Last week around 350 delegates and high profile speakers attended the Community Foundation Network's national conference in Newcastle, with the second evening's event being held at Beamish Museum.
Part of a worldwide movement, there are now 57 community foundations in the UK, and delegates travelled from as far as the USA and Australia.
The movement now holds £300 million in endowment ensuring communities will benefit long term from their local community foundation. The network currently distributes about £70 million a year in grants to voluntary groups and individuals and this has more than doubled in recent years.
In fact, with the exception of Cumbria, it is estimated that everyone lives 2.5 miles from a group that has received a grant from a community foundation.
Apart from being inspired by motivational speakers, exchanging best practice and ideas with other community foundations in the network, it was great to bring the delegates to Beamish and give them a taste of just one of the fantastic tourist attractions in Durham, accompanied by cultural talent from the Riverside Brass band and the Durham Cathedral Choristers. Hopefully they will be back for more.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here