Thanks to funding from the lottery, Five Lamps now has a base within Stockton town centre.
With support from Stockton Council, Five Lamps secured funding to refurbish 32 Dovecot Street, a Grade II listed local authority building. The building was officially opened in March 2010 by by Helen Goodman, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Work and Pensions and Minister responsible for financial inclusion.
The refurbishment of the building was funded by a £363,612 Community Assets grant and a £30,000 loan from the Social Enterprise Loan Fund. 32 Dovecot Street has created a focal point within Stockton for all Five Lamps’ services including assistance into employment, young people’s services, financial inclusion advice and access to affordable credit and assistance into self-employment.
Five Lamps aims to support 4,000 customers a year from the newly-refurbished building, along with supporting other local voluntary and community groups with office and meeting space.
Graeme Oram, Five Lamps Chief Executive said
“The newly-refurbished building provides much needed space for us to deliver these life-changing services to our communities. We appreciate the support provided by Stockton Council to secure this funding to progress this project.”