supporting local arts
Darlington Building Society has been a major supporter of local arts for a number of years. At the Mortgage Finance Gazette Awards in 2007, the Society won the prestigious Arts Award for the third consecutive year, in recognition of our contribution to local arts projects.
Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum
Beamish is the region's number one outdoor tourist attraction. The Society is a founder member of Business@Beamish, which encourages businesses to support the museums's new projects. The Society also sponsors one of the trams that ferries visitors between the museum's many historical attractions.
Bowes Museum
In 2004 the Society agreed to sponsor Bowes Museum based in County Durham. Our support enabled the museum to achieve matched government funding which helped it to invest in the development of educational projects and its 'Art Schools' project. The Society was recognised at the Journal Culture Awards for its support of Bowes Museum.
Middlesbrough Theatre
During 2007 Darlington Building Society pledged its support to Middlesbrough Theatre's 50th anniversary celebrations. The partnership ran throughout the theatre's autumn season and the funds provided by the building society enabled the theatre, a registered charity, to enhance its already diverse programme of professional and amateur work.
The Castle Players, Barnard Castle
The Society has sponsored The Castle Players, an award-winning Community Theatre Group, based in Barnard Castle, County Durham since 2002. Each year the group performs a Shakespearean comedy in a specially created outdoor arena at The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle. All performers are amateurs yet the performances are of the highest professional standard.
Darlington Civic Theatre
Until 2008, Darlington Building Society was the principal sponsor of Darlington Civic Theatre and supported it in many different ways. To mark our 150th anniversary year, the Society purchased all of the tickets for one evening's performance of 'Beauty and the Beast'. The tickets were given away to staff, their families and the general public for a donation of £1.50 to local charity, St Teresa's Hospice. The Society has supported Darlington Civic Theatre since 1994, helping the theatre to maintain its enviable reputation for staging first class productions to sell-out audiences.
Artist in Residence
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Local artist Wendy Thompson was appointed as the Society's first 'artist in residence' in 2002. Wendy first won a commission from us to portray the Society within its local environment in a contemporary style. Her pictures can be seen at her website www.wendy-thompson.co.uk |
