Charity reveals huge support for East Durham people with money worries

The East Durham Trust, which serves the former coalfield areas across Easington District, has received a boost of more than £250,000 from the Big Lottery’s Reaching Communities fund.

The cash will be used to support a range of community-based projects that help local people who are suffering from financial difficulties.

Trust officials today hailed the funding injection as being a huge boost which could help thousands of people.

The project will span the next three years, and the funding will help towards a package of initiatives which include:

l The extension of the already successful Community Job Clubs programme;

l Help for people who are suffering from debt, or from the effects of benefit cuts;

l And financial support for people who are in their first month of employment.

Trust officials have described the funding boost as welcome recognition for their work in the community.

They said it comes at a time when people in the East Durham area were continuing to suffer from greater levels of hardship.

Chief executive Malcolm Fallow said: “This funding will ultimately have a positive impact on the lives of thousands of local people.

“Having spent many years working hard to counter the effects of public spending cuts, welfare reform and a negative economic climate, we are boosted by this news.”

The trust was first set up more than 10 years ago and has a reputation for tackling local issues by working alongside community groups and volunteers.

The new project, known as SPIED (Stop Poverty in East Durham), will build on previous success and will support thousands of local people up to 2019.

East Durham Trust’s aim is to promote the regeneration of rural and urban areas which are suffering from the effects of social and economic decline.

The trust is the flagship voluntary and community sector organisation for the area.