Good news and bad news this week.
I recently met Rob Williamson, Chief Executive of the Community Foundation serving Tyne & Wear and Northumberland. The Foundation manages charitable donations by over 200 local families, individuals and businesses and awards grants to community and voluntary organisations.
It gave 1700 grants of nearly £6 million last year. For example, £355 to Blaydon Youth Club to redecorate the pool room. Rather than simply slapping on emulsion, the young women involved developed an arts project to help with the design, photographed inspirational local scenery, painted the room white to provide a blank canvas and used the money from UK Land Estates to complete it with acrylic paint and air brushes. The donation provided a better space and galvanised a constructive project to achieve it.
The Community Foundation is at www.communityfoundation.org.uk or 0191 222 0945.
Sadly, such inspiring charitable work co-exists with a minority trying to fleece fellow citizens. The energy industry highlights a scam whereby doorstep crooks are trying to fool people into buying energy top-ups. It's a fraud. People should only buy their top-ups from official outlets such as the Post Office, PayPoint or Payzone. The problem can affect customers of all leading energy companies which never sell electricity top-up door-to-door.
I have also received news that nearly one million people nationwide have fallen victim to landlord scams in the last three years. The Housing Charity Shelter is investigating rogue private landlords who persistently exploit their tenants and allow their properties to fall into disrepair with electrical hazards and damp and mould plus rip-offs.
www.shelter.org.uk/evictroguelandlords has details. They want to hear about rogue landlords and rightly urge me to take a zero tolerance approach to them and ask ministers to clamp down on them.
I'll finish with some good news for Blaydon. The work of skilled people in Blaydon will travel to all parts of the world thanks to the redesigned UK passport produced by De La Rue in the town. The £400 million ten year contract for passport production starts in October and was agreed by the previous Labour Government.
The new 10-year passport, which comes in from next month, has stronger security features and iconic images from around the UK. These images are based on special printing techniques and give UK citizens greater protection from identity theft and fraud and facilitate speedier cross-border travel. This is superb news for Blaydon where De La Rue is rightly seen as one of our most important employers. The Blaydon passport is a bonny bonus to the region and the country.
Newcastle Chronicle and Journal
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