County Durham Community Foundation is working closely with North-East businesses to tackle poverty in the region this winter. PETER BARRON finds out more about the Poverty Hurts Appeal.

WITH her team working at the sharp end of the biggest public health crisis in living memory, Michelle Cooper could see the challenges that were still to come as 2021 drew towards a close.

“While delivering funding and other support during the pandemic, we saw the pain of this winter coming round the corner,” says the Chief Executive of County Durham Community Foundation.

It had been entirely fitting that the 25th anniversary of the Foundation in 2020 should have coincided with the additional widespread hardship caused by Covid-19 because, for a quarter of a century, the Foundation has been a force for good in supporting communities at the grass roots.

By 2020, the organisation had given out £45m to good causes throughout its history. That included £1m during the first lockdown period alone and has continued throughout the pandemic.

Now, the Foundation is driving a fresh appeal – called Poverty Hurts – aimed at bringing comfort and support to those facing hardship this winter.

“We were in the right place at the right moment to step in and say ‘Let’s do something about this’ –and the Poverty Hurts appeal was the result,” adds Michelle.

Television advertising and millions of traditional Christmas cards might bombard us with images of idyllic scenes, but there is another, darker, side of the festive season. Save The Children research shows that one-in-three children are now living in poverty, with some areas fairing even worse.

That’s why the Poverty Hurts appeal is so vital and, by the end of November, it had raised £27,000, including £7,000 from the Foundation’s own funds – the amount saved by the charity on travel expenses because of the pandemic.

Other donations included £5,000 from The Banks Group, £4,000 from UMi, and £500 from Newsquest – publisher of Business IQ magazine and The Northern Echo.

“For me, the appeal shows two things: that poverty is real and becoming a growing concern for so many people, including those in work, and that we can do something practical and meaningful about it,” says Michelle, who took over as CEO of the Foundation at the beginning of 2018.

The “phenomenal” response to the appeal has now inspired the Foundation to announce plans to carry it on beyond this winter.

“The appeal has raised far more than we had anticipated and now we are working to turn it into a year-round movement that can support people in desperate need and help them find a pathway to a better life for them and their children,” adds Michelle.

“Some businesses made huge donations, some people bought raffle tickets, every pound was equally important, so we could help community groups keep that lifeline open for the people in need.”

Mark Dowdall, environment and community director for The Banks Group, which has donated £5,000, said: “As a family owned, County Durham based business, The Banks Group has a development with care approach. We believe that the communities which host our developments should benefit from them.

“In short, we believe in giving back to the communities we serve. That is why we donated to the Poverty Hurts appeal. This appeal will support many families in County Durham this winter. One in three children in our region live in poverty, and many elderly people will endure fuel poverty this winter. But it doesn’t have to be like this – there is a lot we can do to change this and supporting the appeal is one of them.”

Nicki Clark, Chief Executive of Seaham-based UMi, added: “We established the UMi Community Fund with County Durham Community Foundation, supporting local charities to enrich the areas where the UMi team live and work across the UK.

“We’re incredibly proud to have donated £4,000 for the Community Foundation’s crucial Poverty Hurts Appeal, supporting disadvantaged individuals across County Durham and Tees Valley.

“Working with the Community Foundation network, UMi is able to make a difference in the world around us, reaching important charities to help isolated and vulnerable people, and advocate positive change across the country.”

Meanwhile, 40 of County Durham’s business leaders supported the Poverty Hurts appeal, along with First Stop Darlington, by taking part in the CEO Sleepout Darlington events at the Darlington Arena.

And proceeds from Durham Business Club’s grand Christmas raffle will also go to the appeal. Alison Gittins, CEO of Durham Business Group, said: “We have many worthy causes within Durham Business Club but this one really touched our hearts.

“County Durham Community Foundation do amazing work, fuelled by passion and ambition, getting the funds to where they are needed most and we’re proud to support the appeal. Nobody should have to go without this winter, especially after the hardship people have faced over the past two years.”

Businesses and individuals who are new to the Foundation can also boost their donations to the appeal with a match funding offer of 50p for every £1, up to a donation total of £1,000.

For Michelle Cooper and her team at County Durham Community Foundation, it’s a case of every penny counts.

“I would urge businesses and individuals who want to make a difference to get in touch with the Foundation, and I would like to thank the numerous projects we fund that not only give food, but that get to the root of the problem and so something about it,” says Michelle.

  • To find out more about how you, or your business, can support the Poverty Hurts appeal, please go to: www.cdcf.org.uk

Honouring ‘priceless’ volunteers

County Durham Community Foundation again sponsored the Volunteering category at this month’s County Durham Together Awards, with Chief executive Michelle Cooper describing local volunteers as “simply priceless”.

She added: “So much practical kindness comes from volunteers across the North-East. In many ways, this is one of the most skilled groups of people we have, and there’s really no way of calculating the impact they have in their communities, except to say it’s unlikely we would have such a strong sense of community without them.

“We support the County Durham Together Awards to recognise the quality work that is done by volunteers, and to say thank you to everyone who gives their time in this way. Volunteering is one of those instances that prove you cannot put a monetary price on everything.”