Point North

15/10/2026

You might see a village hall, we see a place where people pave a brighter future for themselves, their family and community.

From the memories and stories captured on its bricks, to the plans taking root in its new allotment supported by North East Mayoral Strategic Authority Mayor’s Opportunity Fund, it’s clear this is more than just a village hall. It’s a place where people come together, friendships grow and new opportunities take shape.

We spent this afternoon in Stanley, County Durham, visiting Quaking Houses Village Hall.

We first supported the hall back in 2001, with a grant to help buy a computer. Yes, computers were a thing in 2001! 💻

In 2021, we helped fund its refurbishment through the National Lottery Good Causes SOS Stanley Fund. Since then, further grants from Point North have helped the hall continue to grow.

This includes support from Stanley Community Fund, Durham County Council’s Public Health Thriving Together Programme and our Belong North East Fund, supported by The Mercers’ Company.

Today, the hall offers something for everyone. Whether it’s a cuppa and a chat, a hearty warm meal, a rollerskating evening or a sewing session, it’s a welcoming space where people can connect, feel supported and belong.

This is what community funding is all about.

It’s about the bricks and mortar and it’s about backing the people who keep these vital spaces open, welcoming and alive, year after year. People like Vicky and the volunteers who keep the centre going and spirits high.

Because when we invest in community spaces, we invest in the people and possibilities within them.

If you’ve got a project in County Durham, Tees Valley or elsewhere in the North East, head to our website to see how we can support you and your community.

13/10/2026

Thinking about university?

You can get up to £250 to help with your application if you are a Year 13 student in County Durham, Tees Valley, Northumberland or Tyne and Wear.

The £250 grant can help you with the costs of applying to a Russell Group university.

Some of the things the grant could help pay for include:
- Travel to interviews
- Interview clothes
- Books and study materials
- Equipment

Who can apply?
Students from low-income backgrounds, young people in care, and young carers.

📅 Apply by Sunday 1 November.

👉 Apply online by completing our application form: https://pointnorth.org.uk/grants/atom-futures-fund-part1/

🔁 Know someone who might benefit? Share this post and help spread the word!

With thanks to Atom bank, who through the Atom Futures Fund are supporting young people across our region get to univeristy.

Atom Futures Fund supports County Durham students to attend any of the UK's 24 Russell Group universities.

13/10/2026

09/10/2026

Continuing the good news with another partnership helping us create a better today and a brighter tomorrow for County Durham.

We’re proud to be working with Durham County Council through the Thriving Together Programme, delivering £1.5 million of funding over three years to support local organisations who are helping to improve the health and wellbeing of residents.

From the dales to the coast, our communities are full of people and organisations working hard to make life better for others. They understand the challenges local people face and know what support can make a real difference.

This funding is about helping those organisations do more of what they do best: supporting people, strengthening communities and helping residents live healthier, happier lives.

We know that funding alone can’t solve every challenge facing our communities. But by working together and getting resources to the organisations closest to the people who need them, we can help make a meaningful difference.

We’re delighted to be part of this partnership and look forward to seeing what we can achieve together over the next three years.

Projects awarded funding include:
Daisy Arts
Plawsworth and Kimblesworth Community Centre and Recreation Ground
Quaking Houses Village Hall Association.
Bridge Creative
Lifeline Community Action
Bishop Auckland Community Partnership
RT Community Projects
Jubilee Fields Community Association
South Stanley Partnership
Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services
Pelton Fell Community Partnership
Building Self-Belief CIO
Wellbeing 4 Men Community Interest Company
Durham Area Disability Leisure Group
Burnhope Community Centre
Weardale Together CIC
Sacriston Youth Project
St Margaret's Centre
Sacriston Community Association
Willington Open Door Methodist Church
Focus Easington (Charity) Limited
Fishburn Youth & Community Centre
Spennymoor Youth and Community Association
Pittington Community Association and Village Hall
Communities Together Durham
YMCA North Tyneside
Little SENDsations
Teesdale Day Clubs
The Activity Den

A £1.5m fund is helping to improve health and wellbeing, tackle social isolation and help build people’s financial resilience across County Durham.

We are delivering our Thriving Together programme, which will see £500,000 awarded to community-led projects each year over a period of three years.
Delivered in partnership with Point North, 33 projects are being awarded funding having been selected through a competitive evaluation process.

This includes:
👉Wellbeing hubs and warm spaces
👉Youth services
👉Creative arts programmes
👉Community cafés and lunch clubs
👉Exercise sessions
👉Gardening projects
👉Digital inclusion support
👉Financial, housing and employment advice

09/10/2026

Everyone should be able to afford food, get to work and access the opportunities they need to build a better future.

Sadly, that isn’t the reality for everyone. Food banks are still needed, and people are facing barriers as basic as being able to afford transport to get to a job.

We believe things should be different. But while we work towards a future where fewer people need this kind of support, it’s vital that help is there for those who need it today.

That’s why we’re proud to be working with the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority through Round 4 of the Mayor’s Opportunity Fund, helping funding reach local organisations making a real difference in their communities. Some of the funded projects in County Durham include:

- Wheels 2 Work County Durham will provide bicycles and safety equipment to help people get to work, education and volunteering.

- Coxhoe Village Hall Association will continue its community food bank and pantry, with evening opening to help reach people who are working but still struggling to make ends meet.

These organisations understand their communities and know what local people need. They’re doing vital work, and we’re pleased to help get funding to the groups providing that support.

Ultimately, people shouldn’t have to struggle to afford the essentials. But until things change, we’ll keep doing what we can to make sure communities have the support they need.

Because everyone deserves the chance to get on, and no one should be left without help when they need it most.

Successful Round 4 projects in County Durham:

Aspire Learning, Support and Wellbeing
Building Self-Belief CIO
Bullion Community Resource Centre
Coxhoe Village Hall Association
From Loft to Loved CIC
Just for Women
Live Well North East
St Margaret's Centre
Ferryhill Ladder Centre
Wheels 2 Work County Durham
Foundation For Good
Redeemed Christian Church of God House of Abundance
SMARTT Veterans
T C R The Hub

📰 Food hubs, affordable meals and vital household support backed in latest round of Mayor Kim’s Opportunity Fund.

We know the cost of the living is still affecting too many of our communities, so Round 4 of the £1 million Mayor's Opportunity Fund will help tackle this directly. 🤝

This fund is all about backing community-led projects that provide practical support with the everyday pressures facing individuals and families across the North East. 📍

With thanks to Point North & Community Foundation North East for their support in ensuring the funds reach the most in need.

Read more about the fund, and the organisations benefiting, via link in comments. ⬇️ 🔗

08/10/2026

What does home mean to you?

Maybe it’s the street where you grew up.

The school you went to.
The park where you played.
The local shop where everyone knew your name.
The club, church or community group that brought people together.

Or perhaps you came to the North East later in life, for work, university or a new start, and over the years, it became home.

For many of us, the places we live become a big part of our lives.

They are where we make friends, raise our families, build our careers and make memories.

This Wills Month, why not take a little time to think about what you would like to leave behind?

Making a will helps you look after the people who matter to you. It can also give you the chance to support a local cause or community that means something to you.

A gift in your will can help your giving live on, supporting the places and people you care about for years to come.

If you live in County Durham, Tees Valley or the wider North East and would like to find out more, visit our website or speak to us to find out how you can leave a lasting gift to your community.

Because the places we call home have helped shape our lives.

Why not help shape their future, too?

07/10/2026

This is what an award from the High Sheriff of the County Palatine of Durham Youth Award can make possible!

A huge congratulations to Learning a New Way CIC on their exciting news. It's fantastic to see how the award is helping them fund their FIRST EVER residential trip! 🎉🙌

And this is exactly why we want to shout about the High Sheriff Youth Awards and why you should nominate your youth group.

Your group could receive an award of between £1,500 to £5,000 that could help your youth group turn an idea into something real.

🏕️ A residential trip
🎨 A new project
🌟 New experiences
💪 Building confidence
❤️ Creating memories
🚀 Giving young people opportunities they might not otherwise get

So… what could you group do with the funding?

👇 Tag a youth group below that should be thinking about nominating themselves!

🔄 Share this post with a youth worker, volunteer or community group who needs to see it!

Important details:

- Youth groups must be supporting young people in County Durham, Darlington, Hartlepool or Stockton.
-If you reiceved an award in Feburary 2026, you can't apply this time.
-Self-nomination only.

📅 Submit your nomination by Sunday 8 November using our online application form: https://pointnorth.org.uk/grants/high-sheriff-youth-awards-26/

If Learning a New Way CIC can turn their award into a residential adventure, what could your group make happen?

We're so excited to have paid the deposit for our very first residential! Eek!

Wanting to do a residential trip was unanimously what The Hive wanted to do when we won The High Sheriff Youth Award back in February, hosted by Point North.

We were also fortunate enough to get a grant from YHA England and Wales that helped subsidise the cost.

This is going to give members of The Hive such an incredible experience. We loved our train trip to Saltburn in summer, and whilst we realise Whitby in February isn't going to be quite the same, we are just too excited to not be bothered!

This is the first, but it definitely won't the last. We're already looking at some overnight options for our IVY Spenny Indie group!

*any group residential will only ever be for regular attendees, who staff know very well. So if you're interested, find a group to join!

07/10/2026

For the place that shaped you, and the people who were there for you, leave a gift in your will that lives on.

When we think about making a will, we often think about looking after the people closest to us.

But a will can also be a chance to remember the places, communities and causes that have meant something to us throughout our lives.

For more than 30 years, Point North has helped people turn their generosity into lasting change across County Durham, Tees Valley and the wider North East.

A gift in your will to Point North could help support cancer services in Ferryhill, give young people in Horden access to new opportunities, fund sports clubs bringing men together in Middlesbrough, or help community hubs in Cleveland provide a warm and welcoming space for people who might otherwise face winter feeling isolated and alone.

And these are just some of the ways your generosity could make a difference.

Whether it’s a place that feels like home, a cause that’s close to your heart, or a community you want to see grow stronger for generations to come, your legacy can help make a lasting difference.

If you’re thinking about making or updating your will, why not consider leaving a gift to Point North?

👉 Find out more about leaving a gift in your will and supporting the people and places across the North East that matter to you: https://pointnorth.org.uk/giving/legacy-giving/

24/09/2026

We’re proud to relaunch the Neurological Wellbeing Fund, helping people across our region live well with neurological conditions.

More than 35,000* people across our region live with a neurological condition, and we want them to know that support is here for them and their loved ones.

Previously known as the Hylton House Fund, the Neurological Wellbeing Fund supports people of all ages living with a neurological condition across County Durham, Darlington and Tees Valley.

The fund offers grants of up to £1,000 to help meet practical needs, promote independence and improve everyday wellbeing.

Since it was first launched, the fund has awarded more than £250,000 to support people living with neurological conditions across the region.

Previous grants have helped households buy essential items and specialist support, including tumble dryers, bedding and clothing; respite care for families; adapted computers; Theraplay tricycles; communication aids; safety rails; padded bumpers; and six months of physiotherapy.

If this support could help you or someone you know, please visit our website to learn more and apply: https://pointnorth.org.uk/grants/neurological-wellbeing-fund/

Please share this post to help us reach people and families across County Durham, Darlington and Tees Valley.

*Data source: Neuro Key

Making everyday life easier and more manageable for people living with long-term neurological conditions.