A DURHAM County Councillor has helped a vital regional charity after it was slapped with a £130 bill following an arson attack last week.
Lifeline Community Action, which is based in Newton Aycliffe, became the victim of a bin fire at the rear of its property on Monday (January 10) – leaving the finances of the charity “significantly impacted”.
Following the bin blaze, Lifeline Community Action appealed to the public, including sharing an image of the burnt-out bin, highlighting the ‘heart-breaking’ impact that incidents of this kind can have on the amount of help it can distribute across County Durham and Darlington.
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On a day-to-day basis, the charity helps support vulnerable families with clothes, cleaning & toiletries, household goods and baby items.
However, after it was required to pay for a £130 replacement bin from the council – Lifeline laid bare the impact that “unexpected” finances of this kind could have moving forward.
After initially sharing the appeal on social media, the charity was flooded with “heartening” messages from generous members of the public, who offered to pay the £130 fee and ease pressure from the Aycliffe-based group.
This gesture was welcomed by the charity, who called the act “a lifesaver” – but this wasn’t the end of the kind gestures towards Lifeline Community Action.
Cllr Mark Wilkes, who covers the Framwellgate and Newton Hall division for Durham County Council and is the cabinet member for neighbourhoods and climate change, also heard about the charity having to pay the £130 cost and wanted to help.
Working alongside his colleagues, Cllr Wilkes got the county council to wipe the costs for the charity, and has committed to helping Lifeline Community Action in the future, while also warning those that committed the arson attack on the charity’s bin.
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He said: “When we heard about last week’s incident, we were keen to offer our assistance to Lifeline Community Action.
“The charity provides vital support to vulnerable families across County Durham. We have previously provided support for the project through our Area Action Partnership (AAP) funding and recognise how important it is that all their funds should continue to help those in need.
“Having assessed the damage, we discovered it was not as severe as first thought, and a replacement lid has been fitted by our officers this morning at no cost to the charity. It has also been reimbursed for the money already paid for a replacement bin.
“We will continue to support the charity.
"However, we would also encourage people to carefully consider their actions and the potential consequences of those, for the benefit of all communities across the county.”
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