Community Fund

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We have a long-standing commitment to the communities we work alongside, and we want to ensure lasting benefits for the people and places that host new energy infrastructure.

Where planning consent is granted and construction commences, National Grid will deliver a dedicated Community Fund associated with the Blyth Substation project.

Shaped by the community and developed in line with government guidance, these community funds are designed to reflect local needs.  

We are inviting residents, charities, community groups and local organisations in East Bedlington, Cambois, Blyth and surrounding areas to help shape the proposed Blyth Substation Community Fund, which could provide up to £1.06 million in support for local communities.

The Fund includes £530,000 associated with phase one, with a further £530,000 proposed for phase two, subject to the necessary planning consent. This could bring the total funding available to £1.06 million. 

Shaping the Community Fund

Understanding local needs is central to how the Community Fund is designed and delivered.

Our research into the local area has identified four proposed themes where funding could make a lasting difference. We are now inviting residents, community groups and local organisations to share their views to help refine these priorities and identify where the Fund could have the greatest impact.

Our approach is also designed to complement wider work taking place across Northumberland, including ambitions set out in Northumberland's Economic Strategy 2035 and ongoing regeneration investment in Blyth, including the Pride in Place programme. We want to ensure the Community Fund builds on these efforts.  

Based on our research so far, we've identified four themes that your Community Fund could support. We want to know whether these reflect what matters most to your community.   

Adult employment, skills and opportunities

• Supporting access to employment, skills and training and helping local people benefit from future economic growth. 
• In Northumberland, 26.2% of working-age adults are economically inactive, compared with the national average of 21.2%. Nearly one in ten working-age adults have no formal qualifications, compared with 6.4% nationally (Office for National Statistics).

Health and wellbeing

• Supporting physical and mental wellbeing, reducing social isolation and strengthening community support. 
• In Northumberland, there is a 17-year gap in healthy life expectancy between the most and least deprived communities (Northumberland County Council).

Education and young people

• Supporting educational attainment, raising aspirations and providing opportunities for children and young people. 
• Across the county, 24.2% of children and young people live in poverty (Children North East).

Environment and place

• Improving green and community spaces, supporting the local environment and strengthening local pride and sense of place.   
• In Northumberland's 2024 Open Space Assessment, 39% of respondents rated the quality of facilities for teenagers as poor or very poor.