Live UK Shared Prosperity Fund projects

Communities and place

Town centre vitality

There are four programmes proposed:

1. Project based cultural engagement programmes in Peterlee and Newton Aycliffe to celebrate both towns 75th anniversaries. The funding from UKSPF for both projects is towards cultural engagement workshops and pop-up events in the town centres. It is part of a wider project, with multiple funders. 
2. Winter Wonderland - a series of cultural engagement workshops in eight town centres. Working with local arts organisations and artists, the work will support participatory workshops which then culminate in spectacular outdoor events. Co-created with local communities, the events will increase footfall in town centres, increase dwell time and support community cohesion through cultural participation.
3. Specialist markets.
4. Chester-le-Street Wayfinding. 

Community infrastructure

This is an integrated package which includes a number of elements proposed which will be developed and delivered as part of a partnership framework, with a key focus on improving community resilience ensuring sustainability and viability, which crosscut against multiple objectives:

1. Community Hubs  - Digital Programme, Energy Efficiency, Access, Internal Reconfiguration, Extensions, Warm and Welcoming Spaces.
2. Green Champions - Impactful Volunteering.
3. Community Food - Community Grow.

County Durham Place Branding

The project will develop a new brand for County Durham to promote the unique strengths of County Durham as a place to live, visit and work. The project delivery consists of three phases:

• brand development
• stakeholder engagement
• brand activation 

Poverty Alleviation

A project with activities to address Food Poverty, Welfare Advice and guidance, Financial inclusion, Fun and Food School Holiday Activities. These activities will be informed through purchasing of datasets and research resources and co-ordinated with other UKSPF projects by a Poverty Action Co-ordinator.

Place Labs

Place Labs are local cultural hubs that support communities to develop creative programmes, practice and places.

The key aim of the project is to address the low levels of cultural participation in the county by enabling place-based creative activity to be embedded within communities and accelerating the benefits through knowledge-sharing and connectivity between Place Labs.

People and skills

Employment support

Led by Durham County Council, this project seeks to maintain the existing high quality employment support infrastructure which has been developed across the county and to complement the UKSPF skills proposals with partners GroundWork North East, Springboard and Cornforth Partnership.

Skills support

Led by Durham County Council, this project has been carefully designed to complement existing activity and will specifically focus on:

• Improving literacy and verbal communication skills of individuals through a new 'Communicate' programme.
• Upskilling and retraining employees through flexible skills support programmes.
• Providing skills support for individuals who are experiencing skills barriers to their progression and who reside in areas impacted by increased levels of deprivation and/or rural isolation.

Reaching Out Across Durham (ROAD 2)

By engaging with those who are the hardest to reach across County Durham, the project will support with breaking down barriers to employment, for example social inclusion, wellbeing, confidence, digital skills, employability and financial needs. Each participant will receive a bespoke assessment which will include individual development plan to support them with their journey. With access to local organisations outside of the project to support with volunteering opportunities, training and employment, the project aims to move participants closer to the labour market.  

Support local business

Durham Productivity and Growth Programme

An integrated programme to boost productivity and support growth in County Durham businesses, contributing to the delivery of more and better jobs in an inclusive green economy. The key interventions are in:

• business engagement to identify needs and create workable action plans
• productivity support through various interventions and programmes
• a Business Grants Programme to support businesses to invest in growth projects and implement productivity improvements
• an ongoing marketing programme to raise awareness and encourage participation

In the meantime interested parties can submit their contact details to enquiries@durhambusinessgrowth.co.uk or visit Durham Business Growth. All enquiries are being followed up by a Business Engagement Officer.

Innovation Together - Universities in the North-East (In-TUNE)

In-TUNE is a collaborative regional project led by Durham University in partnership with Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland Universities and CPI to deliver targeted innovation and commercialisation support across Durham and the North of Tyne areas supporting business productivity, innovation and spin-out formation.

Enterprising Durham Framework (EDF)

This project will deliver the Enterprising Durham Framework (EDF) based on a partnership approach. A programme to support enterprise and business start-up will be delivered via below three activity strands:

• Enterprising People
• Enterprising Start Ups
• Enterprising Places 

Website:  Durham Start-ups 
Phone:  0191 6251221
Email: Durhamstartups@weareumi.co.uk.