Newcastle Building Society helping North Tyneside
Date published:
Newcastle Building Society grant helps disabled people in North Tyneside
Newcastle Building Society grant helps disabled people in North Tyneside develop new workplace skills
A charity supporting disabled people in North Tyneside with concerns
around employability and food poverty has received a financial boost.
With the help of a £3,000 grant from Newcastle Building Society, the
North Tyneside Disability Forum has set up a new project to help around
30 disabled and vulnerable people of all ages develop their workplace
skills.
In addition, participants will build their own workplace experience by
delivering a service to other disabled, vulnerable and disadvantaged
local people in food or fuel poverty.
The charity works with and for local disabled people, their
representatives, friends and families to ensure disabled people are able
to participate on equal terms in society with choice and control over
their own lives.
And they will also be able to earn recognised workplace accreditations
while taking part in the scheme which will hopefully help them go on to
secure further employment opportunities in the future.
The project funding is being provided through the Newcastle Building
Society Community Fund at the Community Foundation, which offers grants
to charities and community groups located in or around the communities
served by the Society's branch network.
Founded more than 30 years ago and headquartered in Shiremoor, the North
Tyneside Disability Forum usually provides a wide range of free
activities for more than 300 people every week, from photography, Tai
Chi and music classes to creative arts, drama and a cinema club, and the
delivery of its services is supported by a 120-strong team of
volunteers.
It also runs a community café which not only provides somewhere for
local people to meet and spend time, but also provides opportunities for
vocational training and work experience for some of the charity's
service users with learning disabilities, with a view to equipping them
with new workplace skills.
Sue Adams, chief officer at North Tyneside Disability Forum, says: “The
absence of many regular workplace and skills development opportunities
has been one of the hidden impacts of the pandemic, with our own
experience in our café being a prime example.
“Because we had to close our doors for so many months, the usual
opportunities we provide were unavoidably lost - and for people with
disabilities, such losses can have a particularly acute impact.
“Launching this new project directly addresses the priorities that our
members have communicated to us and will enable dozens of them to get
back into the workplace while learning at their own pace.
“Not only will it provide opportunities for our members to learn new
skills and gain new knowledge, but it will also help them develop their
self-confidence and make them better prepared for independent living,
which is the end goal for everyone with whom we work.
“The generous funding that Newcastle Building Society has provided will
give dozens of local people more scope to live better lives and we’re
very grateful for their invaluable support.”
Newcastle Building Society has been directing its support this year to a
range of projects tackling issues linked to employability, as part of
helping its communities manage and recover from the impacts of Covid-19.
Sarah Lawrence, manager at Newcastle Building Society's branch in North
Shields, adds: “The Forum team’s commitment, enthusiasm and expertise
makes a huge difference to the lives of dozens of local families, many
of whom have been heavily impacted by the pandemic.
“We’ve focused our grant-giving on helping to tackle issues around
employability and food poverty, which is exactly what the Forum are
addressing through this project. Their work has never been more
important, and we’re proud to be supporting their drive to make an even
bigger positive impact on our community.”
Since its launch in 2016, Newcastle Building Society’s Community Fund
has also contributed over £2.1m in grants and partnerships to a wide
variety of charities and projects across the region, including the Sir
Bobby Robson Foundation and the Prince’s Trust.
The grants are so far estimated to have had a positive impact on more
than 151,000 people.
The Newcastle Building Society Community Fund is run in association with
the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland.