Community groups in Wear Valley are being offered a helping hand by local company Dale & Valley Homes.

The firm is launching its own community fund to give grants to local groups and organisations which help people in places where Dale & Valley operates.

Called the Better Homes, Better Lives fund, it offers grants of up to £500 to charities and voluntary organisations to pay for specific events or projects.

Norman Button, chairman of Dale & Valley Homes, said: “The work we do, managing council housing in Wear Valley, puts us at the heart of the community and much of the work that we do with our customers is aimed at improving their quality of life.

“This small fund is another way of helping people in this area improve things for themselves.
“It means we can help is a much broader way, not just by improving housing, but by encouraging a sense of community and providing people with opportunities outside the home.
“We are really looking forward to seeing the range of applications that come in because I am sure that people’s depth of interests and ingenuity knows no bounds.”

Applicants do not need to be customers of Dale & Valley Homes but to qualify projects need to benefit communities in which the company manages homes.