A busy South East Northumberland community centre is warmer and weatherproof thanks to a four-figure grant from the Banks Community Fund.
The Buffalo Community Centre in Blyth provides a wide variety of services and projects to help improve the lives of local people of all ages, and works in partnership with other local providers from both the voluntary and statutory sector.
The charity is based in a converted pub in Regent Street which has eight large windows, all of which had become bent out of shape over time and were letting in both cold draughts and rain.
But after receiving a £2,000 grant from North East employer the Banks Group, Cowpen Quay Community Association, which manages the Centre, commissioned RLM Windows, Doors & Conservatories to make and fit new energy efficient windows, which will not only keep out wet weather and help reduce its energy bills, but will also support the Association’s plans to introduce a Warm Hub within the building in the future.
The Buffalo Community Centre works with all members of the local community, welcoming around 10,000 visitors through its doors every year, and is especially focused working with people and groups that are the hardest to reach.
Activities include computer drop-in sessions, two art groups, Karate and Aikido classes and meetings of the Croft Camera Club.
The Centre also welcomes more than 100 young people for youth club activities over three nights every week, with different sessions set up to enable young people to learn new skills, gain confidence and self-esteem, developing positive relationships and have fun with their friends in a safe and welcoming place.
The Centre is predominantly self-funded, with regular fundraising activities put on to help bring in the money needed to cover its costs.
It’s the second time that it has received support from the Banks Community Fund, with a £1,000 grant provided in 2023 helping to cover the costs of running the youth club.
Deputy manager and senior youth leader Jo Wilson says: “The windows have been in place for a long time and they’d really begun to show their age, with cold draughts and rain regularly finding their way in.
“We knew we needed to replace them, not only to stop this happening, but also to prevent the building fabric from being damaged, but with a lot of projects to pay for and so many different community needs to meet, we’ve not had the money to do so.
“As well as improving the quality of the experience for everyone who spends time here, the new windows will also help us cut down on our energy use, which will in turn save us money on our heating bills.
“We probably would just have had to grin and bear it if Banks hadn’t stepped in to help us again and everyone’s really grateful for their support.”
Jamilah Hassan, community manager at the Banks Group, adds: “The Buffalo Community Centre is a hub for so many different activities and makes a tremendous difference to the lives of hundreds of local people every week.
“The work that’s been carried out will make the building an even nicer place for them to spend their time and we’re very happy to have helped the Community Association to get it done sooner rather than later.”
The Banks Group’s community funds are independently managed by Point North (formerly the County Durham Community Foundation).
Anyone from a community close to a Banks Group project who is interested in applying for funding from the Banks Community Fund should contact the company via its website enquiry form (www.banksgroup.co.uk/contact-us/) to find out if their group or project is eligible.