Firm’s £300k boost for heritage sites
Heritage and nature sites in Wearside and County Durham are celebrating cash boosts worth tens of thousands of pounds.
A total of £300,000 from Northumbrian Water has been given to organisations across the North East to support community, environmental and heritage projects.
The money, which has been released from legacy Landfill Tax funds, has gone to 11 projects with the aim of improving the experience for visitors.
The funding has been allocated through the County Durham Community Foundation, Tees Valley Community Foundation and the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland.
In Sunderland, Ryhope Pumping Station has received £26,958 towards opening up greater access and technology for visitors with disabilities.
And £42,705 has been handed to Beamish, with the money set to support the museum’s Remaking Beamish project.
Groundwork North East & Cumbria and partners have been handed £18,850 to develop a dementia-friendly Water Garden in Chester-le Street.
Louise Hunter, director of corporate affairs at Northumbrian Water, said: “We understand the value that strong communities bring to the places and customers we serve here in the North East.
“Each of these 11 projects has demonstrated great potential to add real value to those communities, and we have worked with our partners to identify organisations with ambitions to deliver exciting ideas, that also support and reflect the environment and local heritage.
“We are very excited to see the results of each of these projects as they are delivered and become a part of community life, helping a wide range of people to get more out of the resources around them.”
Seb Littlewood, head of rural life at Beamish, said: “The gardens and allotments will really enhance to the immersive experience that we already offer and add another dimension to the work we do with schools and older adults.”