Eaga Communties - The Community Fund
To date, Eaga’s Community Fund has donated over £250,000 to 76 projects throughout the UK.
Our strong partnership with the Community Foundation means we have made a positive impact in the communities we live and work in delivering projects that truly make a difference to the lives of others.
"Eaga has held its Community Fund with us since 2007, and since then has made significant grants to environmental projects in the North East, and contributed to Funds at Community Foundations around the country. Eaga Partners are always willing to volunteer and take a direct interest in the projects they are supporting. Eaga's commitment to social and environmental responsibility is admirable and an excellent example of how companies can address their responsibility to their local communities." Rob Williamson, Chief Executive of the Community Foundation serving Tyne & Wear and Northumberland
Case Study
Community Group: RePaint Scotland
Amount Awarded: £4,000
Project: Initiative start-up costs, website design and vehicle livery
Roughly 56 million litres of paint a year are unused or thrown away. RePaint Scotland provides an outlet for unwanted paint by collecting this from Local Authorities, landfill centres and retailers and either selling it at minimal cost or donating it to organisations working with low income families and homeless shelters.
Maureen Menzies, Development Manager for RePaint Scotland said of Eaga’s help: “Receiving this grant from the Eaga fund, through the Scottish Community Foundation, at a time when the group was really only starting out gave us a massive boost. It greatly contributed in getting the group up and running to the benefit of not only many people in the community, but also the environment as a whole.”
Case Study
Community Group: Tyneside Cyrenians
Amount Awarded: £3,675
Project: Micro Combined Heat & Power Unit
Tyneside Cyrenians is one of the country’s most progressive homeless charities offering support to vulnerable, socially disadvantaged and excluded groups. This ranges from direct access emergency accommodation to semi independent and independent living houses.
With a grant from Eaga’s Community Fund, the charity was able to install the first production micro-Combined Heat & Power unit of its kind in Europe, providing an efficient use of mains gas to produce electricity and improve heat efficiency.
Tyneside Cyrenians Chief Executive, Stephen Bell said: “We are delighted with the support the Eaga Community Fund has given us. Excess heat from our new unit will provide all year round frost protection in our greenhouses, which are part of our expanding Organic Horticulture project, and in turn will help develop our in-house training facility.”
Case Study
Community Group: Newcastle Live Theature
Project: Small Steps
Eaga has a strong commitment to the Arts, supporting the Lee Hunt play, Pitmen Painters, and working closely with young actors across the North East to present climate change and environmental themes.
Our successful ‘Small Steps’ project, in partnership with Newcastle Live Theatre, ran for 12 weeks in the region and was awarded ‘Best Arts/Business Partnership’ at the Newcastle Journal Culture Awards.
Speaking about its success, Gillian Firth, Development Manager at Newcastle Live Theatre said: "We are delighted that the relationship between Eaga and Live Theatre continues to thrive and develop. Engagement with young people is a vital part of the company’s work and the Small Steps project gave members of the youth theatre a fantastic opportunity to focus on the important issue of climate change. Without the provision of expertise and financial support from Eaga this exciting project would not have taken place."
Case Study
Community Group: Jesmond Community Pool Management Comitee
Project: Jesmond Pool
Jesmond Community Swimming Pool is in the heart of the Eaga community and a stone’s throw from Eaga House in Newcastle. Rescued from closure by a group of local residents the pool faced closure a second time as energy costs spiralled. Eaga stepped in and securing a £37,000 grant from the Low Carbon Buildings Programme, installed solar roof panels not only substantially reducing energy costs, but also reducing the building’s CO2 emissions by up to seven tonnes each year. The pool’s future has been secured and it continues to go from strength to strength supporting elderly and disabled residents and teaching young children from low-income families.
Glenn Armstrong, from Jesmond Community Pool Management Committee, said: “These solar panels will not only help keep our running costs down and customer numbers up, but as a renewable energy source they will also bring real environmental benefits.”