MORE than £5,000 has been donated to community organisations to celebrate Black History Month.

The funding came from the Black History Month 365 Fund, which housing association Sovereign contributed to. Designed to support local voluntary groups throughout the year, it provides grants of up to £500 for events and activities that celebrate black history.

This year £5,450 was awarded to 11 different community groups up and down the UK, including two in Basingstoke.

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Basingstoke Unite Against Racism received £500 to launch a magazine called 400 Plus, which will highlight key pioneers with African and Caribbean heritage living and working in Basingstoke.

Meanwhile, the Basingstoke Caribbean Society & Friends was awarded £500 to help run its annual Black History Month event called Our Diverse Cultural Heritage Through the Ages at Popley Fields Community Centre.

Other recipients included Dee Caf CIC in Reading, JoJays Lunch Club in Westminster and the Friary Park Community Organisation.

Daisy Mummery, project manager of the Black History Month 365 Fund at Sovereign, said: “Diversity is something we can all champion and get behind – which is why we are delighted to be part-funding the Black History Month 365 Fund.

“We’re a leading landlord, and that means our support never stops at the front door.

“We have a clear commitment to our communities and as part of this, we are continually looking for ways to invest and make them truly inclusive.

“These projects have fantastic aspirations to do exactly that, and I can’t wait to see how they progress.”

Sovereign has also been celebrating Black History Month across its offices and sites through open seminars and talks.

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Colleagues have been encouraged to share details of figures that have inspired them, with stories and experiences shared across its internal platforms.

The Black History Month 365 Fund will go live for its next round of funding in early 2023.

The fund was first launched by A2 Dominion Housing Group in partnership with Catalyst Housing, Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing and Network Homes, with Sovereign joining the fund earlier this year.