Donation helps homeless people in South Tyneside off the streets and into the kitchen

Emmaus North East has received £5,000 to fund kitchen equipment and provide catering training to 15 ex-homeless people in South Tyneside, helping them to get back into work and living independently.

The donation was provided by the Santander Foundation, which offers Discovery Grants to UK registered charities for projects that help disadvantaged people in local communities.

Emmaus North East has been renovating and extending a derelict former children’s home in Stanhope Road, South Shields where 15 former homeless people will live alongside the Community Manager. The residents will work in the charity’s social enterprise; up-cycling donated household goods for sale in the charities shop, helping them regain a sense of belonging and the ability to make the transition into independent living.

The community building will include a fully equipped and operational training kitchen. The grant will enable the kitchen to be equipped with modern appliances to provide training in catering skills with a long term plan to opening a community café at the centre.

John Harrison, Community Manager at Emmaus North East said: “We are extremely grateful to the Santander Foundation, especially the staff at our local branch in South Shields for all their help and support. The funds provided will make a huge difference, helping provide catering skills and a pathway towards meaningful employment.”

Tracy Harris, Branch Manager at Santander’s South Shields 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 Emmaus North East and hope the donation makes a real difference to local people.”

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Notes to Editors:

Media Contact
Stephanie Harris at Santander                      Email: stephanie.harris@santander.co.uk                                  Tel: 020 7756 4221
Sian Thomas at Emmaus                               Email: sian.thomas@emmaus-northeast.org.uk                       Tel: 07576 533351


Emmaus North East

Emmaus enables homeless people to rebuild their lives through a social enterprise that enriches and involves the local community.

The first ever Emmaus community is being set up in the North East, providing a home and employment to 15 formerly homeless people in South Shields. The social enterprise will employ residents in a shop to help generate money for the community. The main business activity is repairing and refurbishing donated furniture and household goods and selling them in our shop.

For more information please visit: www.emmaus-northeast.org.uk

Santander Foundation

The Santander Foundation is at the heart of the Bank’s community activities, providing grants to small charities and social enterprises working with disadvantaged people to fund skills, knowledge and innovation projects across the UK. Discovery Grants of up to £5,000 are available to support three types of activity:

  • Explorer: improving people’s knowledge
  • Transformer: supporting skills and experience
  • Changemaker: innovative solutions to social challenges

Over the last five years, the Santander Foundation has provided £25 million in funding to 12,600 UK charities and in 2016 a further £5 million will be available through Discovery Grants and Staff Matched Donations. 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 innovative products for retail customers and relationship banking model for UK SMEs. At 31 December 2016, the bank serves around 14 million active customers with c20,000 employees and operates through 841 branches (which includes 60 university branches) and 67 regional Corporate Business Centres. Santander UK is subject to the full supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in the UK. Santander UK plc customers are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in the UK.