Housebuilder Barratt Homes has donated £1,000 to Scotswood Natural Community Gardens in support of the work it does within the community. Barratt Homes, which has its Meadow Hill development in Throckley, Newcastle, made the donation during The Great Big Green Week - a week of community action to protect nature - and it will go towards the garden’s Adult Wellbeing Programmes of Work.
Scotswood Natural Community Gardens was established in 1995 and includes some of the oldest forest gardens in the country, while welcoming visitors and hosting activities for the community, including youth groups and adult programmes. The programmes includes its Growing Together project, designed to improve mental and physical health through volunteer-led gardening activities, The Elderberries group for adults aged 55+ to socialise and enjoy nature, and Gardening For Dementia which involves free, therapeutic sessions for people living with dementia and their carers.
Natalie Donnelly, sales manager at Barratt Homes’ Meadow Hill development, said: “We’re so pleased to be celebrating the fantastic work of Scotwood Gardens in line with The Great Big Green Week. They support the community through such a range of initiatives and make a real difference to so many people’s lives in the area, including through its Adult Programmes. Whether it’s supporting those who are looking to gain work experience, or maybe those who wish to enjoy some socialising in nature, we’re very happy that our donation has made a difference to their incredible efforts in the area.”
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Karen Dobson, CEO at Scotswood Gardens charity, said: “We’re very grateful to the team at Barratt Homes’ Meadow Hill development for their generous donation. We are tremendously proud of the programmes that we have built, and we look forward to using the funds to a good cause, and continue to make a difference!”
Staff at Miller Homes North East have raised £10,000 for worthy causes in a month of charity activities. Every year the leading housebuilder runs Active April, where Miller Homes staff across the regions compete to take the top spot in achieving the most steps and raising cash for charity.
Throughout the month participants logged their steps, with the company donating £1 to the charity pot for each mile, capped at £10,000. The North East team totted up 11,467 miles – more than 2,000 miles more than the group in second place.
Trudy Alexander, Miller Homes North East charity champion, said: “It really is a great initiative as it brings the teams together through lunchtime walks as well as colleagues meeting up at the weekend to walk miles with their pet. We really are quite competitive in the North East so as we watched the miles increase each week by other regions, we were really motivated to do more. By clocking up a lot of miles it was also great for improving the teams’ wellbeing as well as helping good causes.”
The money raised has been divided between Miller Homes North East’s chosen charity – St Oswald’s Hospice – and Miller Homes’ national charity, Wellies in the Woods which provides resources for creative play for toddlers and young children outdoors.
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The Bernicia Foundation has marked its fifth birthday with more than 8,000 people benefitting from £167,000 in grants to North East charities and young people in the past year. The Bernicia Foundation created by North East housing association Bernicia has channelled more than £1.2m into 183 projects since its launch in 2020, helping to tackle poverty, promoting mental wellbeing and pathways into work.
A total of 30 grants were made by the foundation to projects and individuals supporting communities and the latest beneficiaries in the past 12 months include 17 Inclusion Grants supporting charitable organisations delivering essential services such as food support, mental health outreach, disability access, education and helping people find employment. 13 Inspiration Grants were awarded to support young people aged 24 and under over this period who demonstrate exceptional promise in areas such as sport, music and the arts.
Recipients included Northumberland SpLinter Group which received nearly £10,000 to launch the ‘Waffling On’ project in Amble, establishing info hubs that empower neurodivergent young people to develop life and work skills. Border Links was awarded £10,000 to build a new kitchen at its Berwick Disability Hub, offering adults with learning disabilities the chance to learn essential cooking skills, gain formal qualifications and prepare for catering industry jobs.
Jenny Allinson, director of The Bernicia Foundation, said: “It’s a privilege to support so many incredible people and projects, especially as we celebrate five years of The Bernicia Foundation. We’re incredibly grateful to the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, who generously volunteer their time and expertise to ensure our grants go where they are needed most.”
A new youth and community hub in Byker has been awarded a £100,000 grant by Benefact Trust. Benefact Trust, the charitable owner of Benefact Group, a financial services firm, has given its support to the Lighthouse Project at St Michael’s Church in Byker, a facility which will offer a broad range of activities and services centred around young people.
The group made the donation after learning of its plans from Newcastle-headquartered insurance broker and independent financial adviser Lycetts, which is part of the Benefact Group. The Lighthouse Project will provide access to a wide variety of activities and services for around 1,500 young people and families each year, including an open access youth club for juniors and seniors, homework clubs, family health and wellbeing programmes and a forest school.
Mentoring, special educational needs support and detached youth work will also be delivered in spaces in the building in cooperation with local delivery partners.
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Charles Renwick, divisional director at Lycetts, whose great-great-grandmother officially opened St Michael’s Church Hall back in 1928, said: “This is an extraordinary project that’s located in an extraordinary part of our home city. The Lighthouse Project will deliver a significant range of community benefits and will have a particularly positive impact on the opportunities that young people in the surrounding area will get in the future that might otherwise have stayed out of reach.
“Lycetts has always held a strong community ethos at the heart of its operations and as such, we’re very proud to be associated with such an outstanding new community resource.”
Lighthouse Project chief executive Ben Roman added: “The amazing support that Benefact Trust is providing, alongside our other corporate partners, is helping us to realise the widest possible concept of what the Lighthouse Project can be for our community. Their enthusiasm for our work is very humbling and we know that their support will deliver tangible improvements in the opportunities and life chances that open up for young people living in Byker and beyond.”