ROYAL VISIT: Earl of Wessex launches bid to raise £20m during his visit to Oxford (From The Oxford Times)

ROYAL VISIT: Earl of Wessex launches bid to raise £20m during his visit to Oxford

10:00am Thursday 12th January 2012 in News By Andrew Ffrench

PRINCE Edward urged the people of Oxfordshire to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee by donating up to £20m to voluntary organisations.

The leaders of the Oxfordshire Community Foundation hope their Jubilee Fund will make a huge difference after it was launched by the Prince in Oxford yesterday.

He met representatives of 13 organisations at The Hub in Turl Street which are supported by the foundation.

Launching the fund, Prince Edward said: “I have come across the work of community foundations in different parts of the country and I have always been fascinated to discover the groups the foundations support and the impact it has on the community.

“This particular campaign, which is trying to boost Oxfordshire is a fantastic initiative and I wish it the best of luck.”

The foundation was established in 1995 and has contributed more than £3.5m to community projects. It has supported more than 1,200 local organisations and wants to use the Jubilee celebrations to bring in extra funding.

OCF chairman Anna Moon said: “Oxfordshire is the most rural county in the South East and some areas are the most deprived nationally for access to housing and services.

“Building the fund will enable us to have a lasting legacy to ensure Oxfordshire becomes a great place to live for everyone, by being able to give more grants to the small local voluntary groups to continue their work.

“We have been inspired by the dedication and commitment the Queen has shown in the last 60 years to community service and charity work.

“Our Jubilee Fund will create a community fund for Oxfordshire for the next 60 years.”

OCF estimates there are 635,000 people in the county and wants everyone to donate £6 each to raise a total of £4m.

And it hopes that the 25,000 businesses in Oxfordshire will raise £10 for every year of the Queen’s reign, or £600 each, to raise £15m.

Trust chief executive Jayne Woodley did not know how long it would take to raise the cash but hoped at least £6m could be raised by the end of 2012.

To find out how to donate visit localgiving.com/ oxfordshirejubileefund or oxfordshire.org