsmouth, so it is important to us and it’s great to be able to offer some very practical help for a sector which has been significantly affected by the pandemic."

By Stephen Emerson

Stephen Emerson is the Managing Editor of The Business Magazine and is responsible for the publication's print publications and online properties including the newly launched Biz News websites in Hampshire and Dorset.

Stephen has been a journalist for 20 years and has worked at local, regional and national publications and led a team which made The Scotsman website one of the fastest growing news sites in the UK with over eight million monthly users.

He has a keen interest in technology, property and corporate finance and telling the stories of the people behind the successful firms in these sectors.