A COMMUNITY centre providing vital services to disadvantaged and isolated families in east Durham is celebrating after winning a regional award.

The Horden Youth and Community Centre (HYCC) - one of several charities with access to senior business leaders through the organization Pilotlight - is the first regional winner of the Weston Charity Awards.

HYCC in Horden, near Peterlee, applied to the Weston Charity Awards after funding from The Big Lottery came to an end and they faced cutbacks. Local authority spending cuts also meant that they lost some of their support staff and the charity needed to make significant changes.

Although the funding on offer through the awards was helpful, HYCC manager Steve Clark said it was the access to business coaching and mentoring that really appealed.

Welcoming the award, Mr Clark said: “This has been a game-changing experience for us.

“I was always the financial worrier – thinking how are we going to pay this core cost? How will we afford that?

“However, the business team really supported us in putting a new financial infrastructure and long-term strategy in place.

“We are now able to expand our services and our income is rising as a result. We are fighting fit and that’s a great feeling.”

The HYCC had provided support over the years to residents and delivered services, such as job clubs, education support and training, as well as leisure activities.

More than 40 per cent of adults in Horden have no formal qualifications and unemployment rates are high.

Mr Clark said: “People tell us that if it wasn’t for our help, they’d be stuck in the house doing nothing.

“We know that social isolation is a big problem and we’ve also seen a rise in the number of mental health issues - we are expecting that to get worse.

“In the last year we have seen an increase in people needing welfare advice after being caught out by the bedroom tax.

“We’ve also seen a lot of demand for help with basics, such as food, and we’ve been connecting people with food banks."

Garfield Weston Foundation’s trustee, Kate Hobhouse, said: “HYCC really stood out as they have expanded their services, reaching more people in their local community and increased their income - not easy in the current climate.

“This is what the awards are about, supporting small charities to do more and be fit and flexible for the future. We congratulate them on their success."