Christmas boost for two local charities

Two charities in Sunderland have received a Christmas boost.

Wear side Women in Need has been given a grant of £5,000 and Hospitaly and Hope received £4,000 from the Newcastle Building Society Community Fund.

The grants among an allocation of £69,000 to 18 community groups across the region – part of the building society’s £1.5m commitment this year to support local communities to manage and recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The latest round of funding was targeted at charities supporting elderly or isolated people, groups working with families experiencing food poverty, and organisations helping people facing homelessness.

Newcastle Building Society’s chief executive, Andrew Haigh, said: “We all know this winter is going to be tough for many people in our communities but unfortunately the continuing impact of Covid-19 over the coming months will be even more pronounced on the most vulnerable people in our society.

"That’s why we’ve decided to focus our grant-making activity on charities which are supporting those who need most help.”

He added: “Throughout the year the society has responded to the pandemic by increasing our support for these amazing organisations who make such a difference for our communities, and I’m proud that in total we’ve committed £1.5m to help those in need.

"We’re so grateful for the hard working employees and volunteers in the charitable sector who have done so much this year in difficult circumstances.”