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GoFibre supercharges community support in Teesdale with five charities to receive funding boost

GoFibre supercharges community support in Teesdale with five charities to receive funding boost

The Scoop | 04/09/2025

Five charities delivering crucial support to communities in Teesdale have been unveiled as the first to be awarded funding in the region from GoFibre through its game-changing GoFurther Fund. The charities have received a slice of the £15,000 pot which forms part of the Scottish independent broadband provider’s social impact strategy and helps charitable groups to transform local lives within the regions where GoFibre offers its full-fibre broadband network. As part of GoFibre’s delivery of Project Gigabit, it has committed to various social value initiatives that will bring wider benefits to local communities. In Teesdale, GoFibre is building its network to over 4,000 more homes and businesses through Project Gigabit, the government-funded programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access fast, reliable gigabit-capable broadband. The rollout is also delivering additional benefits, supporting the creation of local jobs and training opportunities, as well as education and community outreach events.  With each of the recipients receiving up to £3,000, the GoFurther Fund provides grants to those who meet one of the four GoFuther Fund criteria. These are: Environmental Benefit, Community Wellbeing, Education and Skills, Internet Safety and Digital Inclusion. Selected from a large number of worthy applicants, the Teesdale recipients are:

Commenting on the winning charities, Neil Conaghan, Chief Executive Officer at GoFibre, said: “We know that charities continue to play a valuable role within communities, bringing people together and supporting vulnerable individuals. This is why we set up the GoFurther Fund. “These organisations have been chosen as the first winners in Teesdale for each making the kind of positive impact within the local community that the GoFurther Fund is designed to support. “Through everything we do at GoFibre, we are all about connecting communities in as many ways as possible, building long-standing relationships and contributing much-needed funding where we can to make sure our network has a lasting impact.”

Hear from the winners:Encouraging young people from the local communities to take up a career in trades, Trade4Case Project CIC is a not-for-profit CIC operating in Barnard Castle. Delivering painting, decorating and handyman services in care and community venues plus the homes of the vulnerable, many of the young people who join are facing personal challenges and have struggled with conventional education pathways. Funding from the GoFurther Fund will be used to create summer bursaries for young people alongside an apprenticeship.

Charlie Wright, Director at Trade4Case Project CIC, said: “The GoFurther Fund award win is fantastic and will help us to inspire more young people from local communities to pursue careers in trades. Many of the young people we help face personal challenges and have struggled with conventional education pathways.” Funding is also being awarded to Teesdale Day Clubs to ensure the continued running of the charity’s lunch clubs, a trusted and familiar part of the region’s rural heritage. Offering a range of support services to adults who are lonely, at risk of being isolated or excluded socially for any reason, the lunch clubs service is and has been at the heart of the charity since 1994.

Amanda Raine, General Manager at Teesdale Day Clubs, said: “Clubs which bring people together, truly are the beating heart of our communities. We’ve seen this for over three decades and with this GoFibre funding we can continue to roll out our lunch clubs to even more adults who are lonely or at risk of social isolation.” With 360 members, Teesdale Rural Watch works closely with emergency services to protect rural communities from crime and assist in locating missing people. GoFibre funding is set to provide up to 30 homes with Wi-Fi enabled doorbell units, enhancing safety for those living alone, supporting residents with dementia, and helping farmers prevent the likes of livestock theft.

Jonathan Metcalf, Chairman at Teesdale Rural Watch, said: “GoFibre funding is a fantastic boost for our efforts to safeguard rural communities. We have a vast members network but there’s always more people to help, with this additional donation set to enhance the safety for those living alone or with dementia.” A well-established hub in Barnard Castle, Teesdale Community Resources focuses on preventing children from facing disadvantages due to isolation and reducing loneliness by offering a warm space and hearty meals. GoFurther Fund backing will support two youth workers to provide additional sessions during term time between now and right up to May 2026.

Sarah Gent, Operations Manager at Teesdale Community Resources, said: “The GoFurther Fund will help us to provide vital resources for young people with youth workers in place. This will support TCR in this new school year and make sure that we can continue to reduce loneliness by providing children and young people with a place for them to come to.” The final Teesdale charity to be awarded funding from the GoFurther Fund is Mickleton Village Hall. Based in rural Teesdale, the support with enable a much needed refurbishment of the village hall’s kitchen, bringing it up to the best food hygiene standards. With the hall hosting an array of events from cinema nights and table tennis to a local choir and the Cubs, the kitchen refresh will be enjoyed by community members for years to come.

David Hutchinson, Chairman Mickleton Village Hall, said: “We were delighted to be awarded funding towards our kitchen refurbishment. This included replacing all the cupboards new flooring and new specialist worktop which GoFibre have kindly funded. This really finishes off the kitchen and we are all very proud of our new kitchen and hope it will serve us for the next 30 years. Since we finished the kitchen the users are very appreciative of the improved and updated kitchen. Thank you once again to GoFibre for all their help.” Since launch in 2023, the GoFurther Fund has supported exceptional charities from across Scotland, including organisations such as Heids & Hearts (Fife), Tartan Talkers (Fife), Bridges Project (East Lothian), Into Work (East Lothian), Escape Youth Services (Borders), The Haven (Aberdeenshire), Kirrie Connections (Angus), and North East Sensory Services (Angus).

Key projects supported to date include education and employability initiatives for young people, efforts to help tackle loneliness and social isolation and after-school support activities designed to empower young people from all backgrounds.

GoFibre is currently delivering an ultra-fast broadband network across Teesdale as part of the UK Government’s Project Gigabit which enables hard-to-reach communities to access lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband.

The build covers the Barnard Castle, Middleton-in-Teesdale and West Auckland areas, and includes towns and villages such as Cotherstone, Ovington, Gainford, Eggleston, Romaldkirk, Mickleton, Stainton, Barnard Castle and Witton-le-Wear. Over 7,000 premises are now ready for connection in the Durham-Teesdale area with local residents able to enjoy the benefits of full fibre such as seamless use of multiple devices at home, smoother remote work and being able to quickly download large files in seconds.

The GoFurther Fund reflects GoFibre’s strong local focus, rooted in supporting the communities served by its network, as well as hiring local; ensuring its people work where they live. To find out more about GoFibre’s social impact strategy visit gofibre.co.uk/social-value.

Eligible organisations are encouraged to sign up by visiting gofibre.co.uk/gofurther-fund, and residents in the region can check GoFibre’s availability by visiting gofibre.co.uk/check-availability.

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