Four Aylesbury groups, Waddesdon Hall and a Buckingham charity share in £725,000 of money-help grants. Who got it, and how to apply for a crisis payment.
Nineteen charities and community groups have been given a share of more than £725,000 to help Buckinghamshire residents who are struggling with the cost of living. At least six of them are in Aylesbury or the villages and towns around it.
Buckinghamshire Council announced the grants on Wednesday 30 September. The money comes through its Financial Wellbeing Community Fund, which the local charity Heart of Bucks runs with the council.
The Aylesbury area groups
The council’s list names these organisations in or near Aylesbury:
- Aylesbury Vineyard Storehouse
- Aylesbury Women’s Centre, run under Riverway Community Charity
- Redeemed Christian Church of God, House of Mercy, Aylesbury
- Southcourt Baptist Church, Aylesbury
- Waddesdon Hall, in Waddesdon, about five miles north-west of Aylesbury. It is a registered charity (number 300343) whose register entry says it provides buildings, facilities and open space.
- Jedidiah UK, listed by the council as being in Buckingham, about 16 miles north
One more grantee has done earlier work in the town. Heart of Bucks’ own account of The MoneyHeave Community Project describes money workshops for young adults run with Aylesbury Youth Action, from a previous grant.
Several countywide services are also on the list and serve Aylesbury residents. They include Citizens Advice Bucks, Age UK Buckinghamshire, Connection Support and RSASS Buckinghamshire, formerly Rape Crisis. Three of the 19 are named as High Wycombe organisations.
What we could not find
Neither the council nor Heart of Bucks has published how much each group received. The fund’s rules give the range instead:
- large grants were £10,000 to £100,000 for one year
- small grants were up to £9,999
- a group could not hold both
- priority went to projects in the council’s Opportunity Bucks areas
Both rounds are now closed.
Why the money is going to charities this year
The grants are part of a bigger change. In April the government replaced the Household Support Fund with a new Crisis and Resilience Fund. Councils must now spend it on people hit by a sudden financial shock, and on building “financial resilience”, rather than on blanket help.
The council’s Cabinet report of 21 April set out what that meant here. It said government grant support for people in hardship had been cut by more than £600,000 over two years. It planned an £800,000 community fund for the first year. The £725,000 announced this week is the part of that now handed out.
The full plan for the £4,884,904 grant, from table 1 of that report:
| What it pays for | 2026/27 | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Crisis support (direct payments) | £1,600,000 | 33% |
| Financial resilience and community fund | £800,000 | 16% |
| Administration (staffing and infrastructure) | £732,736 | 15% |
| Housing payments | £723,616 | 15% |
| Targeted cohorts and contingency | £542,634 | 11% |
| May half-term food vouchers | £243,750 | 5% |
| Crisis support for heating oil | £242,168 | 5% |
The report says the amounts can be moved between headings during the year as demand changes.
The free school meal vouchers have ended
The biggest change for families is in the holidays. In 2025/26 about 16,000 children were offered food vouchers every school holiday, and about 12,800 used them, according to the same report.
The new rules do not allow vouchers for every child on free school meals. Bucks ran the scheme for the last time over the May half term. The council now points families to its Holiday Activities and Food programme, and to its Helping Hand crisis service.
The report describes the holiday programme as running in the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays. It does not list the October half term, which runs from 26 to 30 October.
What it means for you
If a sudden bill or a drop in income has left you unable to cover essentials, you can apply to the council for a Helping Hand crisis payment. The council’s page sets three conditions. You must:
- live in Buckinghamshire
- be on a low income with low savings, so your income does not cover essential costs
- be facing a sudden, unexpected expense or drop in income that puts you at immediate risk
The payments are one-off and short term. They are not for ongoing money problems. You apply through a My Buckinghamshire account, and you may be asked for bank statements, a tenancy agreement or proof of benefits. Fill the form in once only. The Helping Hand team’s number for help with an application is 01296 531 151.
For longer-running problems, the same page links to food banks and community fridges, help with bills and housing costs, and debt advice. Citizens Advice Bucks is the council’s commissioned money and debt adviser, and it is also one of the 19 groups funded this week.
If you are behind on council tax, our Aylesbury council tax bands page explains the new income-banded reduction scheme that started in April.
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