A GRANT-giving organisation supported by port businesses is celebrating two milestones – its fifth anniversary and the awarding of 100 grants worth more than £200,000.

The Port Community Fund was created in 2008 by a group of companies in and around the Port of Felixstowe, to pool their resources, and support charities working in the Felixstowe area.

Before the fund was set up, the companies each provided support to a range of good causes but not in a co-ordinated manner.

With the fund, managed by the Suffolk Foundation, they have a focal point for fund-raising, raising greater amounts and providing stronger support for the community than when acting alone.

Alan Long, managing director of Felixstowe-based Maritime Cargo Processing (MCP), one of the fund’s founder members, said: “We are proud to be celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Port Community Fund and delighted to have passed the £200,000 milestone.

“Over the past five years we have supported a huge range of local causes, and are proud to have made a real difference for thousands of people.”

Latest grants included £2,000 for Headway Ipswich and East Suffolk, to provide support for people with a neurological condition who live in or near Felixstowe; £1,000 for Autism Suffolk, to help with the set-up and running of a support group in Ipswich; £2,000 for Suffolk Cruse Bereavement Care, to help with volunteer expenses and helpline phone costs; and £1,000 for Suffolk Accident Rescue Service, to help with annual running costs.

The committee also agreed to give £1,000 for the Felixstowe Town Pastors, to help with radio hire, first aid training and other expenses in the year ahead.

The pastors – members of various churches around the town – work alongside the police patrolling Felixstowe’s nightlife scene on the streets late at night and in the early hours of Fridays and Saturdays.

They offer a caring supportive service to people who may find themselves in a vulnerable state, offering bottles of water and other items, and working to help diffuse situations.

? Any charity or community group addressing social need in the Felixstowe and Ipswich areas and requiring funding, is invited to contact Julie Rose at the Suffolk Foundation on 01473 602602 to discuss the possibility of applying to the Port Community Fund.