Bolton Guild of Help

Bolton Guild of Help, established in 1905, is a longstanding charitable organization dedicated to relieving hardship and distress among vulnerable residents of the Borough of Bolton, including Horwich, Westhoughton, Farnworth, Blackrod, and all BL postcode areas paying council tax to Bolton Council. Rooted in values of compassion, dignity, and non-judgmental support, it focuses on building financial resilience and well-being for individuals and families in acute crisis, filling gaps left by statutory services through hands-on, tailored interventions.

The Guild funds practical emergency relief, such as food parcels, school uniforms, energy bills, essential household goods (including white goods and furniture), building repairs, mobility aids, rent arrears support, and Christmas gifts via partnerships like Bolton Lions. It emphasizes poverty prevention, elderly care, child welfare, and a growing focus on military families through Bolton Veterans Aid, offering mental health support, drop-ins, and events in collaboration with SSAFA and the Royal British Legion. Debt advice via Christians Against Poverty and benefits checks through Citizens Advice complement its direct aid.

Eligible applicants include individuals in hardship and small local frontline agencies or referrers, with no strict entity requirements but a preference for grassroots operations; funding is exclusively for Bolton residents. Typical grants range from £50 to £500, awarded via simple email (info@boltonguildofhelp.org.uk), phone, or website form on a rolling basis with rapid decisions—often within days—and no fixed deadlines.

Distinctively low-bureaucracy and flexible, the Guild avoids long-term projects, core costs, capital builds, or capacity building, prioritizing urgent, case-by-case needs to prevent housing loss, hunger, or isolation, leveraging deep local knowledge and partnerships for swift, holistic impact.