A HOUSING association has awarded nearly £170,000 in grants to rural communities across the North East during the last 12-months.

County Durham-based believe housing has supported 61 rural projects with funding scheme launched a year ago and specifically aimed at communities recovering from the worst effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Recipients ranged from primary school breakfast clubs to mental health support for coastal, former mining communities. The grants have all come from believe housing’s successful community funding programme.

One beneficiary was the Little Chefs Big Chefs Community Pantry, in St Helen Auckland, which helps to tackle poverty by providing a range of cut-price food and household items for a nominal charge to people from the village up to Stanhope.

Joanne Iceton, from Little Chefs Big Chefs, said: “We are overjoyed that believe housing has invested in this project as we feel it can benefit the community and area so much.”

believe housing provides affordable housing in some of the most remote communities in England. It has 18,000 properties stretching from coastal communities like Blackhall into the north Pennines, including villages like Wearhead and Rookhope.

Chief Executive of believe housing, Bill Fullen, said: “Our commitment to rural communities stretches way beyond simply providing houses. The rural towns and villages of County Durham are some of the most beautiful places to live in the country. But we know that serving them comes with extra responsibility to really support the community.

“That’s why we go out of our way to ensure that rural areas have access to grant funding that can make the difference between projects being viable, or not. These figures show just how much we value those projects, and the communities they work in; not just during a pandemic, but all of the time.”

Full details of grants from believe housing’s Community Funding Programme are available on the believe housing website, or by calling the Community Investment Team on 03001-311999.

 

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