Click here for the report

For further information on the work of IVAR got to www.ivar.org.uk

In May 2014 Virgin Money made a generous offer to the Northern Rock Foundation of £1 million per year for five years, to be matched by the Foundation raising £3 million per year from the private sector locally. This was considered very seriously by the Foundation’s trustees. Virgin Money and Northern Rock Foundation together looked at many different ways in which this offer could help to generate an income for the Foundation including reviewing the current funding environment and canvassing views from private, public and voluntary sector bodies. Eventually it was concluded that, given the existing charitable commitments and links with other local funders of many other businesses in the region, this was not a viable option for the Foundation.

Trustees believe there are now no funding routes left to pursue, (although they would be open to viable approaches) and will therefore proceed with the scaling   down of the Foundation’s work.

The Foundation’s remaining funds will be used to achieve long term positive impact on the lives of children and young people in the region, and also to support the development and sustainability of voluntary organisations. Trustees will decide on their final plans in the following months, but we are pleased to announce now our intention to support the opening of a Youth Zone project in the north east, and will be working with Sir Peter Vardy and  the charity Onside Youth Zone, alongside Virgin Money, to achieve this.

25 September 2014

The report Dementia 2014: a North East Perspective coincides with the end of a five year National Dementia Strategy and comes as Prime Minister David Cameron urged an increase in international funding for research and treatment into the condition.

This in-depth study, which has been produced with the assistance of the North East Dementia Alliance, looks set to provide a blueprint to inform regional as well as national policy in the provision of care and services for people with dementia.

It reveals that there are 34,000 people in the North East with some form of dementia – a figure that is anticipated to rise by 50 per cent to 51,000 by 2030 – and that the prevalence of dementia in the region is higher than the national rate of 569 people per 100,000.

While the report’s authors, Debbie J Smith and Peter Otter, found the North East scored above the national average in diagnosing the condition, they recommended more be done to engage and empower people with dementia and raise public awareness of the condition.

Dr Lynne Corner, Chair of the NE Dementia Alliance based at the Newcastle University Institute for Ageing:

“We very much welcome this report – we have world class dementia research in the region and it is important that this benefits those who need it.  The report also illustrates how complex health and social care can be for people to navigate and so it is critical that we have a joined-up approach to commissioning and providing the best possible services and support for people with dementia and their families to have the best possible quality of life”.

Among the report’s other findings was the need for further work to support people with dementia to live in their own homes and for research currently being undertaken in the region to be translated into practice by dementia groups and clinicians.

The report is the second of its kind commissioned by the Northern Rock Foundation and has been hailed by experts in the field as a definitive study, which should form the basis of future governmental and industry policy.

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Penny Wilkinson, chief executive  at Northern Rock Foundation, said: “Over the years the  Foundation has played  a vital role in funding in-depth research on a variety of issues and this has been crucial in ensuring that the right decisions are made for the right reasons by the right people.

“Dementia is not only a health issue, it is a social one and that’s why the Dementia 2014: A North East Perspective report and the Government’s pledge to secure investment for research are not just timely, they are vital.”

For more information about Northern Rock Foundation, or to view the Dementia 2014: a North East Perspective report, visit  Publications – Dementia.

Ends

Notes to Editors

About Northern Rock Foundation

Northern Rock Foundation is a charity and company limited by guarantee with an independent Board of Trustees that makes all decisions on governance, finance and policy.

The Foundation aims to tackle disadvantage and improve quality of life in North East England and Cumbria. The Foundation’s work is delivered by a professional staff team of 10 based in Newcastle upon Tyne.

For further information, please contact HFPR Ltd on 0191 285 7100 or 07831 552624        

29 July 2014

http://www.comicrelief.com/apply-for-a-grant/uk/north-east-and-cumbria-dementia-fund

The Northern Rock Foundation has joined forces with Comic Relief and Ballinger Charitable Trust to form the North East and Cumbria Dementia Fund and now wants to hear from projects and organisations that help people living with dementia to continue to live in and play an active part in their community.

Comic Relief, Northern Rock Foundation and Ballinger Charitable Trust have a long history of working to improve the lives of disadvantaged people and are coming together to drive positive change for people affected by dementia in the North East and Cumbria.

In 2010, 31,840 people were living with late onset dementia in the North East and 7,000 in Cumbria – figures predicted to rise respectively by nearly 60 per cent to 50,840 and by 85 per cent to nearly 13,000 by 2030.

The North East and Cumbria Dementia Fund is looking to assist  organizations to develop new ways of supporting people with dementia and their carers and to identify models of best practice that could be adopted more widely across the United Kingdom.

“We want to support projects that are working with people with dementia who are living in the community either in their own homes or in sheltered accommodation and work that changes the way people with dementia are viewed and treated by society” said Programme Manager Louise Telford from Northern Rock Foundation.

Comic Relief’s UK Manager, Clare Kiely, said: “Dementia is an important and growing issue that touches many people’s lives across the UK. Comic Relief is pleased to be able to support the development of new and innovative ways to support people diagnosed with dementia and their carers to continue to live happy and fulfilling lives for as long as possible.”

The North East and Cumbria Dementia Fund is also interested in supporting projects that help people with dementia who live alone, are from minority communities – including the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) and Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) communities – have learning disabilities or are experiencing early onset dementia.

It is particularly keen to hear from projects that give people with dementia a voice, or which offer new ways of enabling them to continue to live rich and fulfilling lives in the community.                                                                                    

The North East and Cumbria Dementia Fund has also been formed to support carers and applications are being sought from projects that either equip them with the skills to carry out their caring role or aim to challenge stigma and improve the way people with dementia are perceived.

Nikki Crowther, Trustee of the Ballinger Trust said “We are delighted that Comic Relief will be working with ourselves and the Northern Rock Foundation in the North East and Cumbria to improve the lives of people affected by dementia. I think this is testament to the innovative approaches already taken here, and to the need for further support in this area. “

For further information, or to apply for funding through the North East and Cumbria Dementia Fund contact the Northern Rock Foundation on tel: 0191 284 8412 or email generaloffice@nr-foundation.org.uk

Ends         

Notes to Editors

Types of work Northern Rock Foundation would consider funding:

• Advocacy and self-advocacy projects that help people with dementia to get their voices heard. If you are a self-advocacy group who would like a smaller grant please get in touch with us and we will help you to apply.

• New ways of supporting people with dementia that enables people to continue to live rich and fulfilling lives in the community. Types of support that we will consider include circles of support; community activities that use different interventions including through technology, the arts, music, sport or reminiscence work; projects that provide guidance to people with dementia on how to navigate through the care and support system and help them to plan their futures.

• Projects that support people to continue to live independently  
  These projects may provide practical support, and /or could utilise design and technology solutions to assist people;

• Projects that equip Carers with the skills to carry out their caring role. We are specifically interested in projects that provide support to Carers around the symptoms of dementia and projects that help Carers to develop coping strategies;

• Projects that aim to challenge stigma and improve the way that people with dementia are perceived. We will consider funding projects that use the arts, drama, intergenerational and other approaches to achieve this objective. Any projects should think carefully about how they will evidence improvements in attitudes that will result from their work.

How much you can apply for

The total budget for this fund is £900,000. We anticipate sharing this fund across a number of projects and will accept ambitious applications across a whole range of grant amounts. For exceptional projects we would consider an upper limit of around £200,000, applications requesting high amounts of funding will need to make an exceptional case backed by strong evidence of need and demonstrate innovation and longer term plans for strategic impact and sustainability. For user led groups requesting under £2,000 we are happy to offer support in completing the application. Interested organisations can download an application form from http://www.comicrelief.com/apply-for-a-grant/uk/north-east-and-cumbria-dementia-fund

The closing date for applications is 7^th of July 2014.

Who can apply

To apply for this programme you must have an active presence in the North East and Cumbria. We welcome proposals from registered charities and other eligible not-for-profit organisations.

New and emerging or small not-for-profit groups (e.g. user led organisations) who are not registered charities are eligible to apply as long as they have a constitution. We can only fund legally charitable work that your constitution allows you to do. We can only accept one proposal from an organisation at any one time.

About Northern Rock Foundation

Northern Rock Foundation is a charity and company limited by guarantee with an independent Board of Trustees that makes all decisions on governance, finance and policy.

The Foundation aims to tackle disadvantage and improve quality of life in North East England and Cumbria. The Foundation’s work is delivered by a professional staff team of 12 based in Newcastle upon Tyne.

About Comic Relief

Comic Relief is a UK charity, which aims to create a just world, free from poverty. To date, Comic Relief has raised over £900million. That money has helped, and is helping, people living incredibly tough lives, both at home in the UK and across the world.

For information about Comic Relief and the work it carries out, please visit www.comicrelief.com

Comic Relief, registered charity 326568 (England/Wales); SC039730 (Scotland)

 About Ballinger Charitable Trust

Ballinger Charitable Trust was founded in 1994 and seeks to support charities, voluntary organisations and community groups with grants and funding.

The focus of the trust is to support projects in the North East of England by providing funds that 

- support the elderly

- support the health, well-being and development of young people

- promote arts and cultural projects based in the North East of England

For further information please visit www.ballingercharitabletrust.org.uk

For further information, please contact HFPR Ltd on 0191 285 7100 or 07831 552624

The Foundation hoped to agree with Virgin Money a viable long term solution to secure the Foundation’s future. Following wide ranging discussions it is now confirmed that Virgin Money cannot commit funding to ensure this, and will not continue the previous funding agreement between us.  

Ideas for partnership working were also discussed and a limited number were eventually selected by Virgin Money, to be jointly funded, but none of the proposals included any funding for the Foundation itself. Northern Rock Foundation’s mission is, and always has been, to target its funds to areas of work where there is a significant social need and a lack of resources. After careful consideration the Foundation’s trustees felt these ideas either duplicated the work of others or weren’t aimed at priority areas of need, and therefore were not the best use of the Foundation’s funds.   

The Foundation’s closure is now inevitable, as it receives no income from any other source. Trustees will begin to implement a plan for an orderly wind down. The current grant programmes are already due to close at the end of 2014, as previously announced, and Trustees will make further announcements later this year about the use of the Foundation’s remaining funds. 

Alastair Balls, Chairman of the Foundation said “It is very disappointing after such extensive discussions to have to accept that Virgin Money will not commit to fund the Foundation in future. Trustees are keen to ensure that our remaining funds are used to achieve significant benefit in the North East and Cumbria and we will announce our plans later this year.”

ENDS

April 22 2014

For further information please contact

Hilary Florek  07832 552624   0191 285 7100

 Notes to Editors

Northern Rock Foundation is a charity and company limited by guarantee with an independent Board of Trustees that makes all decisions on governance, finance and policy. The Foundation aims to tackle disadvantage and improve quality of life in North East England andCumbria. The Foundation’s work is delivered by a professional staff team of 12 based in Newcastle upon Tyne.

The Foundation was established when Northern Rock Building Society demutualised in 1997.

Up to 2007 Northern Rock covenanted 5% of its pre-tax profits annually to the Foundation. During the three years 2008 to 2010 Northern Rock Foundation received £15 million per year as part of the arrangement under which Northern Rock was taken into temporary public ownership. From January 2011 the Foundation was supported by Northern Rock plc through a funding agreement to provide one per cent of pre-tax profits. As part of the sale of Northern Rock plc to Virgin Money, which completed on 1 January 2012, it was confirmed that Virgin Money would extend the commitment, in respect of the Northern Rock business, until the end of 2013.

Virgin Money donated £500,000 in April 2013

A further donation of £1million, from Virgin Money was announced in March 2014. This money will be used to fund Northern Rock Foundation’s current grant programmes, which were already planned to include this donation.

Northern Rock Foundation expects to spend almost £7 million in 2014, on grant programmes and other projects to support charities and voluntary organisations.   

The Foundation is the largest independent grant maker in the region and is amongst the top 50 trust and foundation grant-makers nationally in terms of grant spend.

A tender information pack providing full details of the Fund and all aspects of the tender process can be obtained by emailing: nesic@nr-foundation.org.uk with the subject line: “Request for Tender Information Pack – NESIF 1”. When requesting a pack, please also include contact details for your organisation (name of company, name of main contact, email and phone number).

This is a study into the extent and dynamics of the adult sex market in Teesside, covering the four local authority areas of Middlesbrough, Stockton, Redcar and Cleveland and Hartlepool. It presents a snapshot of information between 2012 and 2013.

To download the report click here.

You may have plans to develop a new social enterprise, bid for a new contract in a new area, develop and market a new training programme, build a partnership with a like minded charity or completely remodel your service. We are particularly interested in helping organisations to explore possible opportunities for social investment.

With the Foundation’s support you will be able to develop these ideas and make them happen.

The Fresh Ideas Fund will provide up to £50,000 to fund a feasibility study, pay for expert specialist advice and / or cover start-up costs.

Successful applicants will also receive expert help and guidance from a specialist business advisor.

If you are interesting in finding out more about this great opportunity visit the Fresh Ideas web page here.