‘Incredible’ response to autism charity’s farm appeal
The award-winning North East Autism Society (NEAS) launched the ‘Growing Futures’ appeal in March, with businessman and philanthropist Sir Peter Vardy leading the way by pledging £500,000.
Sir Peter, pictured below, challenged other businesses in the region to come together to match his donation, so that the bold vision for New Warlands Farm, near Burnhope, becomes a reality.
(Image: Chris Barron)
NEAS Chief Executive, John Phillipson, has now revealed that the charity is halfway to its target of matching Sir Peter’s pledge after being “overwhelmed” with financial donations and offers of ‘in-kind’ support.
“Having Sir Peter lead the way has created a great awareness of the campaign, and that has inspired an incredible response, giving us all the confidence we need to proceed with the development,” said Mr Phillipson.
The donations so far include £100,000 from the Reece Foundation, launched in 2007 by renowned North East engineer and businessman, Dr Alan Reece, “to fund engineering, manufacturing an environmental initiatives to support sustainable prosperity”.
Multinational professional services company Turner & Townsend, which has worked with NEAS on previous projects, is providing cost and project management at the farm free of charge – estimated at a value of around £85,000.
Meanwhile, Direct Business Group, based at Houghton-le-Spring, has agreed to oversee the utilities infrastructure at New Warlands. The work, estimated to be worth around £100,000 to the charity, will ensure the development is sustainable and energy-efficient.
Direct Business Group is also in discussions with NEAS about a mutually beneficial partnership, which would see the company become the charity’s net zero partner across its portfolio of buildings.
NEAS fundraising manager, Kevin Meikle, said: “These are just three key examples of the kind of support we’ve had. The £100,000 grant from the Reece Foundation makes a huge difference in terms of direct finance, and the in-kind support from highly respected companies like Turner & Townsend and Direct Business Group adds so much credibility. It fills us with confidence to know we are in such safe hands.”
The Direct Business Group also raised £10,000 for NEAS last year by raffling a holiday and matching the donation. The company has pledged to donate another £10,000 this year.
James Henderson, the company’s Chief of Staff, is particularly passionate about the charity’s work because he was diagnosed as autistic and having Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) just last year.
“The diagnosis at the age of 32 finally made sense of my life,” said James. “It’s not until you start to realise what neurodivergence is that you find answers to questions you didn’t even know you had.
“Now, I want to use my own experience to help this fantastic charity to create this training hub that will help other autistic people gain new skills, secure jobs, and realise their full potential. The New Warlands Farm development is so visionary and it’s a privilege to be playing a part in it becoming a reality.”
Turner & Townsend director Steph Marshall said: “We have been working with NEAS for over 15 years, and we know how hard it is to deliver projects in today’s volatile market. Therefore, when the opportunity came up to support NEAS again, we wanted to make a difference.
(Image: North East Autism Society)
“We know we can make an impact by delivering our services pro bono, freeing up critical funding for this facility that will benefit the community for years to come.
“Turner & Townsend is leading the delivery of this project with the clear focus of completing it to budget and on time—ensuring NEAS can begin delivering vocational training to its students.
“We will be using our digital tools to bring the project to life for NEAS and create visibility at all times on the forecasted cost, carbon and schedule of the project. This is an opportunity for us to apply our expertise to deliver long-lasting social impact.”