Michelle Cooper , CEO of County Durham Community Foundation .
The Prima Cheese team , that chose the Poverty Hurts Appeal as its Charity of the Year
children as they simply can ’ t afford the school dinners and aren ’ t entitled to these for free . There ’ s also the cancellation of after-school clubs as these are an added expense , the need to fill form after form to get help ( which is so difficult for many ), being demoralised by the system and made to feel like ‘ scroungers ’ and being afraid to turn their heating on as they don ’ t know what to expect with the next bill .”
The light at the end of the tunnel for many communities is a groundswell of support for the appeal from the business community . UMi chose to donate £ 4,000 to the appeal , as did the Banks Group and Darlington Building Society , while Prima Cheese has chosen the appeal as its Charity of the Year and staff will fundraise through cook-offs and dance events throughout 2022 . Groundwork Services ( Durham ) and Newsquest also donated , while Durham Business Club held a grand raffle .
Prima Cheese director Nagma Ebanks- Beni MBE says : “ Throughout our history as a company , our local community and the people that drive us forward daily have been incredibly important to us . Seaham and the local area are part of the fabric of Prima . Working with County Durham Community Foundation in 2022 will continue this amazing charitable team spirit and most importantly make a real impact to real people ’ s lives right here on our doorstep .”
In 2022 , County Durham Community Foundation is looking at new ways to continue supporting those living in poverty .
Michelle says : “ All I can say right now is watch this space . We are working flat out behind the scenes on a new project that will continue our mission to build stronger communities . We would love to hear from any businesses that want to get involved and be part of something powerful .”
Visit cdcf . co . uk or email michelle @ cdcf . org . uk
Poverty : the shocking numbers
New analysis from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation finds households on low incomes will be spending on average 18 per cent of their income , after housing costs , on energy bills after April
For single adult households on low incomes this rises to 54 per cent - up 21 per cent since 2019 / 20 .
Lone parents and couples without children will spend around a quarter of their incomes on energy bills , an increase of almost 10 per cent in the same period .
More than one third of North-East households with children cannot replace worn out furniture , while 30 per cent cannot replace or repair broken electrical goods .
One-in-three children in the region now live in poverty and , in some areas , the number is even higher – for example , 46 per cent of children in Middlesbrough .
328 excess winter deaths – which are strongly linked to colder homes where there is fuel poverty - were recorded in Tees Valley in 2018-19 and a further 230 in County Durham .
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