Cornerstones Centre for the Community has received £3,900 to fund IT courses for older people in Chester le Street.
The donation was provided by the Santander Foundation which offers grants to UK registered charities for projects that help disadvantaged people in local communities.
Cornerstones Centre for the Community is part of the Methodist Church in Chester le Street and was opened to create more interaction between the church and the local community by offering access to church facilities as well as various activities. The grant will provide two new 10 week IT courses, beginners and intermediates, for local elderly people to learn new skills whilst also making new friends.
The grant will also support a weekly employability drop-in to help people seeking employment, now or in the near future, offering an experienced tutor to help with job searches, CV’s, interview skills and much more.
Debra Divanis, Project Development Officer at Cornerstones Centre for the Community said: “We cannot thank the Santander Foundation enough for their generous contribution which will make such a big difference to so many peoples’ lives.”
Kim Telford, Branch Manager at Santander’s Chester le Street branch said: “The Santander Foundation makes hundreds of donations every year to good causes throughout the UK. Our branch is committed to playing a key part in the community and we are delighted to be supporting Cornerstones Centre for the Community, and hope the donation makes a real difference to local people.”
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Note to Editors
In 2015 the Santander Foundation donated £5 million to charities across the UK.
Media Contact
Sarah Webster at Santander Tel: 020 7756 5533
About Cornerstones Centre for the Community
Cornerstones Centre for the Community is part of the Methodist Church in Chester le Street and was opened in September 2010 as a permanent commitment by the whole Church to reach out and become more involved in the life of the community in Chester le Street and for the community to share in the broader life of the Church.
Since its opening many new community based activities have been introduced to supplement the activities run by the Church groups. These include the creative craft club, IT training, fitness activities and a range of dance activities from ballroom to Zumba. For more information please visit: http://www.cornerstonescentre.com/
About Santander
The Santander Foundation provides grants to UK registered charities that help disadvantaged people in communities where Santander has a presence. The Community Plus fund provides donations of up to £5,000 to small, local charities nominated by customers, staff and the charities themselves. Our Central Grants programme has grants of up to £10,000 available for education, training and financial capability projects. In 2014, £5 million was donated by the Santander Foundation to charities across the UK. For more information please visit: www.santanderfoundation.org.uk/
Santander UK is a financial services provider in the UK that offers a wide range of personal and commercial financial products and services. It has brought real competition to the UK, through its 1|2|3 products for retail customers and relationship banking model for UK SMEs. As at 31 December 2015, Santander UK was one of the most switched to banks. The bank serves more than 14 million active customers with c. 20,000 employees and operates through 857 branches and 70 regional Corporate Business Centres. Santander UK is subject to the full supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in the UK. Santander UK plc customers are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in the UK.