Newcastle Building Society has reached a major £2m milestone in its charitable fund which provides support to communities across the North.
The Newcastle Building Society Community Fund at the Community Foundation gives grants to local charities and community group projects nominated for support by the Society’s customers.
The society has made its latest donation to the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland of £1m – a sum which has doubled the size of the society’s endowment fund to £2.1m.
Andrew Haigh, chief executive of Newcastle Building Society, said: “I continue to be amazed by the range of projects from across our region seeking support from the Fund.
“It reflects the diverse needs of the communities we serve, and is a tribute to the dedication of local people who tirelessly and consistently work to make things better for their communities and for those in need of support.”
Over the course of this year the community fund has given around £400,000 in grants and over the last three years the total support it has provided to local causes has surpassed £1.8m.
This year has seen 85 different projects benefit from small grant support of up to £3,000, including a a number of local food banks, a Gosforth dementia cafe and a Teesside children’s hospice seeking easier ways for young children with profound learning disabilities to communicate through ipads.
Larger building improvement grants, to repair or renovate community buildings and ensure valuable local hubs can continue, are also available, and three North East groups recently received cash for schemes.
The Community Fund also provides ongoing financial support to the Prince’s Trust Team programme and the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation in delivery of their community programmes.
The Fund has grown through a combination of donations from Newcastle Building Society which are made in its Community Saver savings accounts, donations from the Society through the alternative dormant accounts scheme, and donations and fundraising by colleagues from across the Society.
Mr Haigh added: “Reaching this £2m milestone is really just the start of our ambition to create, with the continued support of our customers and colleagues, a funding legacy which will be there to support the hard working and committed communities of the North East for many, many years to come.”
Rob Williamson, chief executive of the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, added: “Newcastle Building Society has been part of the Community Foundation family from our establishment over 30 years ago.
“The Society continues to lead the way in charitable giving by businesses as shown by the major donation of £1m into the community fund’s endowment. Through this growing fund, we will help Newcastle Building Society ensure its generosity benefits people and places now, and for generations to come.”
