December 2017
We have made a donation to Horsley-based arts and community centre, The Hearth, in order to help the village hub to continue running its popular live music gigs.
Run by trustees and volunteers, The Hearth comprises eight working art studios, a café and community hall in its main building, which is a restored early 17th century manse. They work closely with the connecting Horsley Village Church for the benefit of the community.
The centre offers art classes, themed open studio events, heritage talks and children’s activities in addition to the music events. Thanks to our funding, the trustees will be able to continue The Hearth’s concert programme, which showcases local musicians and young performers while raising the profile of the centre and supporting its charitable aims.
We have made the donation as part of our ‘Future Story’ scheme, which aims to help charities and community organisations that surround our developments – in this case, Fairfields Manor, a development of 169 family homes in Crawcrook.
We accept sponsorship applications via our website all year round, with a regional committee reviewing submissions on a quarterly basis.
Dr James Hall, Chairman of the trustees at The Hearth, said: “We are all delighted with the donation from Story Homes. With local and emerging folk, jazz and blues artists performing, our live music gigs are regularly sold out, and this funding means that we can ensure the sustainability of these events throughout 2018.
“We are proud that The Hearth is a well-used resource within the village – it acts as a hub for people of all ages and interests and it is great to see everyone come together at our events. However, centres like ours can only continue with the hard work of trustees and volunteers and generous donations, so we are very grateful that Story Homes has chosen to support us.”
Ian Worgan, Managing Director for Story Homes in the North East, commented: “The Hearth is clearly an important part of the local community, so we are pleased that our donation will make a difference.
“We look to help the communities around our housing developments in ways that add long-term value, so our decision to support The Hearth is closely aligned with the aims of our ‘Future Story’ scheme. We wish the trustees all the best with their upcoming music events and we hope that the centre will serve as a popular community hub for years to come.”
Fairfields Manor, which is based near to The Hearth, includes three, four and five-bedroom homes. Having recently opened the Marketing Suite, we are preparing for the opening of our show homes at Fairfields Manor in early 2018.
We are now inviting charities and community groups to apply for support in the next quarter. Applications for sponsorship should be made by completing this form.
