Help us Build the People's Arts Cafe in East Durham.
Lets Improve access to Culture for Local People!

We have ambitious plans to build an Arts Café as an extension to our headquarters, at Community House in Peterlee.
 
The facility would stage artistic performances and exhibitions and support the aims of our East Durham Creates project by giving disadvantaged people the opportunity to engage with Culture and Creativity.  The café would be directly linked to the People’s Takeaway, the vision being that we can feed families in crisis within a natural and enjoyable setting.  Who needs Starbucks or Sage Gateshead?!

Our crowdfunding appeal will help us raise the necessary finances and you can find out more by visiting our appeal website

East Durham Trust provides a range of services for vulnerable people in the East Durham area, many facing disadvantage and poverty. 

The People's Takeaway

Our flagship referral only free takeaway project for people facing financial hardship across East Durham.

FEED (Food Emergency East Durham)

Our unique referral only food parcel service providing crisis support across East Durham.

Stop Poverty in East Durham

A range of services to support local people including benefit and debt advice.

LATEST NEWS

East Durham Trust is gearing up to support families in crisis over the Summer Holiday period.

We will be providing a range of activities in former mining communities throughout July and August and are well aware that many local people will not be in a position to pay to take part. With issues such as high unemployment, rising childcare costs and Universal Credit impacting on household income the Trust will be providing free activities for families and in many cases are also providing free food as part of the package.
 
Our Chief Executive Malcolm Fallow explained, “A significant number of local people are reliant on free school meals so the holiday period can be a stressful time, there is also the added pressure of parents having to take time off work to look after kids which can reduce income. Naturally, not everyone is in this predicament but we have to err on the side of caution and make these services free for everyone.”
 
We are also bracing for an increase in demand for it’s services such as the East Durham Foodbank, The “People’s Takeaway” food delivery service and advice sessions in areas such as benefits and debt.

​The holiday activities have been made possible thanks to funding from Durham County Council and the National Lottery Community Fund. Anyone wishing to find out about the full programme of activity should contact East Durham Trust on 0191 5693511 or check out the Timetable below. Alternatively, a downloadable pdf version of the Programme is available HERE.

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Comedy Actor Ricky Tomlinson Opens Foodbank extension titled 'Universal Credit Room'

The Government’s controversial Universal Credit scheme has led to a North East Charity needing to double it’s efforts in relation to Emergency Food parcels in Former Mining Communities.
 
As they open a new storage facility for their Peterlee-based Foodbank East Durham Trust will be supported by Ricky Tomlinson, better known as Jim Royle from TV’s “The Royle Family” and roles in “Brookside” and “Mike Bassett: England Manager”.
 
Universal Credit is part of the Governments Welfare Reform package and was rolled out in East Durham just over a year ago. Since then the local charity has seen demand for Food Parcels, Benefit Advice and Debt Support spiral as local people struggle to cope.
 
Consequently, the additional storage space designated to the Foodbank has been sarcastically referred to by Staff and Volunteers of the Trust as “The Universal Credit Room” and will be launched as such on Saturday 2nd March at 11:00am.
 
As Chief Executive of the Trust, Malcolm Fallow explained “The introduction of Universal Credit has had a devastating impact on vulnerable people in communities like East Durham. Along with other Austerity measures we are seeing more and more people pushed into poverty. Food parcels are just one aspect of this and we have had to convert a former office space to cope with demand.”
 
Welcoming the support of Ricky Tomlinson he added, “It gives the staff and volunteers a great boost to have our work recognised by someone like Ricky who is not afraid to put his head above the parapet and support vulnerable people.”
 
The actor is in the region as he appears later in the day at Redhills in Durham in support of the Durham Miners Gala, and the Chair of the Friends of the Gala Dave Anderson added, “Although our last East Durham pit closed 25 years ago we continue to do everything in our power to support the work of organisations like East Durham Trust as they try to deal with the social and economic fallout of closures.”

...READ MORE

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