A long and proud history of philanthropy

The Hospital of God at Greatham has a long and proud philanthropic history of working with vulnerable people living in the North-East of England. This year, the regional charity celebrates its 750th anniversary.

The charity runs an annual small grants programme which provides funding to local community-based organisations. The aim of the funding is to empower local communities to help and support themselves creating and building on their strengths and assets, with a particular focus on those who are experiencing disadvantage. The grants programme also supports smaller and emerging local based groups with core and activity funding.

The Trustee’s Grants Committee this year allocated £100,000 of funding to 70 voluntary and community sector organisations. The organisations are based with the Hospital of God’s geographical area of focus which covers Stockton to Northumberland. Some of the organisations that received funding include:

• Hartlepool Foodbank – a charity which provides emergency food to local people who have found themselves in a crisis situation.
• Amal Project Teesside - a grassroots community group who work towards ensuring support and services are all-inclusive, championing the needs and requirements of those from BAME backgrounds. They also run a community EcoShop based at Arlington Park, Stockton.
• Alice House Hospice – a charity which provides care and support to people from Hartlepool, Tees Valley and east Durham who are affected by life limiting illness or the death of a loved one.
• The Road to Recovery Trust – a charity which supports people struggling with addiction and aims to transform the North East from a place with the highest rates of alcohol, drug and addiction related deaths, to a region with one of the highest rates of abstinence-based recovery.
• Jack Drum Arts CIC - a social enterprise based in Crook, which aims to increase access to arts and culture for people of all ages and abilities with a particular focus on children and young people and those that are disadvantaged, face barriers to participate, and low-income families.

The charity also supported Newcastle upon Tyne YMCA, who used their grant funding to contribute towards the salaries of 2 Youth Workers, who worked with young people aged 10-15 years in the Walker are of Newcastle to create healthy meals on a budget and develop recipe cards and food kits so they could cook for their friends and family. One participant said, “taking food home for my mam and sister and brother helps us as my mam does not have much” and another said, “I enjoy going to the YMCA and like doing things like cooking skills”.

The Hospital of God also has a specific element to their grants programme which is used to support voluntary and community sector organisations within Stockton-on-Tees. One of the organisations to benefit within this round of funding is Young at Heart ULO CIC, an organisation that provides regular activities and social opportunities for people living with dementia and their carers across the borough of Stockton-on-Tees.

Margaret Bousfield, Chair of the Grants Committee said, “The Hospital of God is a proud supporter of the voluntary and community sector in the North East, and we are pleased to continue to support a wide range of organisations who make a difference in our communities.”

The Hospital of Grants Committee consider applications on an annual basis and the next round of funding opens on 1 December 2023 and closes at the end of January 2024, with funding issued in April 2024. Applications for grant funding can be accessed via www.hospitalofgod.org.uk/grants-programme.

Established in 1273 by Bishop Robert de Stichell, the Hospital of God employs over 100 staff and its portfolio of services span:

• Residential care at Stichell House a 35-bed purpose-built facility set in the landscaped grounds of the Greatham estate.
• Community day services for people living with dementia or memory issues and their carers in East Durham and Hartlepool.
• The Bridge; a one stop dementia care and advice hub service.
• Community pastimes; a small group service supporting people living with dementia or facing social isolation to be as independent as possible.
• Almshouses in Greatham, Norton and Stockton-on-Tees, enabling elderly people to live independently.
• The Charity owns 120 private properties and facilities which it leases on a commercial basis; and
• A grants programme which provides grant funding to local organisations to make a positive social impact.

Photograph shows young people enjoyed a cooking session with YMCA Newcastle.