The National Lottery Community Fund has said it will support charities as much as it can through the crisis

A major funder has pledged to support charities through the coronavirus.

The National Lottery Community Fund, which supports tens of thousands of projects across the UK, has said civil society should offer leadership in difficult times.

And chief executive Dawn Austwick has said the fund will reflect values of kindness and leadership in its own actions.

“At present all our offices remain open and our teams are working as usual,” she said. “We recognise that this could change, but with all our teams now able to work remotely we hope that any changes would not significantly impact our ability to continue to deliver our services to applicants, grant holders and communities across the UK.

“As well as a time of increased pressure, this is also a time to show the best of our community spirit and neighbourliness.

“Thinking about how we can support each other, being kind and offering leadership in difficult times can really help everyone and as we know are the enduring hallmarks of our precious civil society. We will try to reflect these values in our own response.”