Esh Build, Esh Group’s commercial build division, has collaborated with three local Sunderland charities to provide £3,000 of funding. This will be used to encourage local residents to get involved in sporting activities.
The donations have been arranged as a result of the Sunderland Football Hubs project, delivered by Esh Build on behalf of Sunderland City Council. The £18m scheme brings three state-of-the-art hubs to the Sunderland area and 10 full-size 3G artificial grass football pitches.
Through working collaboratively with the client to find local charities and community organisations we could support, we were introduced to All About You North East CIC, Sunderland North Community Business Centre, and Sunderland Young People’s Bike Project. All three charities work across different localities of Sunderland.
Sunderland Young People’s Bike Project applied for the funding due to a lack of sporting provision in the area for young people aged 7-11. The group will run multi-sport sessions in a local community centre and provide reward trips to the new football hub located at Ford Quarry. The long-term goal is for young people to use the new Ford Hub to take part in regular sporting activity.
Sunderland North Community Business Centre will use the funding to host two open day sessions at the new Washington Football Hub, encouraging local families to take part in sporting activities, such as swingball, archery, hula hooping, aerobic sessions and rounders. The open days will also include wider non-sport activities for families, including arts and crafts and healthy cooking sessions.
All About You North East CIC will use the funding to launch a group which will support men who are experiencing mental health difficulties. One of the new football hubs, located at Downhill, will be used to host informal and open sessions for the group and provide the option to engage in physical activities, such as walking football, archery and dodgeball.
Matthew, Director of All About you North East CIC, said: “Thanks to the funding from Esh we will be able to open a mental health support group for men at Downhill. Male suicide is becoming a big issue in this country with numbers especially alarming in the North East. We want to create a group that’s there to listen, help, support and which will also include a physical element. Working together and with other groups in the city will allow us to begin to face up to this very important issue. Thank you again to Esh for giving us the chance to make a difference.”
Sunderland City Council is delighted that Esh has awarded funding to three of the city’s community organisations in order to deliver a diverse range of activities. The projects will compliment some of the already incredible outcomes we have seen at the Washington Hub, soon to be followed by Downhill and Ford. We want to encourage all residents to come along and visit the hubs, not just to participate in football but to simply drop by for a coffee or become involved in a more structured session. All projects will bring new faces to the hub sites where we hope to attract regular visitors, having positive user experiences."
