The former Mayor of Basingstoke 2013/14 Cllr Dan Putty raised funds under the Mayor's Charity Appeal, and used the donations to start the Basingstoke and Deane Community Fund. The aim of the fund is to support voluntary run charities and community groups that are working hard to make the borough a better place to live.

The funds raised will be used to help give small grants to lesser known charities and community groups that are struggling for small amounts of money that can help them in their work or set-up new initiatives in local communities. This could be anything from a toddler group or older people's lunch session to a sports club.