Point North

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?

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!

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

Neurological Wellbeing Fund | Point North Making everyday life easier and more manageable for people living with long-term neurological conditions.

Last night, we celebrated some of the amazing people and organisations helping people find hope at times of hardship at the North East Charity Awards.

Huge congratulations to all of this year’s winners including Handcrafted, who were named Charity of the Year 2026! 🎉 And a big well done to everyone who was shortlisted and recognised.

From volunteers giving their time, to charities supporting people through some of life’s hardest moments, so many people are making a real difference every single day.

We’re proud to support the North East Charity Awards and to celebrate everyone who was recognised.

There are so many more people doing incredible work across our communities who weren’t in the room last night, and many who would never put themselves forward for an award.

We see you, we value what you do, and we want to say thank you to you too!

Thank you to every single person in this sector who gives so much to make our region, a place we proudly call home, a better place.

📸Credit: North East Charity Awards

Do you have a project that could help people in Trimdon Grange, Bishop Middleham, Fishburn, Wingate, and surrounding villages?

The EDF Trimdon Grange Wind Farm Community Benefits Fund offers grants of up to £2,000 for local projects and is open for applications.

In 2017, a grant from the fund contributed towards Trimdon Concert Brass Band's coach hire, helping get the band and supporters to the national brass band finals in Cheltenham.

The fund can support a broad range of projects, such as improvements to community buildings, health and wellbeing programmes tailored to your community, and youth work that helps get young people engaged in their community.

Apply by Wednesday 30 September, by submitting your application using our online application: https://pointnorth.org.uk/grants/edf-trimdon-grange-wind-farm-community-benefits-fund/.

If you have any questions, please speak to us.

Know a group that could apply? Tag them below and share this post!

📸 Photograph by Trimdon Concert Brass Band