A community funding scheme has helped two organisations take further steps towards their future ambitions, supporting projects focused on wellbeing, outdoor activities and grassroots sport.
Wolsingham Wayfarers and Friday Night Football, run by JH Football School and Coaching, each received £500 through the Spar Community Cashback initiative, which supports groups across the North of England.
Andrew Marshall, chairman of Wolsingham Wayfarers, said: "We were on the lookout for charitable support when we discovered Spar's Community Cashback scheme.
"It is wonderful news to receive such a generous grant that will allow us to produce our seventh guide.
"The upcoming walk map will be a route around the town which will be accessible to pushchairs and wheelchairs and will take visitors around some of the historic points of interest.
"We are very fortunate to live in an area with wonderful countryside on our doorstep and it gives the charity’s committee great satisfaction to be able to help people access this.
"We are extremely proud that the Wolsingham Wayfarers volunteers have been able to continue this work for 32 years relying solely on the support of grant providers for funding."
The group promotes walking for physical and mental wellbeing and local economic benefits.
Their activities include a monthly guided walk, maintaining 140 miles of public footpaths, and publishing free walking guides for visitors.
Wolsingham Wayfarers has also played a key role in the town’s achievement of ‘Walkers Are Welcome’ status, which promotes walker-friendly towns across the UK.
The £500 grant will fund a new walking guide focused on the town’s historical sites and designed to be accessible for all, including those using pushchairs or wheelchairs.
The second recipient, Friday Night Football, was launched by Jason Howe of JH Football School and Coaching to provide children aged five to 14 in rural Weardale with access to UEFA-accredited football coaching.
Jason Howe, founder and owner, said: "I saw Community Cashback advertised in our local SPAR, a fantastic store we are very lucky to have in such a rural town like Wolsingham.
"It was amazing to receive the news, and I cannot express how much this will support us and enable to provide for the children.
"Living and working in a rural area, we saw first‑hand how limited opportunities can be for young people especially when it comes to affordable, accessible sports activities.
"The success of Friday Night Football has been incredible.
"High quality equipment is very costly for us as a grassroots organisation and the Spar grant will be used to purchase valuable and essential equipment that directly supports the delivery of our coaching sessions."
The scheme has grown quickly, now supporting 80 children each week, some of whom travel more than 20 miles to attend.
Sessions focus not only on football skills, but also on teamwork, resilience, and social development.
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The Spar Community Cashback initiative is now in its fifth year and has donated more than £100,000 to local organisations across the North of England through SPAR’s primary retailer, wholesaler, and distributor for the region James Hall & Co. Ltd.
Philippa Harrington, marketing manager at James Hall & Co. Ltd, said: "We know our Wolsingham SPAR store is cherished by the local community, and from whichever direction you access the town, you take in stunning scenery while at the same time understand just how rural the area of Weardale is.
"It is lovely to be able to recognise two local organisations through Spar Community Cashback, one which encourages people to get out and enjoy the great outdoors through walking, and the other which is working to make a rural area feel that bit more connected through football."
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