A Newton Aycliffe support group has received critical funding from the town’s area action partnership.
Lifeline Community Action (LCA) – a charity which provides emergency aid and support services to families and individuals in need – has secured a £9,638 grant through Great Aycliffe and Middridge Partnership’s (GAMP) Area Budget fund.
The charity’s service and personnel manager Corrin Chambers is pictured (above) with GAMP co-ordinator Brian Riley.
Based at St Clare’s Church on the town, LCA provides much-needed essentials for families as well as community-based activities to address social and economic isolation across Newton Aycliffe.
Since the beginning of pandemic, the charity has provided essential packs to individuals and families who were experiencing financial difficulties and struggling to purchase the cleaning and personal products they needed to keep themselves, their belongings and their homes virus free.
But in their latest project, LCA has gone one step further by directly targeting isolation within the community, by delivering activities where families and individuals can enjoy taking part in activities in a group setting again in a local venue.
To date the project has helped support nearly 400 individuals/families and is on track to exceed its target of over 500.
Pauline Chambers, from LCA, said: “The demand across the area for our service dramatically increased when the outbreak took hold, with more families and individuals requiring our support.
“The funding received helped us greatly in the ability to support those additional families, that found themselves in need during this difficult time.
“This project with the ‘rebuild’ element has allowed us to help bring the community back together once restrictions were lifted, helping to ease the isolation so many were facing.”
Brian Riley added: “Lifeline Community Action has provided an invaluable service to local Newton Aycliffe residents during the pandemic crisis and their efforts are greatly appreciated by the Great Aycliffe and Middridge Partnership board.”