North East charities receive £46k boost in 2022 from housebuilder’s Community Fund initiative

14 charities from across the North East received £46,000 in 2022 as part of a charitable initiative from five star housebuilder, Barratt Developments North East. 

Each year the housebuilder, which includes Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes, supports a wide range of organisations through its monthly Community Fund initiative that improves the lives of those in need nearby to its developments. A £1,500 donation, which increased from £1,000 in July, is awarded to North East charities promoting mental and physical wellbeing, equality, employability and care for local people. 

Since January, Barratt Developments has provided funding to children’s charities such as the NSPCC, the National Deaf Children's Society, Family Help Darlington, Useful Vision, Hartlepool Families First and Little Treasures Autism Charity. This also includes a £26,500 donation to the Percy Hedley Foundation, one of the largest charities in the North East supporting those with additional needs through its two specialist schools and supported accommodation. In addition, furniture from a show home was donated to Together for Children, a charity in Sunderland that delivers children’s services on behalf of the council. 

Barratt Developments announced Team Evie as its Charity of the Year, an organisation dedicated to helping sick children and their families, with the housebuilder donating £500 at Christmas towards new storybooks for children in the hospitals and running its own creative wreath-making event at Burdon Green development in Durham, adding a further £500 for the charity.

Organisations that support mental health and wellbeing such as Sunderland Headlight, West Park Hospital Darlington and Look Good Feel Better benefited from a funding boost from Barratt Developments, where the donation helped continue vital services to those going through difficult times, such as a cancer diagnosis. Teesside Age UK was also awarded funding, which provides emotional and wellbeing support to older people in the area, in addition to wider services tailored to more senior members of the community. 

Further donations were made to charities hoping to make a difference to those facing medical issues including the Polycystic Kidney Disease Charity and Red Sky Foundation, and the money helped to continue providing practical and emotional support and providing community defibrillators. 

As the UK’s leading housebuilder, Barratt Developments North East recognise that community and identity are key to making a house a home and are a business developed on the framework of building sustainably. A central aspect of this approach is the creation of positive places and better living. 

Carl Sobolewski, Managing Director of Barratt Developments North East commented: “We are delighted to be able to support these 14 charities with our Community Fund. Each of the charities do so much to improve the lives and wellbeing of those across the North East region and we hope that this donation will allow them to continue to support as many people as possible.”