Dinnington young people getting active thanks to
£82,800 Banks grant
Banks Group grant 'lets there be light' at Tow Law church
Banks grant means no 'hiding' for North East nature at new Great North Museum
Banks stays on the ball for Tow Law footballers
New Banks Group grant funds completion of Cambois church repairs
Banks grant helps shine a light on local mining history
Tow Law green team sitting pretty thanks to Banks mower grant
£10,000 grant supports Stockton Community Centre Refurbishment
Cambois Camera Club members snap happy with Banks Group grant
Healthy new growth at Botanic Garden thanks to Banks' grant support
Dinnington young people getting active thanks to £82,800 Banks grant
Young people in a north east village are set to get active after an £82,800 grant from a north east developer paid for a new Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) for their community.
Situated in Dinnington, to the north of Newcastle between Seaton Burn and Ponteland, the state-of-the-art play area is available for a wide range of sports, including football and basketball.
No fees are being charged to users of the new centre, which is open for 12 hours each day.
It is expected that more 200 young people from within Dinnington and the surrounding communities will now take part in a variety of sporting activities based there every week.
The £82,800 grant from the Banks Group, via its Banks Community Fund, was secured by the Horton, Havannah & Brenkley Tenants’ & Residents’ Association, which was established in 2005 with a view to securing funding for new facilities for young people in the area.
The Association began raising money for the games area after research found that local young people would take a more active part in playing various sports and games if new facilities were provided in Dinnington.
The Banks grant paid for the preparation of the site and the construction of the MUGA, including drainage, site surfacing, paving, landscaping and perimeter fencing.
Supplementary funding for the project was also secured from Newcastle City Council departments, including the Ward Committee, Parks & Countryside and Highways and Your Homes Newcastle, as well as from other fundraising activities carried out by the Tenants’ & Residents’ Association.
Chairman Michael McQue says: “The facilities that we had in the village for young people were pretty limited, and bad weather made our five-a-side football pitch unusable for much of the year, so we set up our organisation to try to find ways to pay for something better.
“Four years and a lot of hard work later, it’s great to see this excellent new facility up and running, and also to see it being so well-used already.
“The young people in our local communities can only benefit from having more opportunities to get active, and the MUGA is really appreciated and valued by everyone that is using it.
“We’re extremely grateful to both Banks and Councillor Anita Lower for their assistance in helping our plans to become reality – without this support, the project simply wouldn’t have been possible.”
Councillor Anita Lower, who represents the Castle Ward in which Dinnington is situated, adds: “it has been a great example of a residents association working together to improve their community. They have been successful in raising over £120,000, in no small part due to a fantastic grant of over £82,000 from Banks.
“This has spurred them on and they are now looking to start a new project to replace the play equipment in the adjacent park.”
The Banks Group has operated several surface mines in the vicinity of Dinnington since the 1980’s, and currently operates the Delhi and Shotton sites on the Blagdon Estate near Seaton Burn.
Mark Dowdall, environment and community director at Banks, adds: “Banks has had a long and very positive relationship with the communities in and around our Northumberland surface mining operations, and when we were approached to support this excellent initiative, we were very happy to provide the funding required.
“Our aim is to provide long-term benefits for all the communities in which we have a presence, and we are always keen to find ways such as this in which we can help them enhance local facilities.”
Projects, community groups, or organisations looking for funding in the vicinity of a Banks Group development should contact Clare Johnson at the Banks Community Fund on 0191 383 0055.
Banks Group grant 'lets there be light' at Tow Law church
Churchgoers in a County Durham town have seen the light – thanks to a grant from a local developer.
For St Philip and St James’ Parish Church in Tow Law now has a new, state-of-the-art low energy lighting system, which is lighting up what was previously almost complete darkness.
Eight chandeliers, each containing eight low energy bulbs, now hang from the church’s ceiling, and have replaced a decades-old lighting system which, when it was removed, only had two working lights left on it.
A £4,260.00 grant from local company Banks Group, via its Banks Community Fund, has paid for the new lighting system, as well as covering the cost of adding a new slate roof to the church’s porch.
It’s the second time that Banks has given a grant to the Grade Two-listed church, which was established in 1869, and this latest donation follows a £25,000 grant given last year to fund a wide range of remedial building work to the church hall.
That money was used to insulate and reclad all sides of the hall, to
install a new heating system and fire doors, and to add ramps to enable
wheelchair access to the building from both the front and the rear.
And church council treasurer Audrey Littlewood is expecting the latest
grant to have a similarly positive impact on the local community as last
year’s did.
She says: “The refurbishment of the church hall that Banks paid for last year made an amazing difference to both the range of events that are being held there and the numbers of local people that come along to them, and the impact of the work that’s now been done in the church is already just as apparent.
“The old lighting system was in a very poor and potentially dangerous state, and we had very little illumination left to light up what is a much-loved and admired church interior.
“Not only does the new system provide all the light we need, but it does so without increasing, and indeed reducing, carbon footprint, something we were very aware of when we were looked at our lighting options.
“Banks’ continuing support has made a huge difference to the fabric of the church, both physically and from a community spirit point of view, and we are extremely grateful for their contributions.”
Mark Dowdall, environment and community director at Tow Law-based Banks, which has given more than £100,000 to good causes in the town over the last three years, adds: “Our philosophy is to bring long-term benefits to all the communities in which we have a presence, and we share this outlook with the community based around St Philip and St James’ Parish Church, which undertakes a great deal of positive work for local people.
“The benefits of this ongoing support are clear to see, and we are very happy to see grants from the Banks Community Fund having such a clear and tangible impact.”
The Banks Community Fund is administered by the County Durham Foundation.
Projects, community groups, or organisations looking for funding in the
vicinity of a Banks Group development should contact Clare Johnson on
0191 383 0055.
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Banks grant means no 'hiding' for North East nature at new Great North Museum
Visitors to the region’s newest museum are getting closer to a wide range of Northumbrian nature with the help of a £20,000 grant from a local developer.
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums has used the funding from the Banks Group, via its Banks Community Fund, to pay for electronic interactive equipment in four learning areas which are built to resemble wildlife observation hides.
The hides are now in use at the Natural Northumbria Gallery at the recently-opened Great North Museum:Hancock - and they are already proving popular with many of the 300,000 people that have visited the museum since it reopened in May.
The gallery aims to show visitors what is special about the region in terms of the animals and plants that inhabit our forests and shorelines, as well as enabling them to pay a ‘virtual visit’ to a number of north east locations.
Each of the gallery’s four discrete sections, which cover upland, lowland, forest and coastal locations, has its own learning area which enables visitors to learn about local wildlife, see the gallery displays of birds and animals that are relevant to each environment and use a virtual toolkit to identify what each species is.
Interactive touch-screen maps also show details of environments and habitats, and a range of family activities in each hide further helps to bring exhibits to life.
As well as being used by visitors to the museum, the hides will also be the setting for children and young people from across the region that take part in the Great North Museum’s educational learning programme for primary and secondary school pupils.
Alec Coles, director at Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, says: “Only when it is viewed in a location such as the Natural Northumbria gallery can we really appreciate the diversity of flora and fauna that exist in the many and varied locations that make up this beautiful part of the country.
“The different habitat ‘hides’ provide an excellent hands-on platform to learn about the wealth of natural environments that north east England has to offer, and the interactive nature of the resources therein give visitors a great chance to get very hands-on.
“The support provided by Banks, one of our newest business partners, for this project has added an extra dimension to what we are providing in the gallery – the hides are already very popular with visitors, and really help to bring the collections and information on display to life.”
Mark Dowdall, environment and community director at Banks, adds: “The Natural Northumbria gallery clearly demonstrates the natural diversity and richness of the area in which we live, and the investigative hides provide an ideal location in which visitors can learn more about it.
“As a company that is committed to supporting and enhancing the
north east environments in which we operate, we are very pleased and excited
to be involved with such a prominent and valuable project.”
The Banks Community Fund is administered by the County Durham Foundation.
Projects, community groups, or organisations looking for funding in the
vicinity of a Banks Group development should contact Clare Johnson on
0191 383 0055.
Connecting through Culture is a unique partnership and offers businesses
a wide range of benefits from exclusive sponsorship opportunities to loaning
original art for the workplace. For more information about Tyne &
Wear Archives & Museums’ Business Partnership Connecting through
Culture contact Eli Davison on (0191) 227 2264 or email eli.davison@twmuseums.org.uk
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Banks stays on the ball for Tow Law footballers
A
County Durham developer has shown its continuing support for its home
town football team by making a significant five-figure donation to help
fund the latest stage of the club’s redevelopment plans.
The Banks Group has awarded £36,000 to Tow Law AFC, via its Banks Community Fund, to help meet the cost of upgrading its club house facilities, and providing new disabled toilets and access ramps.
This is the second time that Banks has made a major donation to the club, and follows a previous grant of £5,000 which was given to help improve the showers and dressing rooms.
The Banks grant has contributed towards the cost of converting the building’s 1970s flat roof into a pitch roof and significantly increasing the size of the bar by incorporating the area where the old toilets currently stand and providing upgraded new toilet facilities.
The clubhouse is also used by the town for a range of social functions through the year, including carnivals and junior five-a-side tournaments.
Founded at the end of the nineteenth century, Tow Law AFC has more than 100 registered players, and competes in the Northern League.
Kevin McCormick, Tow Law AFC treasurer, says: “Banks’ generosity has meant a lot to us over the years, and this latest grant will make a big difference to the facilities that we can provide.
“Our aim is for the ground to be fully accessible for anyone who wants to watch a match or just use the clubhouse, and the work that is being carried out will mean we’ll soon achieve our goal.”
Banks has been based in Tow Law for 33 years, and has given more than £100,000 to local good causes in Tow Law alone over the last three years.
Environment and community director Mark Dowdall adds: "Tow Law AFC plays a big role in the life of our home town – we’ve been long-term supporters, in every sense, and hope our latest donation gives the club a real boost both on and off the pitch.”
Projects, community groups, or organisations looking for funding in the
vicinity of a Banks Group development should contact Clare Johnson at
The Banks Community Fund on 0191 383 0055.
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New Banks Group grant funds completion of Cambois church repairs
A century-old Northumberland church will soon be fully protected against the worst of the coastal weather after receiving a second four-figure grant from a north east development company.
St Andrew’s Church at Cambois, which stands just yards from the North Sea, has been suffering from a long-standing damp problem, which had caused severe deterioration of internal paint and plasterwork.
To help address this problem, which threatened the building’s long-term structural stability, Banks Developments provided an initial grant of £6,139, via its Banks Community Fund, which covered the cost of weatherproofing two of the church’s external walls, as well as repairing, redecorating and damp-proofing on the inside.
And now, Banks is giving a further £4,823 to fund similar work on the remaining two walls, as well as touching up the previous interior work.
Part of the grant will also be used to upgrade the facilities at the adjoining church hall, through waterproofing the water, upgrading the toilet facilities and replacing the steps leading into the hall.
Consecrated in 1899, St Andrew’s serves around 750 users from in
and around the Cambois area, and hosts various services and special events,
as well as other social functions and a Sunday School in the church hall.
It is also used as an educational resource by children from the local
First School, and is the site of the village’s war memorial and
‘quiet garden.’
Work on the project will begin in the spring, and Father John Blakesley, vicar at St Andrew’s, hopes that the upgraded facilities will increase the numbers of community groups making use of the church and hall.
He says: “Being so close to the coast means that we take the brunt of the North Sea weather, and the damage done by it has got slowly more visible and serious over the years.
“The work funded by Banks’ initial grant made a huge difference to both the look of and atmosphere inside the church, and knowing that the job is going to be completed soon has given the morale of our congregation a real lift.
“The church is already well used by local people within an area that doesn’t have many other public facilities, but we hope that even more community functions and events will be held after this work is complete, and we are extremely grateful for the continuing support we have received from Banks in making this work possible.”
At the end of last year, Banks Developments unveiled new proposals for the creation of a new sustainable coastal community at Cambois, the initial stage of which would encompass around 470 new homes built on 19 hectares of predominantly brownfield land.
Mark Dowdall, environment and community director at Banks Developments, adds: "St Andrew’s is a central part of life in and around Cambois, and we’re very pleased that our long-term relationship with the local community, through this project and others, is enabling real benefits to be delivered.”
Projects, community groups, or organisations looking for funding in the
vicinity of a Banks Group development should contact Clare Johnson at
The Banks Community Fund on 0191 383 0055.
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Banks grant helps shine a light on local mining history
More than 100 pieces of local mining history will be going on display for the first time later this year after a County Durham developer gave a five-figure grant to Beamish Museum.
The Banks Group has donated £11,000 to Beamish, via its Banks Community Fund, to help fund a new exhibition of miners’ safety lamps, and to help support the open air museum’s work to establish an authentic colliery lamp cabin within its mining exhibit.
Over 100 lamps, most of which were used at and collected from north east pits, will be part of the exhibition, which will open in March 2009, to coincide with the beginning of Beamish’s summer season.
The construction of the lamp cabin is the first part of Beamish’s long-term vision to enhance its facilities and establish itself as one of the world’s leading museums.
As well as the exhibition space in which the lamps will go on show, it is planned that the cabin will eventually include space for educational activities, scientific experiments with miners’ lamps, and display cases and graphic panels showing a day in the life of an early 20th century miner.
Project leader Chris Scott says: “We’re aiming to recreate a 1913 miners’ lamp cabin as part of our colliery exhibit, and are using both original artefacts and new items which have been manufactured to be as close to the originals as possible.
“Part of this project will involve creating a new exhibition space in which many of the items that we’ve previously just not had the room to display can be shown.
“The grant we’ve received from Banks will enable us to conserve, clean and exhibit what are important items of industrial and social history, ensuring that they are displayed in the best possible conditions and allowing us to use existing funds to move other parts of the lamp cabin project forwards.”
The Banks Group was established as a surface mining company in Tow Law more than 30 years ago, but has since diversified to undertake property, waste management and renewable energy schemes.
Mark Dowdall, environment and community director at Banks, adds: "As a company with its long history in the north east mining industry, we are pleased that we have been able to support the delivery of such an interesting and important project.
“Beamish is a highly valuable educational and historical resource
which attracts a huge amount of visitors and interest from both within
and outside our region, and provides a fascinating window on a period
of history which had a massive influence on shaping north east England
in the 21st century.”
Tow Law green team sitting pretty thanks to Banks mower grant
A group of local volunteers dedicated to looking after and maintaining a County Durham community’s village green are riding high thanks to a £11,000 grant.
For the Tow Law Millennium Green Trust now has a ride-on lawnmower, paid for by local developers Banks Developments, which will help them save time and money as they look after the green.
And the grant has also helped Banks reach a landmark itself, as it takes the company past the £100,000 mark for funding given to good causes in and around its home town of Tow Law over the last three years.
As well as the mower, the Trust’s grant, given via the Banks Community Fund, has also funded improvements to the pathways across the green, to make the surfaces smoother and more suitable for both walkers and pushchairs. It has also meant the amphitheatre could be adapted to make it less prone to vandalism.
A range of other landscape management equipment has also been purchased with the rest of the funding, including a hedge trimmer, blower, brushcutter, power washer and a second, push-along petrol lawnmower.
The Tow Law Millennium Green Trust was established in 1999, with a view to maintaining an open space that is used by local people for a variety of recreational purposes. Its five-strong team of trustees takes responsibility for maintenance work around the green, from planting, weeding and clearing to general tidying-up.
The latest Banks grant following initial funding given to the Trust in 2004 to cover planting and other maintenance work.
Jenny Flynn, one of the group’s five trustees, says: “The green is extremely well used by a wide cross-section of our community, and being located centrally, it is also a very visible part of it and we want to keep it looking as good as possible.
“The Trust works hard to make sure the green stays in great condition, but this obviously takes a great deal of commitment, in terms of both time and money.
“The new ride-on mower we’ve now been able to buy will make a huge difference to the speed with which we can work, and will create time in which we can carry out other tasks.
“Banks has been a long-term supporter of the Trust’s work, and the whole community is already benefiting from the latest investment they’ve made in our work.”
Mark Dowdall, environment and community director at Banks Developments, adds: "Our policy is to make a positive contribution to the environment and communities in the vicinity of our developments, and since January 2006, the Banks Community Fund has contributed over £100,000 in grants to community groups.
“We have been based in the town since 1976, so we’re more than happy to contribute towards the enhancement and maintenance of the green to help to keep it in the best possible condition.”
The Banks Community Fund is administered by the County Durham Foundation.
Projects, community groups, or organisations looking for funding in the
vicinity of a Banks Group development should contact Christina Rackley
on 0191 383 0055.
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£10,000 grant supports Stockton Community Centre Refurbishment
Users of a Stockton community centre will be cooking up a storm after a £10,000 grant from a local developer paid for an upgrade of its kitchen, heating and bathroom facilities.
The Parkfield Community Recreation and Arts Association has been given the funding by Banks Developments, via its Banks Community Fund, to pay for the work to be carried out at the Parkfield Community Centre.
A new dishwasher, fridge/freezer, gas range canopy and plumbed-in sink have all now been installed.
And the additional catering facilities are expected to lead to an increased number of local groups and organisations being able to make use of the Centre for their meetings and events.
Alongside the kitchen improvements, the Centre’s boiler has been replaced to help improve its heating system, improvements have been made to the toilet facilities and the Centre’s main hall and corridors have been decorated.
Managed by a volunteer management committee, Parkfield Community Centre is used by around 2,800 local people for a wide variety of functions.
Alex Bain, Parkfield Community Centre treasurer, says the positive impact of the kitchen upgrade is already being felt.
He says: “Since we took over the management of the Community Centre, it has gone from strength to strength and is a very valuable venue in an area which has few facilities.
“However, it has been in need of refurbishment work for some time, and some of our users, particularly those that are older, were beginning to find it increasingly uncomfortable, especially during the winter months.
“The upgrade has created a lot of local interest, and has already made a difference to the sorts of events we’re able to host – a twice-weekly African healthy eating group is already up and running, and we’ve had enquiries from other organisations that want to use our facilities.
“The new catering resources will widen the opportunities that local people have to get involved with the Centre, and we’re very grateful for the generous support that Banks have given us.”
Banks Developments is the company behind the unique mixed-use Bowesfield site in Stockton, which combines high-quality commercial and residential properties with a 37-acre waterfront nature reserve.
Mark Dowdall, environment and community director at Banks Developments, adds: "A great deal of time and energy is devoted by local volunteers to running the Parkfield Community Centre’s activities, and we’re only too pleased to be able to help them carry on and extend the work that they do.”
The Banks Community Fund is administered by the County Durham Foundation.
Projects, community groups, or organisations looking for funding in the
vicinity of a Banks Group development should contact Christina Rackley
on 0191 383 0055.
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Cambois Camera Club Members snap happy with Banks Group grant
A Northumberland photographic group’s studio is looking pretty as a picture after a £1,000 grant from regional developer Banks Developments paid for improvements both inside and outside the building.
Cambois Camera Club is one of the few such groups in the UK to have its own premises, which were built by its founding members more than half a century ago.
The Banks grant, given via the Banks Community Fund, has now paid for the installation of a new hot water system inside the building, as well as painting and re-rendering of the outside.
And the club is already experiencing a growth in member numbers and enquiries about using their studio as a result of the visible improvement to their facilities.
Established in 1952, Cambois Camera Club draws enthusiasts from all over south east Northumberland and puts on a weekly schedule of competitions, lectures and events to help members learn new techniques, improve their photographic talents and pick up new ideas.
Club secretary Patricia Riddell says: “We feel very lucky to be benefiting from the efforts of our founder members in having our own clubhouse, and try to live up to the responsibility of keeping it in as good a condition as we can.
“We badly needed to make the improvements and repairs that the Banks grant has funded for us, and we’ve had lots of great feedback from local people saying how much better the building looks as a result.
“Our members come from all age and social groups across the local area, and we’ve had a lot of new enquiries from people wanting to come along since the refurbishment work was done, as well as from other groups that want to rent out our premises for their own use.
“This will help to raise more money to keep things in the best possible condition, and we’re extremely pleased that the Banks grant has had such an immediate and visible impact.”
Banks Developments recently unveiled proposals for a major sustainable regeneration scheme at Cambois, the first stage of which would see around 470 new homes and a range of community facilities being built.
Mark Dowdall, environment and community director at Banks Developments,
adds: "The Club’s very existence is down to the commitment
and energies of local people who built the clubhouse from scratch, and
the current members are showing the same sort of endeavour in making a
very useful and popular community resource as widely available as possible.”
For more information on Cambois Camera Club, please visit www.camboiscameraclub.com
Projects, community groups, or organisations looking for funding in
the vicinity of a Banks Group development should contact Clare Johnson
at The Banks Community Fund on 0191 383 0055.
Healthy new growth at Botanic Garden thanks to Banks' grant support
Durham University’s famous Botanic Garden is set to open up six new acres of mature woodland and ancient meadowland to the public thanks to a five figure grant from a County Durham developer.
Banks Developments has donated £25,000 to the Botanic Garden, via its Banks Community Fund, to fund an 18 month project to restore and enhance the land, which is adjacent to the existing Garden on South Road in the city and which was originally used as a University research area.
An existing field centre has been renovated to host educational visits from local schools, boardwalks have been repaired and reinstated to make public access easier, interpretative boards have been added and a new woodland picnic area has been created.
The meadow has also been re-seeded and replanted with native hedge, and its boundaries have been secured to enable it to be ‘conservation grazed’ by a flock of 20 rare breed sheep.
Originally started by the University in 1970 as a teaching and research facility, the Botanic Garden contains plant collections from around the world.
It was opened to the public in 1988 and now receives more than 80,000 visitors every year, a number which ???project leader??? Steve Ansdell expects to increase with the addition of the new woodland and meadow areas.
He says: “The Botanic Garden has become one of Durham’s leading tourist attractions, and these new areas will add a great deal to our visitors’ experience, extending the existing circular walk through the Garden and showing them an even richer and more diverse range of natural flora and fauna.
“Because they have remained untouched for so long, we’re able to show the meadows and woodland in their natural condition and can tell the story of their resident animals and plants in an unspoilt environment.
“The new facilities also have huge potential for environment educational work with local schools and community groups, and we’re extremely grateful for the support from Banks which has enabled us to open up these new locations.”
Mark Dowdall, environment and community director at Banks Developments, adds: "The Botanic Garden is a wonderfully diverse and engaging facility for both the people of Durham and visitors to the area, and it’s very exciting for us to be involved with opening such an important and interesting new chapter in the development of a very well-used and highly valued local amenity.”
The Banks Community Fund is administered by the County Durham Foundation.
Projects, community groups, or organisations looking for funding in the
vicinity of a Banks Group development should contact Christina Rackley
on 0191 383 0055.
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