Coventry Building Society's £1m cost of living donation

The £1m donation will make a real difference, schools and charities said

The Coventry Building Society is donating £1m to help local residents cope with the cost of living crisis.

Concentrating on Coventry organisations would "make the biggest difference", the society said.

A share of funding will go to every school in the city with dozens of charitable organisations, including food banks, also benefitting.

"This £1m donation will help people in our community keep safe, warm and well," said manager Anna Cuskin.

"We hope this will shine a light on the support that's available to people when they are in crisis."

Melanie Johnson, from John Gulson Primary, said the donation would enable children to have experiences they could not otherwise afford

John Gulson Primary, where more than a third of children are eligible for pupil premium, says the £5,000 donated will "make a real difference".

"[Now] children can tap into a fund so, if there's an experience they can't afford, we can subsidise it for them," added head of learning Melanie Johnson.

The school plans to use the money to take pupils who have never seen snow to Tamworth SnowDome.

A total of £250,000 is earmarked for emergency support in schools, with a further £200,000 to go to the city's food banks and social supermarkets.

Advice service Act on Energy will receive £115,000 and the Heart of England Community Foundation's cost of living appeal £100,000.

Coventry Citizen's Advice, The Positive Youth Foundation and Age UK are also among the organisations to benefit.

"We already support many of these schools and charities with funding, resources and volunteers," Ms Cuskin added.

"But the cost of living crisis is making lives harder and we wanted to do more to help those who need it most."

The building society said it was also allocating £1,000 to each of its 65 national branches to distribute to local food banks.